A Canada-based Irish theologian has criticised French moves to limit Muslim women from expressing their faith.
Prof. David Deane, who teaches at the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Nova Scotia, said the decision by the Mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, to ban the wearing of ‘burkinis’ – full body beachwear favoured by some Muslim women – “should make all people really angry”.
Pointing out that Islamic dress codes indicate a profound acceptance of God’s will, Prof. Deane said Mr Lisnard was “denying Muslim women the right to be in a full relationship with God”.
Secularism, although commonly assumed to be neutral, can be a “a virulent ideological stance”, he told The Irish Catholic, noting that in France “the assumption of secular ‘neutrality’ facilitates outright violence against Muslims”, and that there are Muslims who would rather be physically assaulted than denied their right to accept the relationship they believe is offered them by God.