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Sunday, October 08, 2006

Unveiling Jack

Everyone – regardless of religion, politics, social understanding or cultural knowledge are debating the hot topic of Muslim women covering their faces with a veil. I have lived in the places where Muslim women not only cover their faces but cover their whole body with a garment called Burka. There is a little mesh curtain on the face which can be lifted when necessary, generally in the company of other women. The veil is kept close outdoors and when men are around with the exception of the nearest blood relation.

When you are surrounded by a society doing a particular thing then it becomes a norm and you don’t take any notice of it. The other side of this would be the tribes in Africa where both men are women are topless. It won’t be acceptable in the normal day to day life down here would it?

I have had someone telling me that asking to take a veil off is like asking some one to take their item of clothing off. Would you like if someone told you what to wear she asked. She said would Jack Straw like to ask all the other women to stop wearing low cut tops or revealing cloths? Isn’t modesty better than temptation I was asked.

I am a middle ground person. I can see both sides of the arguments in most things. I personally would not follow either of those examples, veils or topless….LOL….but I say everyone to their own. I am an emotional and tactile person so I like to see the faces of people I am communicating with. I would not like anyone coming in my office with their face covered. It could become a security issue. I would not like to be served in a shop, helped on a reception desk or treated in a hospital by someone whom I cannot see. In the days and in the countries where the practice of veil started women stayed indoors and didn’t take any part in the outside world. It is not so now. If you want to be treated like everyone else then you have to act like everyone else.

That is where the problem lies. Even after acting like everyone else people with different colour sometimes are not accepted like everyone else. These women are not only the first generation elderly women who are too rigid to change. These are British born intelligent women who have taken a conscious decision to wear a veil. Is it just a religious reason? I think not. These are the reasons we need to understand and tackle.

I did not wish to write about veil or no veil because this argument is not going to end easily. What I am not sure is why Jack Straw has brought it about at this point in time? Jack Straw has his Blackburn constituents to thank for his presence in politics. He has been so close to the Muslim community for many years it is surprising that he will engage in such a controversial topic without thinking of his popularity. What is going on Jack? There has to be more than an act of voicing an opinion.

(These are my views and opinions and are not officially researched. Please tell me if you know different.)

Comments:
Maybe he did it for
a dare.
It's like one of those
things you might think but
never say.
Or maybe he'd had a few
bevvies at lunchtime
and now he has to style it
out.
I think the face should
be bare when talking to
someone as it is respectful
and also it's hard to read
someone who is hidden.
I'm not talking about taking
the whole thing off, just
the face part.
Once again I'm not trying to
upset anyone, it's just how
I feel. You would have to
take off a crash helmet
and even hoodie types are told
to take it off. I guess it's
too anonomous, anyone could
be behind the veil.
p.s
although some types need
a veil, we could always
start a list.
I advocate Posh.
 
Yes, I think there may be more to this than he's letting on. However I think it's good he's raised it - if only as a conduit for the views of many non-muslims who don't really understand the rationale behind the niqab. I think such remarks come best from somone like Jack who, as you say, has some credibility and respect within the muslim community. From anyone else's lips it might be seen as even more out of line.
 
You should read this month's Glamour - not normally an amazing political resource but it had a really interesting article about the hijab with various Muslim women's views which were very varied.

One pattern which emerged was that a number of Muslim women pointed out it was their choice to wear the veil, specifically because they felt it enabled them to be judged by who they were rather than my their physical appearances.

That part of the equation I can definitely understand, although I understand why many people fear the sight of a veiled woman. I'm guilty of being afraid myself.
 
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