Tunisia Bans Full-Face Veils for Security Reasons

[Voltaire2]

TUNIS, Tunisia — Prime Minister Youssef Chahed of Tunisia on Friday prohibited anyone wearing the niqab, a religious covering for the face with only an opening for the eyes, from entering public institutions and government offices, citing security reasons.

After Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, which started the Arab Spring, an Islamist political party came to power and Tunisians were divided over use of the niqab in public spaces. There was broad public debate over women’s rights and religious freedom.

But since then, terrorist attacks and a concentrated effort to fight them mean that for much of the population, safety, and the need to clearly identify faces, have taken precedence, making Tunisia’s ban “not so surprising,” according to Amel Grami, a professor at Manouba University who studies Islam and is the author of a book about women and jihad.

“Society is aware of the necessity of security,” she said. “We have been through several heavy terrorist attacks.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/05/world/africa/tunisia-ban-veil-niqab.html

[guillaumeb]

1. Pretextual.

But currently popular.

[Voltaire2]

2. They have a terrorism problem.

The largest party in the governing coalition is an Islamic party.

Are you going to argue that this is religious intolerance?

[guillaumeb]

3. The autocrats in China also excuse their intolerance and persecution

under the very popular label of being against terrorism.

This tactic is much favored by the right. Label opponents as terrorists.

[Voltaire2]

4. Tunisia is the lone democratic success from

the Arab Spring. This is a democracy struggling to survive fighting actual authoritarian religious extremists, not some totalitarian state.

[guillaumeb]

5. And what exactly do you feel this will accomplish?

Most people who commit violence are males. This will accomplish nothing other than stigmatize a certain female segment of the population.

[NeoGreen]

7. Are you suggesting males are physically incapable of wearing a hijab/burqa?

[AtheistCrusader]

6. Nice whataboutism, but these people are 'same team'.

Religion
Islam (state religion, 99% Sunni), 1% Jews, Christians and others.

In China, there is no state religion. One might assume that security interests of such a state automatically trump ANY civil rights concerns given the totalitarian nature of a semi-communist state.

A more valid objection that may have actually been relevant would be that Tunisia is heavily influenced by French Civil Law. (Colonialism leftovers) The French banned it, it may be relevant to why a post-colonial French nation that is a Islamic State, still does something that seems intolerant toward some sects of muslim.