In their shoes

Q: What is the obligation of a Western, democratic government to protect individual freedoms in light of a realistic terrorist threat? Are the producers of South Park right to forfeit their freedom of expression in the interests of protecting their employees? Are the governments of Europe right to ban burqas in the interest of fostering a more open society?

I can't speak for the creators of South Park or the self-proclaimed Muslims who threatened to kill them if they continue doing what they were doing. But I believe that Peace is God's will, and that God loves all of us. To create God's Peace, we must listen with compassion and respect to one another, regardless of our differences.

And in the midst of the swirl of controversy surrounding the banning of burqas, it is the voice of the European Muslim women that strikes me as markedly silent.

I can only imagine how I would feel as a Christian woman if I were told that I couldn't wear a necklace with a cross, or if, as a minister, I were forbidden to wear the clerical collar of my office. While I don't claim to speak for Muslim women, here is how I imagine I would feel if similar restrictions were put on my relationship with God:

I would be mystified that my symbol of faith is considered a threat to the values of Western democracy and civilization. For me, it bears witness to the value of tolerance for religious faith and expression in my country. Is not that tolerance a Western value?

Wearing a symbol of faith is my effort to do God's Will, to obey God as I understand God's rules for me. If others feel threatened by this symbol of my faith, let me explain its true meaning to the person who sees threat in my appearance, but please, don't require me to do what is disobedient to God in my eyes. How can what I wear pose a security threat to my neighbors or my country? May God show us a way out of this impasse!

I can appreciate that some politicians say they are standing up for women's rights, for my equality and rights, by this law. But I want to tell them how wrong they are. This symbol of my faith stands for my equality and stature in God's eyes. I wear it as a free expression of my desire to do God's will. My choice is the exercise of my right as a woman and a person of faith -- and yet you would take it away from me. I cannot see how that is preserving my equality. Please, don't tell me what is best for me. Allow me my personal relationship with my God; this is a freedom that every government has an obligation to protect.

When I think with compassion about the Muslim women in Europe who are being told not to wear the veil, this is how I imagine I might feel in their shoes. But neither I, nor any other can claim to know the minds of our Muslim sisters, so I invite them, or anyone else who has a perspective on this to share, to please come forward in the comments section and join the discussion.

By Janet Edwards  |  May 6, 2010; 12:47 PM ET Save & Share:                 
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