So what's wrong with wearing a veil? Does it have to do with separating religion from public affairs or does it have to do with that anyone who moves to country X should assimilate or try to follow the customs of country X?
Is the wearing of a veil something forced upon Muslim women or a choice that she makes? It's hard to say because I don't know what goes on with their lives even though I did live with some back when I used to live in an all girls dormitory (I still don't know everything). From the girls I know from when I lived there a couple of them do not wear a veil in public but at the same time dress modestly in western style clothing. One girl would not cover her head while she was in the house but when she went out of the house she would wear a headscarf that ranges from a small bandana to a full on hijab, but most of the time she would wear it in the style of a headwrap. Kinda like this:
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| Picture taken from here |
Anyways I don't really see a problem with a woman wearing a veil. It's her choice because she is religious and reserves herself for only her immediate family and her religion, maybe seen her mother and other female relatives wear one and accepts it as normal, or maybe her female family members don't wear a veil but makes it her choice to wear one. But what seems to be going on in France to me is that everyone should conform to a westernized lifestyle. Anyone who moves to a new country or a new location of course will have to adapt to the lifestyle but you can't expect them to fully assimilate and become like everyone else (yet somehow it can be done with the kids).
So the law bans full-face veils. Does this affect just Muslim women or anyone who decides to cover up their face? In the western world where we are allowed freedom of expression this seems unwestern like.
Also on a side note here, I think niqabs look pretty cool
As a somewhat religious muslim, I don't agree with the concept of niqab. I find it unislamic and leans more on the tradition of some Arab/South Asian countries. However, liberation is in no way measured through the amount of clothes people put on. It's completely ignorant to think so.
ReplyDeleteAs Voltaire once said: I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.
Thanks for the post - I enjoyed it!
"liberation is in no way measured through the amount of clothes people put on"
ReplyDeleteI agree with this.
I think what I should add on is there are immigrants from countries that are predominantly Muslim and before they move the women may have chosen to wear the niqab. They may not want to get rid of the habit of wearing the niqab once they arrive in the new country. As for the law I feel that it's forcing something rather than helping immigrants easily adjust.
Agreed.
ReplyDeleteI think the veil signifies, that women are not allow to speak because they speak untrues such as adam and eve. You can tell the whole story with a woman through her eyes rather than her words.
ReplyDelete