Although France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe (about 5 million), on September 14th, the nation became the first European country to outlaw the burqa or niqab. Les Niqabitch are two women in their 20's (one source stated one was of Maghrebian origin) who created a (now viral) video in which they walk around the streets of Paris wearing a controversial mix of clothing--burqas, minishorts, and high heels. Their attitudes and the stark contrast of their attire drew various types of responses from by-passers, many of whom which take photos with the duo. Their point was furthered as they stopped at culturally significant places such as Centre d'Analyses Stratégiques du Premier Ministre and the Ministère de l'Immigration et de l'Identité Nationale, pausing to talk to a police officer. The video is also interesting for its casual, almost playful tone in regards to such a large statement-creating additional points of discussion, such as the pink border, choice of music, and of course, the name "Niqabitch" itself.
In the Rue89 article, les Niqabitch provided a statement which explained that they did not aim to attack or degrade the image of Muslims, but more so to scold the elected officials of the Republic, as they believe the law is largely unconstitutional. They add lastly that the "LOL" is a good way to denounce the law.
The video received about 40,000 hits by the time I heard of it on the French news last evening....I'm assuming this number has grown. The news report suggested to follow their twitter for more updates. It will be interesting to see if the viral video continues to grow, and if so, if it will have any effect on the law, which does not go into effect for another 6 months. Regardless, I hope this will be relevant to our discussion on immigration/Fortress Europe on Monday.
The link to the video: http://vimeo.com/15104826
Niqabitch Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/NIQABITCH
Articles: http://www.rue89.com/2010/09/30/minishort-et-niqab-balade-provoc-dans-paris-avant-la-loi-168779; http://www.francesoir.fr/buzz-video-immigration-medias-religion-vos-droits/les-niqabitch-des-militantes-qui-font-leffet-dune-bombe.31095
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