In regards to individual liberty, Locke believes that each individual is the judge of their own actions (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2002). All individuals have a right to be free and a right to decide how they want to live without interference from the state. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2002). Muslim women have the right to freely cover their face without limitations or discrimination from state authority. Bill 94 would terminate the individual choice of Muslim women and interfere with their individual rights and liberty. Locke believes that the pursuit of happiness comes from co-operation (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2002). He explains that individual happiness will eventually lead to the happiness of society (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2012). The possible legislation of Bill 94 has already caused uproar across Canada for both Muslim and Non-Muslim communities. The unhappiness of all these individuals will eventually affect the stability and happiness of the overall society. The limitations Bill 94 would place upon individual liberties and freedoms of Muslim women further supports Locke’s disagreement.
80% of the Canadian population and 95% of Quebecers support Bill 94. According to Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarian principle, banning the niqab would be reasonable legislation. The core value of the utilitarian principle is “to maximize happiness and prevent pain and suffering” (Sandel, 2009, p. 34). He believes that the happiness of the majority outweighs the suffering of the minority. Bill 94 would make the majority of Canadians happy and only cause distress to the minority Muslim population. Theoretically the concept seems plausible, but when constructed in real world situations, it begins to deteriorate. Stuart Mill’s utilitarian approach provide...
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...the Veil [Video file]. Retrieved
Conway, Kyle. (2012). “Quebec's Bill 94: What's “Reasonable”? What's “Accommodation”? And what's the Meaning of the Muslim Veil?” American Review of Canadian Studies 47(2): 195-209. Doi: 10.1080/02722011.2012.679150
Columbia Encyclopedia. (2002). “John Locke – History and Philosophy” in Columbia Encyclopedia Online. Columbia University Press. Retrieve from
Daily Motion. (2010, May 19). Canada Full Veil Ban [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdd5mk_canada-full-veil-ban_news
Horton, John and Mendus, Susan (eds.) John Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration in Focus. New York: Routledge, 1991.
Sandel, M. J. (2009). Justice: What’s the right thing to do?. (pp. 58-74). New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
The legislation aspires to prohibit public-sector employees from wearing “objects such as headgear, clothing, jewelry or other religious affiliation”. These objects include items such as kippahs, turbans, hijabs, and large crucifixes. This ban would be intended to apply to all civil servants, including individuals such as teachers, doctors, nurses and police offiercers (Jake Flanagin, The Atlantic). At a hearing for Bill 60, Michelle Blanc, who is a transgender woman, spoke in support of the Bill, appealing to Quebecers' pro-LGBT feelings. “When I see a veil, the mental image I have is all of the gays who were hung high and low in the public square... in certain Arab countries”, Blanc had stated. Although same-sex relationships and the importance of being accepting of all religions have been two of the most controversial and highly debated topics, it is definitely not the right step to attack the Muslim religion and specific Arab countries in an attempt to defend Bill 60. Much like it is innapropriate to accuse the LGBT community of being anti-religion, it is equally innapropriate to accuse an entire religion for the horrible act of the hanging of gays in certain Arab countries. Not all gays are
In the article, Chesler uses several persuasive appeals in an attempt to convince readers to support France’s ban on head coverings. While some may argue that banning religious clothing infringes on Islamic law, Chesler points out that “many eloquent, equally educated Muslim religious… women insist that the Koran does not mandate that women cover their faces… Leading Islamic scholars agree with them.” In an appeal to logos, Chesler uses facts, gathered from educated Muslim women and Islamic scholars, to show that this argument is illogical because the burqa is not required. Chesler continues logos appeals by citing the Sheikh of al-Azhat University as saying “The niqab is tradition. It has no connection to religion.” This passage demonstrates ethos as well, but carries on the idea that burqas and niqabs are not required by Islamic law, making the ban perfectly logical. The idea is that, since these garments are not mandatory in the Koran’s broad requisite of “modest dress,” the ban does not infringe on religious rights, making the ban a logical choice. Chesler takes the argument one step further by insisting that the burqa is not only optional, it is detrimental to wearers. The argument that “it is a human rights violation and constitutes both a health hazard and is a form of torture” to women who wear burqa exhibits both logos and pathos. By pointing out that burqas are a possible “health hazard,” Chesler uses unappealing syntax to make readers believe that burqas are unhealthy and i...
