The “Burqa Ban” In society, people fear what they don't know or understand. Today this fear has become an important issue. It caused a clash between two very different cultures, traditional Islamic culture and Western society. Some Muslim women want to wear the burqa and other veils for religious and cultural purposes, Western society wants to ban it because it is oppressive towards women. As a woman, being able to wear what I want based on my culture is not oppressive. In Western society, skirts and dresses are traditionally an item of women's clothing. A ban on this clothing would be considered ridiculous, which is no different than the ban on the Muslim headscarf. The burqa may be seen as oppressive to women, but the “burqa ban” is part of Islamic religion and culture, and is something that should be a woman's choice to wear or not wear. The main reason why Muslim women choose to wear the veil is that it allows the woman to be taken seriously and respected for her inner beauty and her mind as opposed to her body (Friedman 39). This belief is something that many Muslim women have been taught from a young age. In Western society, Islamic culture appears to be male-driven because women wear more clothing. From a Muslim perspective it may seem that Western society is male-led because women are expected to wear less clothing. People's views on what is right and what is wrong have a lot to do with the culture they grow up in and what they are taught. Many Muslims are taught that Islam is more than a religion, but a complete way of life (Dudley 44). Wearing a religious veil is part of the life of many Muslim women. Their religion is not something they can pretend they are not a part of when they are in public, and many are unwilling to do so. The religious veil is a symbol of a Muslim woman's dedication to her faith and respect for herself. In society there are many ways people can express themselves and the Islamic face veil is just one of them