Alice Schwarzer's Hypocrisy

Alice Schwarzer, an icon of the feminist movement in Germany, has come out with a new book:  Die grosse Verschleierung: Fuer Integration, gegen Islamismus (The Great Cover Up: For Integration, against Islamism).  In the book, Schwarzer calls for a ban on headscarves for girls in German schools. The headscarf, Schwarzer insists, is not just another fashion choice, or some hip lifestyle accessory miniskirted girls should use to add a little color to their wardrobe. No, the head scarf is a "flag and symbol of Islamists" which "followed a crusade all the way to the heart of Europe by the 1980s."  So Schwarzer adds her voice to the anti-Muslim hysteria that has gripped Germany ever since Thilo Sarrazin published his book on how lower- intelligence Turks and Arabs are breeding like rabbits and ruining the country. For Schwarzer, as well, Muslims are engaged in the "systematic undermining of our educational apparatus and the legal system." The headscarf is the symbol of the Islamic intolerance and its subjugation of women. 

The girls and women who wear headscarves might disagree with Frau Schwarzer and explain that they are just choosing to express their faith: the headscarf is a personal choice.  They could also point to Article 4 in German Basic Law (Grundgesetz) which gurantees freedom of religion:

1) Freedom of faith and of conscience, and freedom to profess a religious or philosophical creed, shall be inviolable.

(2) The undisturbed practice of religion shall be guaranteed.

But of course, Frau Schwarzer doesn't believe these basic rights should apply to Muslims, just as in the US the Islamophobic agitators like Newt Gingrich and the (anti-feminist) Sarah Palin would deny First Amendment rights to American Muslims.

The blog NachDenkSeiten has published an Open Letter to Alice Schwarzer (pdf) in which Leonie Droste points out the hypocrisy of calling for a headscarf ban in Germany:

Sie sprechen davon, dass das Kopftuch seit der Reformierung des Islams kein religiöses Symbol mehr sei, sondern ein politisches. Sehr geehrte Frau Schwarzer, auch die christliche Kirche hat eine Reformation durchlebt. An dieser Umgestaltung des christlichen Glaubens haben jedoch nicht alle Christen teilgehabt und die damit einhergehenden Veränderungen an- und übernommen. Die katholische Kirche hat weltweit über einer Milliarde Mitglieder, davon sind viele deutsche Staatsbürger und Staatsbürgerinnen. Die katholische Kirche untersagt Frauen den Zugang zum Priesteramt. Die katholische Kirche verbietet Abtreibungen, egal in welchem Stadium. Die katholische Kirche verbietet Homosexualität. Die katholische Kirche verbietet den Gebrauch von Kondomen oder anderen schwangerschaftsverhütenden Mitteln. Vor der katholischen Kirche haben wir keine Angst. Die katholische Kirche wird auch nicht als verfassungsfeindliche Organisation verboten - obgleich sie unsere allgemein gültigen Grundgesetze der Gleichheit aufs Schärfste missachtet. Sie wird auch nicht öffentlich kritisiert; viele angesehene Staatsmänner und Staatsfrauen oder anderen Personen des öffentlichen Lebens bekennen sich offen und gern zu ihr. Und zu den Feiertagen verfolgen wir frohen Mutes die Predigten, live übertragen aus dem Gottesstaat im Herzen Roms.

(You speak about how since the Reformation of Islam the headscarf is no longer a religious symbol but rather a political one.  Respectfully, Frau Schwarzer, the Christian faith also underwent a Reformation.  But not all Christians followed this transformation of Christianity and agree to the changes. The Catholic Church has more than a billion followers globally, including may German citizens. The Catholic Church forbids women from entering the priesthood. The Catholic Church bans all abortion.  The Catholic Church bans homosexuality. The Catholic Chruch bans the use of condoms or any other form of birth control. We are not afraid of the Catholic Church. We have not outlawed the Catholic Church as an institituion that threatens our constitution, even though it blatantly violates the principles of equality enshrined in our Basic Law.  The Church is not publicy rebuked; many respected government officials openly express their commitment to the Church. And on religious holidays we listen to the sermons broadcast live from the Holy See in the heart of Rome.)

To my knowledge, Alice Schwarzer has not spoken out against the display of crucifixes in German public schools, even though this is violation of EU law.

Comments

[rom]

What the fuck does the islamic heardscarf (hijab) have to do with the catholic church? Schwarzer is right in her analysis.The only mistake in my opinion that she makes, is to differentiate between islam and islamism. There is but one islam! And this islam is a fascist idiology.

Fräulein Droste setzen, Thema verfehlt!rom