Locke, John. The Second Treatise of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration. New York: Courier Dover Publications, 2002.
Pollock, J. M. (2010). Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice Sixth Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Women have always been thought of as something that needed to be controlled in Muslim culture. Their bodies are a source of shame that must be covered during prayer and also in the public (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 3). Veiling, done by a hijab or chador, is when women either wear a headscarf to cover themselves or they wear a veil that covers their entire body, excluding her hands and eyes (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 1; Mir-Hosseini 2003: 41; Berger 1998: 93; Smith-Hefner 2007: 390-391; Brenner 1996: 674; El Guindi 1999: 6). Veiling is used as a tool for oppression. By having women veil themselves, it enforces the control by the male run and male dominated society (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 7). Also, the punishment for women appearing without a veil transitioned as the concept of veiling was addressed, transitioning from seventy-four lashes, to being arrested and held between ten days and two months for being “immodest” women and offending public morality, or fined 50,000 to 500,000 rials (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 8). The oppression of veiling is perpetuated through the thought that it is a woman’s religious duty to wear one, condemning foreigners and women in society if they refuse. Although it is a tool for oppression, there was resistance the oppression. In ...
The freedom of people will reduce. Islamic State is a controversial subject, yet it does not mean that all the people who travel to terrorist hotspots such as Syria or Iraq, have the intention of joint terrorist groups. However, even if criminalizing travels to certain regions has a negative impact on people’s freedom; it is meaningful to the Canadian politics because this legislation will ensure the national security of the country and reduce numbers of Canadian citizens that travel to the Islamic State in order to join terrorist
Muslims, Sikhs, and many other religious affiliations have often been targeted for hate crimes, racial slurs, and misfortunate events. We are all different in our own ways some are good and some are bad yet one event changes everything for everyone affiliated with the group. The book The Politics of the Veil by Joan Scott a renowned pioneer in gender studies gives a detailed and analytical book of about the French views towards the Muslim females in France during 2004. The author talks about why the French governments official embargo of wearing conspicuous signs is mainly towards the headscarves for Muslim girls under the age of eighteen in public schools. The main themes of book are gender inequality, sexism, and cultural inequality historical schools used in the book are history of below, woman’s history, cultural history, and political history. In this essay, I will talk about why Joan Scotts argument on why the French government’s ban on wearing conspicuous signs was
Sandel, M. (2009). Justice: What’s the right thing to do? New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux
(11) John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, ed. Peter Nidditch, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1972. (II. xxvii. 6. 2-9) Pg. 332
There are many different views towards Muslim choice of clothing especially wearing the veil. “I wear it believing it is necessary, but someone else can be wearing it believing that she is doing something extra” said Hamna Ahmed. One of the many reasons a Muslim can be wearing the veil are their own personal decisions too. Hamna has been wearing it for seven years now, despite her mother and three of her four sisters staying uncovered. Socially this causes an issue with the meaning of the veil and conflict with other groups. With many different consumptions of religion, what it means, what is considered to be practicing and what is not can lead to negative misunderstandings. Ultimately the decisions are up to the individuals although; there is likely to be misinterpretation between the meaningfulness of religion to family and society. On an even bigger scale of things this could also impact society and it...
Justice plays a valuable part in the public’s life; no matter who you are or where you are from. In Michael Sandel’s Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? the reader encounters six specific approaches to lawfulness and ethical morality, which constitute of utilitarianism, libertarianism, Locke, Kant, Rawls, and Aristotle. Each of these definitive philosophies falls under one of three general concepts and categories. These consist of freedom, virtue, and welfare. Exclusively judging the title of the book, one may think that it attempts to solve or bring forth ethical and moral issues of our time. After reading the book however, the reader becomes aware that Sandel’s work is much
Most of these things it is possible to see through the analysis of the situation that exists in practice and analysis of several court cases. In France, for years women with Hijab encounter problems, both in education and in ...
Locke, John. The Works of John Locke in Nine Volumes. 12th ed. Vol. 4. London: Rivington,
Wearing the burqa and veil by Muslim women in France has become a controversial topic. The burqa and veil are recognized in France as a conflicti...
...Available By: Acker, James. Contemporary Justice Review, Sep2008, Vol. 11 Issue 3, p287-289, 3p; DOI: 10.1080/10282580802295625