In a very positive public announcement the British Immigration Minister Damian Green said that he is against the banning of the burka (face cover/veil) and considered the ban as “un-British”. He said that Britain is known for its tolerance of different faiths, and banning one community from wearing certain clothing is wrong. When asked by Channel Four news’ presenter who would protect the women who are forced to wear the burka, he responded that he is against forcing women into wearing or not wearing any form of garment, and insisted that the government shouldn’t take part of banning certain clothing.
It is worth noting that the burka has been stirring controversy in Europe, as polls have shown people’s rejection of the garment and called for banning it. France and Belgium have already voted for banning the burka, and Spain is considering it. After the vote for the ban of burka last month, Sarkozy stated: ”In our country, we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity … The burqa is not a religious sign, it’s a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement… It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic.”
The burka, aka niqab is the piece of cloth covering the female face that some religious schools have considered obligatory, while the majority dismiss it. The grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, had ordered one of the female students to remove her niqab, referring to it as a custom and not a religious duty. Some Islamic countries have started banning the niqab in public institutions like hospitals and universities. Many Arab intelligentsias have written against the niqab, referring to it as a foreign custom that has been invading their societies and linking it to extremists’ doctrines and political Islamic ideology.
With all of the confusion surrounding the meaning behind the niqab and the reasons for wearing it, there seem to be good reasons for banning the niqab, especially when issues of national security is at stake.
Should our argument of the niqab follow the same reasoning of wearing the hijab- the headscarf?
Check the recent debate on Burqa in “Cross Talk” where the discourse of freedom and women rights clashes with the discourse defending the niqab. And please post your opinion about niqab and if it is worth fighting for!
Alice
Assalam alaikum Thanks for sharing the link to the show! Very intelligent ladies. I can relate to each one of them. Yet, the perspective of the lady from New York is the most I agree with. I'm a convert. I put a face veil on by myself as a choice. By the way, after reading the inspiring book of a veiled writer "From My Sister's Lips". Now after years, I've come to change my mind about my face veil. I'd like to take it off. But I can't. I have to wear it. For life. Basically for my husband and our family together. My family is more important to me, than having an open face, so I choose my family and don't rebel (although maybe I will) So, I've come to realize that wearing a face veil against the will is quite degrading indeed. A face veil is dangerous. It means piety, disappearance of the woman form the public scene, silence, submission, male control. It is hard to be politically, socially active and recognized, listened to wearing a face veil. If women want to be heard and respected, counted with, we have to be a human with a face, not some "anonymous" mass of ghosts. I'm not fond a face veil anymore because I realized that a niqab goes hand in hand with shame. With shame of having an open face, to be recognized, shame to have a voice, an identity, boldness to be active and initiative on one's own without a male permission/assistance at every step. Whenever I come across the burqa ban debate I think not of the few women who truly choose to wear it, but of many many more who'd love to fight against it but can't do even that and are simply silent. Although few women claim that a face veil does not make their quality of life lower, for the majority of niqabi women- it does. First of all -it's simply uncomfortable to have it on. Secondly, there are a number of restrictions going hand in hand with a face veil. Starting from difficulties when eating/drinking in a public place, basic human interactions- veiled women putt off approaching them even in order to ask for directions, ... and finishing with exercise- how many of these women actually have ever rid a water scooter, swam in the sea (naturally in burqini) or even a swimming pool, or even jog regularly? Although it is a right of few Muslim women to wear a niqab if they really want to, I believe it's secondary in the situation when thousands of women are made to wear it. And if niqab is not banned in Europe- it will grow. Niqabi women will grow more, more women will be made to wear it against their will. There will always be men who'd want their wives and daughters to be as "pious" as someone else's wife and daughter. I agree with Mona Eltahawy's last words- As liberal as we like to be, sometimes we pass illiberal laws, that are for the greater good... the personal choice is sacrifice for the greater good. So that's my subjective point of view and it may change with time :) Yet, at the moment I believe a niqab is not worth fighting for.July 29th, 2010 @ 8:29 pm
Ahmad
If I were in charge, I'd ban it in Doha too. The people who defend Niqab use religion as a shield to hide behind while Niqab is a custom and islam tended to avoid interacting with it in several occasion such as Haj. Women are asked NOT to were face cover during Haj.July 30th, 2010 @ 12:37 am
Marjorie
Does it matter if it's part of the religion or the culture? Generally speaking, people in Europe have the right to wear what they want to wear, whether it's religious garb like a nun's habit or cultural garb like a dashiki. I don't think the best argument for keeping the niqab is that it's part of religious freedom; I think the best argument is just that people ought to be able to wear what they want, and some women want to wear niqab.July 31st, 2010 @ 5:23 am
Amal
Alice: Thanks for your frankness and for sharing your experience with us. It is depressing to know that some associate piety with being invisible and covering all that can refer to your identity, your face, voice and free will. You have a strong and visible voice, so keep writing. Ahmed: The only problem with banning it in Qatar is that women will pay the price. Niqab is the prerequisite for some to have a life outside the house, an education and a job. We need to “very nicely” tackle the issue at its core before calling to ban it. It’s lovely to hear a man speaking against the niqab, keep on reading and commenting. Marjorie: While some believe in absolute freedom, I believe in controlled freedom. I’m against women walking half naked in the malls or wearing mini skirts and sleeveless shirts to work in an Islamic country like Qatar, and at the same time I’m against Muslims enforcing their own religious laws when they clearly clash with the country they live in. I believe that one should follow the laws of the country he is living in and practice his beliefs with courtesy and respect to others. Multiculturalism has become a double-edged sword in the west. While the west should accommodate Muslim immigrants and respect their cultural and religious beliefs and practices, it should only be to a degree that doesn’t clash with their own laws and regulations. There is nothing wrong with building mosques and celebrating Eids, but allowing polygamy and enforcing Shari’a where it does not belong is certainly problematic. I think if the argument in the case of the niqab is religious, it would be easier to challenge it. But it is not right to argue for wearing the niqab on “freedom” bases when such freedom can hinder the security of a country as a whole or even an institution like a school or a hospital.August 2nd, 2010 @ 11:07 pm