Sorry, couldn’t resist a lame veil pun. There’s something about the veil that brings it out. I defy you to find many newspaper articles about the latest veil story that aren’t going down that route for a headline, so I felt obliged to join in.
I don’t feel obliged to join in the nonsense debate about Muslim schoolgirls wearing the veil to school or not. See story on today’s BBC. It’s just more islamophobia as far as I can see.
What is about the veil that gets everyone’s backs up? OK, I find the whole belief system behind it to be dire and depressing. The combination of extreme sexism and religious fervour is always a winner.
However, it’s just an item of clothing. Teenage girls who choose to wear it are trying to establish some sort of identity, in the same way that the girls who dress as footballer’s wives, crack hos, goths or girls next door are. It’s part of being a teenager. The veil lets them annoy their schoolteachers (always a winner) while believing they have the moral high ground (different type of winner, but just as much a part of adolescence.) Is it really more offensive to people that soem girls choose to cover themselves in tents than any other things.
In most cases, people grow up and see things differently from the way they appeared to their teenage selves. You would think that a few years living in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia would probably quench the desire to be veiled as much as anything.
The only reason I can see for banning the veil in schools is that it would deprive those girls who want to resist cultural pressure to wear it of an unarguable excuse. This is the strongest argument for such a ban, indeed the only one worth considering.
The deeper problem is the issue of why veils stir up such passions in the non-Muslim population? Is it more in your face (really poor pun) than a Jesus loves you t-shirt. Do we have a problem with people wearing crosses?
Dare I say that it’s an ugly combination of sexism and religious prejudice that leads everyone to treat veiled women as somehow the representation of evil? (Women in the veil are now often considered to be really disguised male terrorists.) Jack Straw’s notorious rant about his constituents removing their veils was the Trojan Horse that allowed in a free-for-all demonising of muslim women.
(I wouldn’t argue about teachers, certainly not the teaching assistant who seems to have taken the job just to make some comedy political point about the veil and what would happen if a male teacher came in… Small children can’t be expected to understand instructions from someone when they can’t see their movements and expressions. Not to mention being a really poor role model for little girls.)
If we consider that women are often oppressed in Islam – and I certainly do, although Islam has no monopoly in this noble tradition – doesn’t that make us the worst type of bullies- picking on the already victimised.
In any case, how can suppressing the expression of belief advance the cause of rationality? Making martyrs always brings more converts to fanatical world views. Is this the objective?
Interestingly I somewhat agree with a ban on veils in schools and any other places in which there is a “dress code” or uniform to be worn.
I will write a post with a “counterpoint” though.
Pingback: Why Dont You Blog? : Say No to Veils
OH NO….What’s happened to the design of your blog? I’m such a conservative soul, not a big fan of change 🙂
Anyway, I agree that veils should be banned, O also think that school uniform should be compulsory in all schools. But in any case, I don’t believe this for any religious reasons. It’s just practical. For a teacher to teach children, they must be able to see the student. It’s the same the other way around. The child must be able to see the teacher’s face.
If clothing gets in the way of good teaching then it shouldn’t be allowed. When I teach someone something I rarely do so over the telephone, it’s far better to do so face to face or by webcam or Skype. Without face to face contact the communication of ideas becomes far too difficult.
Blog design undergoing a bit of “experimentation” at the moment but it will probably return to the old one soon anyway…
I’m with Michael on this- put it back i think 🙂
im a muslim girl who chose to wear hijab after living without it for a long time .. believe it or not but im not opperessed and i feel more free and comfortable , precious than before… i agree with you on the islamophobia part..many are just looking for anything to say islam is bad .. ..recently there was a muslim casheir and bacon story ..i read about it in more than 150 sites as if this number of muslims did it with all the comments about how muslims are bad and other stuff ..its fuuny that in the same time a muslims taxi driver returen jewells he found in his car wich worths more than 35.000$ and no one of those interested in muslims news talked about it.. in newspapers he wan discribed as a man originally from bangladish ..not even the word muslim was metioned ,though he talked about islam !!!
Nara – as far as I see it the issue about wearing veils it not related to “oppression of women” although I am aware some “commentators” head down that route. Within reason, in the UK you are pretty much able to dress in any way you wish. The issue here is about wearing a form of dress which is inappropriate for the setting.
As for the rest, I am loathe to comment. For me all religions are equally crackpot but I don’t think you improve religious tolerance by highlighting either good, or bad, activities and making the person’s religion an issue.
Nara- Thanks for commenting. I agree with you that the media are full of negative things about Imuslims and completely empty of positive things. It is pretty disturbing and shows how easily people can be stirred up to stop seeing each other as human beings.
Thanx Heather, I hope things may change and become better ….Its just hard to live misunderstood by others around you ….before judging they could try and ASK about it..