The Aussie tourists strolled into the Balinese temple looking like they were dressed for a session in a tanning salon. She was wearing shorts so tiny it appeared they were being swallowed by her crotch, worked back with a microscopic bikini top. Her beau had opted for a similar sartorial stance – as little as possible. His Bintang singlet was open at its sides, revealing an unruly thatch of underarm air that had migrated to his back. His mate was no better, opting to wear no shirt at all although he did have one, albeit tied around his waist.
Had they taken any real cultural interest in their surrounds, they would have noted the signs asking for visitors to respect the Hindu site's cultural significance by covering shoulders and upper arms. Not a big ask but, on this day, one that was widely ignored. It appears Aussies don't like being told how to dress.
![This Australia Day billboard featuring two young girls in hijab was removed after a backlash.](/web/20170122093309im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/u/a/q/8/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtv5zz.png/1485058170806.jpg)
This memory came back to me today as I read yet another news story quoting Pauline Hanson's plan to ban the burqa and promises she will make it her mandate in the next Queensland election. And, yet again, I was left with an uneasy feeling that as a nation, respect and tolerance for other cultures and religions is becoming a rarity rather than a rule.
But let's deal with the burqa first, as it appears to be the most polarising garment in the world today (and hey, a Kardashian isn't even sporting it!) A religious veil that covers the entire body or face of a woman with a mesh panel across the eyes to enable vision, Muslims contend it is a woman's choice to wear such a garment and not a religious edict.
For the devout who opt for such a covering, this effort at "modesty" can be construed as a way of diverting the male gaze and desire. Like women being blamed for rape because of what they wear, the burqa can be a way of saying "it's not my fault" should a woman incite unwarranted or unwelcome attention.
Islam sees the concept of head covering as an expression of modesty and privacy. The Koran (24:31) states: "And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty … that they should draw their veil over their heads and not display their beauty except to their husband."
Now, I don't understand the burqa and am uncomfortable as a feminist defending it. Yet, as an atheist, I also find it hypocritical we condemn Islam when it is hardly the only religion that promotes head covering as a symbol of devotion.
Christianity views head covering as a symbol of submission to divine authority. As is stated in Corinthians, in the new testament: "For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man ... Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head." Yet, is Hanson questioning nuns' habits?
The source for Jewish women covering their head comes from the Bible, where it discusses the punishment for a married woman who is accused of committing adultery. When she comes to the temple to determine whether she is guilty or innocent the priest "shall loosen her hair" as an act of punishment, and as such married women generally cover their heads as a sign of purity. I hear no One Nation condemnation of orthodox Jewish women in scarves and wigs.
In the African culture, women cover their hair fully using a head wrap to ward off evil spirits. This headscarf took on extra significance in the US during slavery. Many slaves were required to wear a headscarf by their owners to prevent the spreading of lice and, in the south, the cover was legally enforced. Instead of allowing it to embarrass them, African women regarded their headscarf as a sign of courage and unity with their community and as such, it became a symbol of empowerment.
We need to keep the burqa in perspective in Australia and see that it is a rarity more than a rule among the Muslim community; a tradition that is slowly becoming redundant among all those except extremists. We also need to question Hanson's assertions the burqa is "an evil tool of OPPRESSION & an extreme national security risk", as she wrote in a recent tweet.
For a start, her security concerns are redundant. Laws are already in place in Australia that require people to show their full face when entering government buildings and on a driver's licence. The same goes for balaclavas and motorcycle helmets. It is a no-brainer. National security demands facial recognition and, as such, it is enforced.
As Malcolm Turnbull reiterated this week, "We don't tell people how to dress in Australia. But, where it's important that people's identity be plain, their faces shouldn't be covered.
"The fundamental rule has got to be safety first. This has got nothing to do with religion or any of that. It is a simple, practical matter. But, we don't see a lot of burqas in Australia, let's face it. They're pretty few and far between. We have a very open society."
The Australia that Hanson cites she is trying to protect is not a sexist one. So, what happens to a woman's right to wear what she wants, regardless of what others may think?
This scrutiny of sentiment became apparent when a Melbourne billboard promoting an Australia Day festival featuring two young girls wearing hijab was recently criticised. The organisers of the event claimed the images were intended to show Australia as a culturally diverse country that tolerates, embraces and welcomes all races and creeds.
But a vocal minority claimed it was the opposite, finding the image "offensive", "politically correct" and "not reflective of Australian society". The outrage worked and the billboard was taken down. So much for religious tolerance and inclusion.
Let's put into perspective what Hanson's real goal with her burqa ban is, and it's not to protect national security or feminist rights. It is simply another entry point to further denigrate Islam.
Perhaps a little leeway and respect can be found on both sides of the argument. Australians clearly don't like being told how to dress, as is evident by our general lack of it when we travel to other countries. Let's then question why we feel so righteous in telling others how they should dress in ours.
Wendy Squires is a Fairfax Media columnist.
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