In 2012 Nate Silver wrote a book called the Signal and the Noise. In his blog, FiveThirtyEight.com, Silver often plays a game with his other writers where they debate what is the signal and what is the noise of any particular political news event.
His conjecture is that much of our political discourse drowns itself in noise and never gets to the actual signal.
Political parties and media often talk past each other, creating straw man caricatures of the other side, never really engaging in substantial debate about any given issue.
Today, Senator Pauline Hanson wore a burqa into the Senate. A lot of people were appalled, with George Brandis fighting through tears to deliver a scathing response. Labor and the Greens gave him a standing ovation.
That's the noise.
So what was the signal? What is actually worth talking about?
Why do you think the burqa even exists?
It exists so men can control women.
It exists because an ancient faith has the misfortune of having it spelled out clearly by its god that women must cover their bodies to avoid looking like whores. If a woman's father, brother or husband feels dishonoured, they can find justification within their religion to beat their wayward women. You can hardly call this a safe place for women to choose to be whoever they want to be. (If this part of Islam is new to you, read this: http://www.smh.com.au/world/pakistani-man-explains-honour-killing-of-sister-20161005-grvysx.html)
Of course woman should be able to wear whatever they want. This is the problem with the burqa - most Muslim women do not wear it through free choice of their own, but rather because of the social setting they find themselves in, with potentially fatal consequences. No wonder they 'choose' to wear a burqa.
Political parties and media often talk past each other, creating straw man caricatures of the other side, never really engaging in substantial debate about any given issue.
Today, Senator Pauline Hanson wore a burqa into the Senate. A lot of people were appalled, with George Brandis fighting through tears to deliver a scathing response. Labor and the Greens gave him a standing ovation.
That's the noise.
So what was the signal? What is actually worth talking about?
Why do you think the burqa even exists?
It exists so men can control women.
It exists because an ancient faith has the misfortune of having it spelled out clearly by its god that women must cover their bodies to avoid looking like whores. If a woman's father, brother or husband feels dishonoured, they can find justification within their religion to beat their wayward women. You can hardly call this a safe place for women to choose to be whoever they want to be. (If this part of Islam is new to you, read this: http://www.smh.com.au/world/pakistani-man-explains-honour-killing-of-sister-20161005-grvysx.html)
Of course woman should be able to wear whatever they want. This is the problem with the burqa - most Muslim women do not wear it through free choice of their own, but rather because of the social setting they find themselves in, with potentially fatal consequences. No wonder they 'choose' to wear a burqa.
And this doesn't even get into how helpful it is to see a person's face to be able to build relationships, to convey meaning and emotion. If we want Muslims in Australia to feel part of our country, don't we need to be able to relate to them? Doesn't a full face covering hinder this integration?
As Brandis noted, there are half a million Muslims in Australia, and the vast majority abide by Australian law and are very decent people - just like you and I. This is not a racist, bigoted argument about a group of people - it is an argument about an ideology that can be used to justify treating women like property or slaves.
An ideology that is routinely used to justify stoning, shooting beating and strangling of women because they don't abide by the rules their men demand.
This is the signal.
It is truly bewildering to see so many people condemning Hanson for questioning whether the burqa has a place in a liberal democracy like Australia.
There are so many reasons why people wearing a burqa is a bad idea - but that signal has been lost in the noise of hysteria.
If only we could listen to each other!
As Brandis noted, there are half a million Muslims in Australia, and the vast majority abide by Australian law and are very decent people - just like you and I. This is not a racist, bigoted argument about a group of people - it is an argument about an ideology that can be used to justify treating women like property or slaves.
An ideology that is routinely used to justify stoning, shooting beating and strangling of women because they don't abide by the rules their men demand.
This is the signal.
It is truly bewildering to see so many people condemning Hanson for questioning whether the burqa has a place in a liberal democracy like Australia.
There are so many reasons why people wearing a burqa is a bad idea - but that signal has been lost in the noise of hysteria.
If only we could listen to each other!
One thing that always irks me about the attack on the burqa is it often feels like an attack on the Muslim women wearing it. They're the ones that get abused on public transport. And it feels like the people doing the abusing mostly do so out fear. But what have Muslim women who wear the burqa done to anyone? How many terrorist attacks are carried out by burqa clad angry women? The bloke down the street with 3 Aussie flags adorning his front yard I find more threatening.
