Thursday, April 9, 2009

diaphanous


Main Entry: di·aph·a·nous
Pronunciation: \dī-ˈa-fə-nəs\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Medieval Latin diaphanus, from Greek diaphanēs, from diaphainein to show through, from dia- + phainein to show

Date: 1614
1 : characterized by such fineness of texture as to permit seeing through 2 : characterized by extreme delicacy of form : ethereal 3 : insubstantial , vague
— di·aph·a·nous·ly adverb
— di·aph·a·nous·ness noun



I'm applying "diaphanous" to the French controversy about whether or not Muslim girls could wear veils in public schools.




The controversy is no surprise to those who are familiar with French culture and history. France has had their policy of Laïcité (secularism) for a while.


"The founding text of French secularism is the Act of 9 December 1905, which established the separation of the State from religion. For 60 years, the French Constitution has reflected the principle of secularism. The 1958 Constitution reaffirms this principle: 'France shall be an indivisible, secular and social Republic. It shall ensure the equality of all citizens before the law, without distinction of origin, race or religion. It shall respect all beliefs.' (Article 1)"


So is France respecting 'all beliefs' by forbidding students to wear their diaphanous head garments?


Muslims in France who wished their daughters to cover their heads at school had only a diaphanous hope of succeeding. The French law of secularism dictates that any sign of religious affiliation shall not be expressed at school. Period.


However, if head scarves suddenly became the style and women of all religions started wearing them just to be cool, public policy wouldn't forbid it. Maybe that's the solution! Let Muslim girls wear flowerdy, purple, or metallic head scarves and tie them in funky ways so that Christian, Jewish, and Athiest girls will want to wear them too! They can all be beautifully diaphanous so they'll flow behind their heads as lovely girls of all creeds stylishly float from class to class!







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6 comments:

  1. NicoleApril 9, 2009 at 5:03 PM

    I like this link to culture. That's a problem that continues to be discussed in France, so it's very relevant. My two cents? It's disrespectful to the beliefs of Muslim girls and women to force them to remove their veils. I support the idea that religion should not be involved in the educational system but I venture to say that decision had more to do with curriculum and the message being dissimulated than it did with the religion of the students. As long as the students wearing the veil (or students of any other religion wearing a symbol, such as a cross necklace) aren't pushing their religion on other people then who is it hurting if they wear them? Does it change their ability to learn what's being taught to them or keep others from doing so? No.

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  2. FarteApril 9, 2009 at 5:47 PM

    Hm, maybe if nothing comes about in regards to the veil, they could always wear large scarves around the lower part of their faces.

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  3. KyleFLANApril 12, 2009 at 10:10 AM

    Although I disagree with their implementation I do understand where they are coming from. The forcing of women to wear a veil does represent subjugation; however, if she freely chooses to, then there should be no argument.

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  4. jacquelynn.bensingApril 13, 2009 at 9:45 AM

    This same problem is in Germany. The most hypocritical part is they're saying Muslim women can't wear the scarf while teaching, even though a lot of schools have a crucifix on the wall. I'm actually doing a presentation about this next week...and I plan on doing a podcast on it.

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  5. Paola RomeroApril 14, 2009 at 9:49 AM

    This is a very interesting subject...obviously it is not a problem (that I know of) here in the U.S. since I see people wearing these scarves all the time;however I wonder how the united states would deal with the situation. Much like the french ruling you posted, we attempt to give all citizens an equal opportunity, yet we all know that religion (as separated as it is lol) takes much precedence....just look at all the times we mention God or the bible in different aspects within our community aside from the church.

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  6. Mme. WinelandApril 16, 2009 at 12:59 PM

    They should be allowed to dress in accordance with their faith.

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