Unfortunately, since people are uncomfortable with the prophet Moses wearing a veil, there aren’t any known famous artworks.
It is because I am all for the Western Christian tradition, from a Baptist perspective, of freedom of conscience that I defend the right of others to freely practice their religion. This is not a relativist position, nor I am ignoring the possibility of gender oppression. The way I see things is this: for every action, there is a reaction (thanks Newton!). For every repressive political action, there will be a response.
In this case, Italy is making a push to force Muslims to privatize their religion. Of course, I do not think anyone should be forced to wear a burqa, but what about those women who choose to do so? Much like Australia and Switzerland and France and a part of Spain. This is exactly the point of living by a universally acceptable maxim, the Golden Rule. Love your neighbors as you would love yourself. It’s about reciprocity and mutuality.
The proper response to religious terrorism is not xenophobia or the denial of religious liberty, but rather love, and the reaffirmation of the Other. I know these might not seem like much, but it is a start.