ReplyDeleteYou're saying those wearing the burqa are already oppressed in this blog hence your strong views on the issue and then I just see them through actions like Hanson's and people hurling abuse that they just get further oppressed again. So much for the burqa making someone invisible, they're more visible a representation of something than most anything else. So the concept of ban the burqa often feels misdirected to me because it is like we are disapproving of and punishing a group of people (those that wear it) who have potentially been punished enough.
Have we listened to what they have to say? It's hard to build a relationship with someone dressed in a burqa for sure, there is a clear wall there that I feel like I can't cross and so how do you get to listen to them and understand if it is their free choice or not? It's all difficult, it's a very difficult subject, I guess people sleep better at night comfortable with the noise and not the signal. Personally I don't like the burqa - I doubt I'd support a ban though, I don't think that should be imposed from outside. But man I'd love to support any movement from inside that is working to cast that veil aside.
Cheers Kris, I always appreciate your thoughtful responses!
DeleteI agree with your support of reform within the Islamic tradition to reform the faith and rid it of the sexist and violent ideas that exist within it (much like Christianity and Judaism have largely done). To me, this is one of the most important issues of our moment in history.
I also agree whenever these issues are discussed, there is a risk of being lumped in with actual racist, bigoted people who actually hate Muslims. I hold no hate for Muslims - only the love and respect I have for all my fellow humans. As Maajid Nawaz says "No idea is above scrutiny, no people are beneath dignity". I hope I have navigated this line successfully.
But I also think it is important for us to hold our moral ground and speak up when any ideas lead to the treatment of women as property.
Islam doesn't just have a history of this, it does it in many societies today. This isn't some fringe interpretation of Islam - it's very common.
I wonder if the reason attacks on the burqa often feel like an attack on the Muslim women wearing it is because we are unable to separate the message from the messenger.
I encourage you to look at some interviews with Ayaan Hirsi Ali - she's a former Muslim who wrote the script for Submission, the film that got Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh assassinated for. She's a facinating woman - a very different messenger than Hanson!
I think you navigated the line fine - though I see on fb a minute ago on another thread you basically just got lumped in with the bigots - ouch. Valerie and her treacherous thoughts...tsk tsk. I actually liked Brandis' reply to Hanson cos-call me a sceptic, but I find it hard to see her as a champion of Muslim women's rights. Her reason as far as I discerned was fear, security, disrespect, mockery. Her line of argument does not help a cause you feel passionate about, it just got you called a bigot cos someone misunderstood your motives and I know that's as far from the truth as is possible to get. I see what you're trying to do. I'll have to check out those interviews cos as much as I have my thoughts on the burqa, my own thoughts are not reason to impose them on anyone else cos I can't say I'm that well informed atm.
DeleteYeah, I expected to be lumped in with racists - one of my main points is that we are tribal animals who see ourselves as part of a tribe and fight against other tribes. We know Hanson isn't part of our tribe, so we label her. Anyone who agrees with her is obviously in her tribe and not in ours. We don't even engage with what she says, we already know we disagree - we just need to work out why we disagree.
DeleteThere's a lovely lady I've known for 15 years, and as the last Federal election was going on, I asked who she was going to vote for and she said One Nation. My eyes nearly popped out of my head - at that time, Hanson represented for me all that was evil in the world. She was a caricature of stupid, racist ideas that appealed to stupid, racist people. I was truly confronted that this entirely love filled, generous, kind, non-racist woman was voting for One Nation. I realised I had never actually tried to understand why anyone would vote for them - turns out there are actual reasons.
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I liked Brandis' response in these areas
- I agree that banning the burqa probably isn't the best response (probably). I do think it's a legitimate question, with good arguments on both sides.
- I like that he highlighted the number of Muslims in Australia, along with the rather obvious statement that most of them are law abiding. (I do doubt you can be a "strict adherent Muslim and a good, law abiding Australian", but I could be wrong. I guess it depends on your idea of what a strict, adherent Muslim is.).
- I agree 100% that the most important thing our security agencies can do is work with the Muslim community to weed out the dangerous elements. The dangerous ideas within Islam must be dealt with by the Islamic community, not those outside it. Those outside it can simply encourage and support those reformers. Pretending there isn't a problem doesn't help anyone, I contend.
I worry that, just as Brandis suggested about the Muslim community, branding Hanson and her tribe as bigots, racists, etc, we are pushing them away from civil conversation, and towards further alienation and siloing.
I don't like that he suggested offending Muslims is unacceptable. We should all be prepared to have our ideas be ridiculed. No idea should be above criticism. Sometimes, ridiculing and idea will offend people, but that has to be accepted.
We have to be able to separate ideas from people, remove ourselves from our self-imposed tribes, and have conversations about ideas openly.