Given recent media coverage, one could be excused for thinking the Taliban had set up shop in Australia.
Last month alone there were Today Tonight promos exclaiming 'burqa rage'; an episode of Channel 7's panel discussion program Can of Worms which featured debate about whether the burqa has a place in Australia; a report about a group of Geelong men who created a 'Ban the Burqa' protest on Facebook; and a brief and less than satisfactory discussion of Islamic dress on ABC1's Q&A.
The burqa it seems is du jour. Yet there seems to be not pertinent reason for this.
There was the recent Carnita Matthews court case, wherein footage caught by a dashboard camera proved she had wrongfully accused a police officer of trying to forcibly remove her niqab (face veil, not burqa). But this one incident, which occurred last year, surely cannot be grounds for debate.
Perhaps the debate is not really about Islamic dress or even Muslims. It is about Australians.
Not once in any of the recent coverage has there been any information about the composition of the Muslim population in Australia or about how many Muslims actually wear the garment in question. It is more about whether or not we can handle it, irrespective of the actual lay of the land. We debate it because we can, and because we live in a liberal democracy and have the freedom to do so.
But just because we can debate whatever we so choose, doesn't mean we should. As with any right there is the responsibility to exercise it judiciously. In the discussion about burqas this seems to have fallen by wayside.
The aforementioned Q&A episode illustrates this. The show began by discussing the Rupert Murdoch News of the World scandal and a lack of ethical reporting. This was followed later by a discussion about Islamic dress. In fairness the question was raised by an audience member. But rather than shut the question down as unjustified, on account of the fact that very few women wear the niqab (often confused with the burqa) , the discussion gave oxygen to those who are ill informed.
A quick survey of the Muslim population in Australia highlights the absurdity of discussing whether there is a place for the burqa or niqab in our society.
According to the 2006 census only