The Hijab

[Yusuf Evans]

With the current ban of the niqab(burkha) in France and possibly expanded into the rest of Europe, what is your opinion concerning the Hijab? Do you see it as a sign of opression?

 

[Supreme]

Yes and no. I see nothing wrong with Hijab- the niqab is, in my opinion, abominable.

The ban isn't going to be extended into the rest of Europe- please do not exaggerate. The UK government has better things to do with its time other than pass laws restricting religious freedom. The only countries it may be banned in are the Netherlands and France (it already is in Belgium). It'll only affect around 2,000 women, but I still don't think that's justification for clamping down on one's religious freedom (even if that freedom involves you going out in what can only be described as an oversized bin bag).

 

[Catherineanne]

With the current ban of the niqab(burkha) in France and possibly expanded into the rest of Europe, what is your opinion concerning the Hijab? Do you see it as a sign of opression?

I have no problem with any woman wearing a veil or any other head covering, if she chooses to do so.

I have serious problems with the face covering, and think that it is unnecessary and most certainly oppressive of women, whether they think they are choosing it or not. I personally am very liberal in most of my views, but on this issue I would certainly be in favour of a ban in the UK, if our Government were to propose one, and perhaps elsewhere as well, if the EU decided on it. But we are, I think, a long way from there at present.

Moslems in some countries may be used to this kind of dress, but in Europe it is alien to our culture and our beliefs. To us, the only people who cover their faces are villains, and this gives the wrong impression of women who are probably very nice, and far from villainous.

Women do not need to cover their faces in order to be modest. There is no justification for this in the Koran, and it is a purely cultural matter, and in some cases I think also far more political than religious, intended to provoke a negative response. It is, therefore, not necessary, and verges on unacceptable.

 

[Catherineanne]

Yes and no. I see nothing wrong with Hijab- the niqab is, in my opinion, abominable.

Good word. I absolutely agree.

 

[bensen]

With the current ban of the niqab(burkha) in France and possibly expanded into the rest of Europe, what is your opinion concerning the Hijab? Do you see it as a sign of opression?

Whether it is a sign of oppression is not the issue. The bottom line is you cannot dictate what people can wear and not wear.

 

[SlaveOfGod]

There is no justification for this in the Koran, and it is a purely cultural matter, and in some cases I think also far more political than religious, intended to provoke a negative response. It is, therefore, not necessary, and verges on unacceptable.

This is not true Catherineanne, I wonder what culture it is you refer to that says you have to cover your face?

 

[Mess]

Let me ask you a different question are you in favor of the Niqab?

 

[SlaveOfGod]

Who are you asking?

 

[Catherineanne]

This is not true Catherineanne, I wonder what culture it is you refer to that says you have to cover your face?

Persia. Bedou. They have a culture of women with full face veils, and it is from these cultures that the present niqab nonsense comes.

Certainly not SE Asia, which is where the majority of British Moslems come from.

 

[merryheart]

The hijab should be a matter of choice, it is neither modest nor immodest in my opinion, however on some women and in some materials it can be quite beautiful

 

[Catherineanne]

Whether it is a sign of oppression is not the issue. The bottom line is you cannot dictate what people can wear and not wear.

This is not true. We all conform to the unspoken dress code of our society.

What is happening is that Moslems are trying to say, your dress code is inadequate, and so we are going to adopt our own. Fair enough, except when that alternative code is oppressive to its own women, and used to provoke a reaction in the majority; used as a political weapon, in other words.

Moslems are not just dressing themselves, they are also passing judgment on the rest of us. This is why from time to time they push boundaries by trying to force us to accept women in face veils in schools as teachers, and fuller robes for school uniform etc, and taking these issues to court if they are unhappy. And a certain kind of conservative Moslem would appear never to be happy. They attempt to take the moral high ground, and signally fail, because we are not fooled by the idea that superflous clothing equals excessive morality; it doesn't.

France has already reacted to this provocation, Britain is being more stoical, but I think ordinary people here are not at all satisfied that there is a need for quite so much 'morality'.

 

[durangodawood]

Modesty is fine, in moderation. But the standards should be the same for men and women alike.
.

 

[SlaveOfGod]

Persia. Bedou. They have a culture of women with full face veils, and it is from these cultures that the present niqab nonsense comes.

Certainly not SE Asia, which is where the majority of British Moslems come from.

Have you ever been to a SE Asian country and stayed amongst the Muslims there? Probably not.

