Veil ban in France

This is a response I wrote to someone's comment and support of the veil ban in France.... I didn't bother posting it because I thought it would go to waste... so I'll recreate it hear (add references later so you'll know what the hell I'm referring to):

'I really don't agree with what you're saying at all and it's a bit weird to use the word 'modern' to describe muslim women who don't wear veils. According to my Palestinian friend who was born in the US and wears a scarf (not hijab, not a full face veil), it was her choice when and if she would wear it... she wasn't 'imprisoned' or 'forced,' just like another friend of Egyptian descent chose not to wear one. I think it's wrong to criticize people for their religious choice and make a blanket assumption that all women who wear veils are oppressed and brainwashed, that's not true (and yes, I am aware that in some cases this most certainly is the case).

Now, if you were making the argument that it makes sense for France to require people not wear the veil in public places for safety reasons(which I don't agree with entirely, in banks/government buildings, ok, but its pushing it for a person not to be able to wear it walking down the street), then I might be able to understand your point. Moreover, reading two books (1) about Somalian women suffering due to extreme beliefs (which, as far as I know date back to the BC era and are not related to Islam) isn't really grounds for deciding a whole group of people in a country should not be able to dress the way they want (plus I don't this has anything to do with Islam in France). I don't see why women wearing veils are 'brainwashed' while non-muslim women who dress/act/think a certain way because society, using whatever medium, tells them to are not considered as such.

Also I have no idea what the correlation is you're making between the legislation in France and the abolition of slavery in the US. I don't think all muslim women are forced to wear a veil in France (which is probably why they are protesting now) and even if they were wouldn't come close to being forced to be someone's slave... it doesn't come close to it (2).'


1) She mentioned the books Infidel (Ayaan) and Desert flower (Waris) as reasons why she supports the ban
2) Reference to a comment she made about the legislation being as obscure as the legislation which banned slavery in the United States.


So what do you guys think? I welcome your opinion!