Soul of liberty is the right to choose
Shaadaab S. Bakht
Shaadaab S. Bakht, who worked for famous Indian dailies The Telegraph, The Pioneer, The Sentinel and wrote political commentaries for Tehelka.com, is Gulf Today’s Executive Editor.
- Last updated: October 15, 2026 | 16:48
The soul of every human stride in the world of politics, in the world of arts and in the world of fashion is liberty.
Any civilizational exercise that compromises on liberty is bound to crumble and invite punishing opposition. That’s why any kind of emulative progress is always credited to unalloyed freedom. And that’s why the Europeans decided to prune their societies making freedom the driving force with little room for irreverence. Every step taken by those in the colossal business of statecraft courted freedom as if it were an unfettered and restive maiden.
Therefore, a European country’s deviation from the path to freedom left me very upset. Liberty is being smothered in the very land it was supposed to flourish.
The Italian government has approved a ban on the burqa and niqab in schools, along with a limit on the share of pupils who speak little Italian in any one class.
A 30% cap will be imposed on children without Italian citizenship or poor knowledge of the Italian language in the first year of primary, middle and high school.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the measures as “common-sense tools that do not divide but really help to integrate”.
Opposition parties accuse the government of pandering to the policies of the hard-right Futuro Nazionale party, ahead of a general election next year.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara has said the limit is “purely linguistic” rather than one of citizenship, while he has sought to frame the ban on the niqab and burqa as a matter of gender equality.
“You must go to school with your face uncovered,” Meloni said while announcing the plans last week, adding that no-one could decide that a young woman should hide herself in the name of tradition.
There were several drafts of the decree ahead of council of ministers meeting, however, the core details were clear. The veil ban would apply to the burqa and niqab, but not the hijab, which leaves the face visible.
The niqab is a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear. However, it may be worn with a separate eye veil. It is worn with an accompanying headscarf.
Therefore, when an educated politician or a well established academic or a popular artist or an ultra-modern administration charges Muslims with illiberality and violation of secular law simply for refusing to doff the hijab or the abaya it leaves one very angry.
The anger deepens when the charge is levelled by someone as important as a prime minister from the land of liberty, Italy.
It is not a religious gesture. It is a part of a community’s culture. If some women like wearing gowns, why shouldn’t some be allowed to wear abayas? If some women like wearing pants, why shouldn’t some be allowed to wear loose-fitting robes? If some women like sporting hats, why shouldn’t some be allowed to wear headscarves?
The soul of liberty is the right to choose. And not its forfeiture.