Anne here, introducing you to Muslim, feminist writer Mona Eltahawy, who wrote an op-ed piece in today’s NYTimes entitled Ban the Burqa.

Eltahawy’s view of the burqa is that “It erases women from society and has nothing to do with Islam but everything to do with the hatred for women at the heart of the extremist ideology that preaches it.”

At Anne of Carversville, we support Eltahawy’s viewpoint, and that of French President Sarkozy on women wearing burqas.

This topic represents my first break with President Obama, who believes that burqas are fine for women, and a personal decision of each women who chooses to wear one, wherever she lives in the world.

Because she has chosen voluntarily to wear her burqa, President Obama argues that it’s none of my business. With all due respect to my president, his views on burqas are poppycock and a revulsive statement to the most fundamental planks of feminism.

I’m sensitive to the delicate nature of change in politics, but I have not lived my life to hear in 2009 that I’m offbase, because I believe that burqas debase women, erasing them from society as Eltahawy argues.

In formalizing my position against burqas, I am in no way affronted by the more conservative form of dress chosen by many Muslim women. I am not opposed to head coverings of any kind. And I wish that we were more sensitive culturally to the increasing public sexualization of our culture, a topic that I track daily on Sexy Futures.

At the same time, I support and advocate the embracing of life’s sensuality — seeing, hearing, smelling and using all our sensitivity to experience life. This view does not put me in opposition to Muslim culture, which also embraces the deeply sensual nature of life.

I will also accept burqas for women when men are equally compelled to wear them. For both genders to embrace burqas as a sign of respect for their religion (which does not require them in the Koran), then I agree that burqas are a sign of Muslim culture and religious custom.

If both genders wear burqas, then I don’t understand them still, but I respect the right of Muslims to express themselves freely, regardless of my private opinion of the dress code in today’s world.

Mona Eltahawy has written for Huffington Post: Headscarves and Hymens. Her website is MonaEltahawy.com and her Twitter feed. Follow this link to view an excellent video by Mona Eltahawy The Happy Muslims Who Confuse you. TIME doesn’t allow embedding. Anne