“If we want to destroy the structure of Algerian society, its capacity for resistance, we must, first of all, conquer the women; we must go and find them behind the veil where they hide themselves and in the houses where the men keep them out of sight.”

The unveiling of Muslim women has thus been a central feature of colonialism, following the fallacy that colonial powers had the duty to “civilise the inferior race”.

This “civilising mission” presupposes that Muslim women don’t know how to be free, and that they need to be saved from their own “backwards” culture and religion.

During the occupation, French colonial authorities forced Algerian women to unveil in the name of their own “freedom”, yet raped and tortured them at the same time.

Now the Abaya in 2023 demonstrates the mirage of freedom, the lies of inclusiveness and the fallacy diversity. It is but subjugation and exclusion by a liberal mindset born of colonialist thinking that they the “white elite” know best.

The French state has embarked on a disconcerting, patriarchal journey of controlling how loose or long a dress should be – all in the name of secularism.

The French elite so scared of the right wing backlash have decided to deny freedom. This is an imperialist white tradition that has its roots in enslaving people for profit. They reckon that billions are lost as a result of Muslim women and men following their values.

As a Muslim my objective in life is not money or status but a belief that acceptance of Allah is the purpose of life and my values of compassion, empathy and serving those less privileged are my moral and ethical compass.

Western values are empty rhetoric that have no meaning, substance or reality. Female Nurses and Consultants will tell you their stories.