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This week, we’re tracking a global tug-of-war over the hijab—one that’s testing the boundaries of religious freedom, secularism, and state power. In Iran, the regime is cornered, pressured by both defiant citizens and outraged hardliners. In France, new legislation threatens to sideline Muslim women in the name of laïcité. And in the UK, Mubarak Bala calls on lawmakers to practice what they preach by ending their own blasphemy laws.
Unbelief Brief
The Iranian government is under growing pressure from all sides regarding the enforcement of its hijab laws. Ultra-hardliners and vigilantes—once strong supporters of the regime—are now threatening to withdraw their backing unless hijab rules are strictly enforced again. However, the government is stuck between a rock and hard place. Ever since the killing of Mahsa Amini, public anger has made the hijab mandate and the morality police deeply unpopular. If authorities push ahead with the new “Hijab and Chastity” law or crack down harder, they risk sparking another wave of protests. On the other hand, holding back could alienate their most loyal, conservative supporters. The regime is caught in a no-win situation, and whatever legitimacy it still has may soon run out.
In Europe: a French ban on the hijab in sports seems now only a matter of time. The law, which has passed the Senate, of course does not target the hijab specifically, but rather prohibits “the wearing of any sign or clothing that ostentatiously displays political or religious affiliation.” In practice, of course, Muslim women who wear the hijab are virtually the only people who will be compelled to change their current behavior as a result of the law. From an American perspective, even one staunchly defensive of the secular values enshrined in the Constitution, this move seems unnecessary. However, this kind of militancy is nothing new for France, a country with a unique conception of church-state separation (laïcité) which demands the total confinement of religion to the private sphere. Critics have gone so far as to call the new law “misogynistic,” since in practice it will affect mostly women. The use of this term is particularly ironic, since the only reason the law affects women in the first place is the misogynistic Islamic mandate that women cover their hair, while men face no such obligation.
Also in Europe, if not the European Union: the UK’s National Secular Society recently interviewed Mubarak Bala, who said the UK must “end blasphemy laws in their own country” in order to set an example for African countries. This includes in his home country of Nigeria where he spent five years in prison due to his leadership of the Humanist Association of Nigeria. In practice, the UK’s blasphemy laws include not only Northern Ireland’s current law, but also laws against “inciting religious hatred” which frequently function as de facto prohibitions on blasphemy. “Inciting religious hatred” is, in fact, identical phrasing that de facto blasphemy laws in Muslim-majority countries use to prosecute any form of religious dissent. This is an issue not only of secularism but also of free expression; a particularly pertinent issue since the UK arrests nearly 30 people every day for “offensive” online posts.
Until next week,
The Team at Ex-Muslims of North America
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