Burqa Ban (EU) facilitates social intergration?
Shien 2017/06/14 05:13
By no means an EU-wide policy the, ofttimes controversial, ban on the full-face veil that is used in many traditional Muslim communities has in recent times been tabled or instituted by a number of EU countries. The latest of which are Norway an Austria.
I'll keep clear of politics as much as possible, since it muddies the issue. My interest is purely in the social implications.
EU policy has for a long time emphasized multiculturalism, recent shifts in the geopolitical landscape have however been a divisive element in the discussion around multiculturalism, often splitting societies along religious, cultural and racial fault-lines.
My question is this, is integration only possible by forcing migrants to adopt local culture and norms? Will legal measures such as the Burqa-ban truly achieve integration or will it further alienate migrant populations? And if this is the stance we wish to take up as Europeans can we still claim to espouse multiculturalism?