My mother in law is from there and she wears the face veil. My aunty is from there and she wears the face veil.

They wear this because they believe their religion is telling them to do it. There is no culture behind it.

They interpret the divine text in a way such that they believe they have to cover their faces.

There are many classical scholars of Islam that have stated in many religious verdicts that the face has to be covered and there is nothing to to do with culture.

This is simply a misunderstanding by many non-muslims.

 

[Mess]

Interesting article on the Origin of the Niqab
Hiding Your Assets: The Surprising Origin of the Burka & Niqab

 

[Mess]

Who are you asking?

The OP but you are free to answer ofcourse

 

[Catherineanne]

Have you ever been to a SE Asian country and stayed amongst the Muslims there? Probably not.

Wrong. Never assume.

My brother married a Moslem lady in Bangaldesh, and I went to the wedding. Which means that my SIL is Moslem. And she wears shalwar kameez when visiting her parents, jeans and tops everywhere else.

In that visit, of several weeks duration, there was not a single face veil anywhere in sight, not at the wedding, nor in the streets. Most women dressed as Moslem women here used to dress; in shalwar kameez with their veil as a scarf around their neck. That is traditional Moslem dress for far more Moslems than the unnecessary Bedou black robes. My brother's mother in law was one of the most conservatively dressed, and as such she wore a head scarf at all times, but few other women did. But even she did not wear a niqab or any kind of overcoat; just a very voluminous shawl. And very lovely she was, and a more devout lady you could not wish to meet.

Go on, now tell me Bangladesh isn't really Moslem enough.

And then tell me what part of their culture Bangladeshi women in Britain are following if they happen to adopt the niqab, when pretty well none of them bother in their own home country. Make no mistake; this is about politics, not culture, and not religion. Not unless you want to judge women in Bangladesh as less modest than Bangladeshi women in the UK, that is.

And while I am at it, girls in Bangladesh go to school with their hair showing, and with their veil as a sash around their uniform, not over their heads. Their Moslem sisters in the UK, on the other hand, are forced to wear a head scarf all day, sometimes from the age of 5, and this is a disgrace when this is NOT cultural.

Politics. Pure and simple. The wives and daughters are being used to make a political point.

 

[SlaveOfGod]

Interesting article on the Origin of the Niqab
Hiding Your Assets: The Surprising Origin of the Burka & Niqab

Its not very interesting at all. All that is an anti-Islam view on the topic. At least be a little more objective in your sources, you lose all credbility otherwise in my opinion.

My family is Muslim, they wear the face veil, they wear it because they believe Allah has instructed them.

There is nothing in that article that relates to Islamic divine law other than pure and utter conjecture.

 

[durangodawood]

Modesty is fine, in moderation. But the standards should be the same for men and women alike.
.

Its a real shame that people feel the need to hide their heads.
.

 

[SlaveOfGod]

Wrong. Never assume.

My brother married a Moslem lady in Bangaldesh, and I went to the wedding. Which means that my SIL is Moslem. And she wears shalwar kameez when visiting her parents, jeans and tops everywhere else.

In that visit there was not a single face veil anywhere in sight, not at the wedding, nor in the streets.

Go on, now tell me Bangladesh isn't really Moslem enough.

And then tell me what part of their culture Bangladeshi women in Britain are following if they happen to adopt the niqab, when pretty well none of them bother in their own home country. Make no mistake; this is about politics, not culture, and not religion. Not unless you want to judge women in Bangladesh as less modest than Bangladeshi women in the UK, that is.

Well this is why i said "Probably not", as I wasn’t sure if you had been

Bangladesh is indeed a Muslim country.

And my friends wife is from Bangladesh and she wears it too. I guess your experience has been different to mine. Where I am from, Pakistan, many of the women wear the full face veil, even my family.

I cant believe that you can state that on your visit alone you can state nobody wears the niqab. Out of interest I typed in “Bangladesh, women” in google and I got a picture of a Bangladeshi women in a niqab. So that statement you made cant be correct. I mean i cant imagine you were there for a long time to really assess the status of women in the country.


“not a single face veil anywhere in sight, not at the wedding, nor in the streets.”

I am not here to question a person’s piety as this isn’t my job. But those that are more religiously inclined choose to wear the niqab.

 

[Livindesert]

Moslems are not just dressing themselves, they are also passing judgment on the rest of us.

Maybe that is a good thing. We are a global society now and will have to come up with a agreed upon world wide dress and moral code eventually.So we need to have this clashing of views to give birth to the new world order.