(MENAFN- Muscat Daily)
This ruling – despite good intentions - will make things worse. Far worse. When individuals do not live up to their own self-imposed value system they become bitter, resentful, and even disturbed individuals. The majority of Muslims believe that wearing the headscarf is a commandment from God. The person, then, is forced to choose between two evils. Do they follow their value system by wearing a headscarf and quietly submit to limited participation in society, or do they reject their value system and, believing they are committing a sin, remove the headscarf so that they will be allowed to make a living?
Such a decision would affect anyone's peace of mind. France has been at the forefront of related bans, and there is a correlation with escalations in acts of violence perpetrated by groups these bans affect.
Violence has absolutely no excuse. Responsibility also lies with governments to prevent the creation of environments that serve as a catalyst for increased mental health issues and violence. When something doesn't work, pushing back harder only creates an even bigger reaction of the same kind.
It's okay for people to look different or believe in something you don't.
The Sultanate of Oman is an excellent example. Omani society includes a myriad of cultures and beliefs which one encounters on a daily basis: Europeans dressed in shorts and T-shirts, Omanis garbed in dishdashas and abayas, Sikhs donning turbans, Hindu women with bindis, Christians wearing cross necklaces or earrings, Muslim women covered in a headscarf or the full-face veil, and the list goes on. You will not be stared at or treated negatively. You can go out into society as you – with the freedom in the way you present yourself and in the values you hold dear. It is no surprise that Oman has been one of the best-ranked countries on the Global Terrorism Index in the past decade.
I think lawmakers should investigate the correlation between France's bans and increases in violence among affected groups before it applies the France model to the whole EU.
Just as important, citizens and decision-makers alike should question the viability of this assumption that people must look a certain, European-defined way to be treated equal - Oman certainly proves otherwise. Human beings don't have to fit in a certain box. Human diversity is a beautiful thing and should be celebrated.
Kristen Wright
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