#burqadebate

Freedom in Restriction, Restriction in Freedom

"The Burqa Debate" has been a hot topic in the Netherlands in recent years. Because of my own background (having lived both in Qatar, a conservative Muslim country, and the Netherlands) it naturally intrigued me to do some in-depth research about it. What I discovered was eye-opening. On the one hand I could understand the Dutch mentality of openness, but on the other I understood the cultural context in which women wearing the niqab live. To gain further understanding of different perspectives, I interviewed an anthropologist who specialized in Salafism, a Dutch-Moroccan woman wearing the niqab, and researched official reports on women wearing the niqab in the Netherlands. One could say it is a debate with many layers and viewpoints, but I chose to specify in the topic of freedom. And who is to say how freedom is defined? I hope to open people's minds, and look at the issue in a way that makes viewers aware of their cultural biases.