Is Jack Straw Right to ask Muslim women to remove their veils?

Question

ignoring the Hype and misquotes, do you think it was a fair suggestion in a Christian Western culture

Answer 1

Jack Straw is correct, in Britain we have a culture of face to face, eye to eye contact. Where someone can't look you in the eye we feel them to be less trustworthy. It is quite in order that Jack requires this to be respected. Muslims who disrespect our culture should be forcibly expelled from the country

Answer 2

It is interesting to me that in an informal poll by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, In response to the question: Jack Straw has urged Muslim women to remove their veils. Do you agree? 75.6% voted YES

Jack Straw's comments, published in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, sparked much controversy. Muslim women are required to cover themselves when they pray and most Muslim women cover their hair when they go in public. The decision to cover the face partially with a veil (niqab) or fully with a burka is a personal one and not a religious requirement.

What Jack Straw said was:

"The reason that you see people is so you can see them and communicate through what you see on their face as well as what you hear through your ears."


"I think, however, that the conversation would be of greater value if the lady took the covering from her face.

"Indeed, the value of a meeting, as opposed to a letter or phone call, is so that you can - almost literally - see what the other person means, and not just hear what they say."

He said that Muslim women who wear full veils make community relations "more difficult" and they should uncover their faces

He said he now makes sure he has a female member of staff with him at surgeries. "I can't recall a single occasion when the lady concerned had refused to lift her veil; and most I ask seem relieved to have done so."

I disagree with his basic premise that the reason why a meeting has more value than a letter or phone call is "seeing" a person's facial expression. The value of a meeting is that there is instant feedback which is delayed in written communication. It is similar to a phone call but a meeting allows for fewer distractions. Even in the corporate world sometimes meetings are conducted via conference calls.

There is some research regarding a person's facial expression and lying, such as the number of times a person blinks so maybe Jack Straw is looking for signs of sincerity? Since he is a public servant, it should be he, who is open and available to the public and not the public he serves.

Furthermore, a Muslim woman who removed her veil still would not make eye contact, according to Quranic injunctions. So the concept that communication would be facilitated is questionable.

If there really is a communication problem, perhaps having an interpreter available would be a better option.

I believe that a woman should have to remove the face veil for identification purposes such as a driving license, but that requiring a woman to remove the veil for a conversation is unnecessary. The official, by virtue of being a government official, when making a request would have more intimidation in requesting a woman to remove her veil than a teacher or other person with whom a Muslim woman might have a conversation. I believe that is why the Muslim women removed their veils because most have come from countries where the government is a brutal oppressive regieme and non-complaince with a request from a government official could mean serious consequences. I think that the same women would not remove the veil if the request were from a non-goverment official.

If the reason for removing the veil were one of identity, security or for a health examination, I would approve of the request. However, his reason was for sincerity and to make him feel more comfortable. What a person communicates through body language is subject to the interpretation of the listener and can possibly be misunderstood. A person's words should be all that is considered in this regard. He is the public servant and his job should be to make his constituents comfortable, not himself. I think that when a Muslim woman must remove her veil in front of a man that she would feel inhibited. It would affect her ability to communicate in a negative way.

So long as wearing a veil is legal, it should not have to be removed so long as the person is engaged in a legal activity.

Answer 3

I'm sick of how muslims want us to let them do their own thing over here - you have muslim policemen refusing to do their duty because the have a "moral objection", you have these women walking around covered up like robbers (I think it looks horrible and initimidating and don't see what the hell is "immodest" about showing your face, its not as if you're showing your breasts or genitals!)

Why do these devout Muslims WANT to even live here? Everything is "against" their culture and beleiefs, they won't integrate with us. there was even a Muslim taxi driver fined in London because he refused to allow a blind woman in his cab because she had a guide dog and dogs are "against his religion".

Then he, the veil wearers and PC Bashar or whatever his name is need to leave this countrty and go live in a Muslim one where they won't be asked to do things that are "against" their relgion.

If I was being treated by a Mulim doctor and all I could see was her eyes (and not much of those) so I couldn't even see her facial expressions, be reassured by a smile or a friendly expression, I would hate it! I'd demand another doctor to be honest!!!! Face to face communication is a basic human need in some situations.

Answer 4

i am a muslim girl wears a veil and i am not oppressed
i wear it cos i want to and i prefer modesty than showing myself as an object to be stared at, it is part of my religion that i will not go against as i feel that my religion comes before what a man with little understanding of the muslim faith, says about the veil.
it is not hard to hear a person speak through a bit of fabric so the stuff about the identity issues is a load of crap.

Answer 5

This is not a christian culture.
If Muslim women want to wear veils, let them. I don't go around asking that Sikhs remove their turbans etc.

Answer 6

I believe in freedom of speech, so yes, he can give his opinion. Its not a crazy one, but certainly not a democratic one! In a democracy, we should strive to be totelant of others' religions, customs, differences and choices. If we are not, then we become more and more like the oppressive countries we criticize. We can not go to war to "liberate other nations" and try to even control at home what women wear. What is next, the governemnt telling us at what age we can wear make up or a bra?
It is an animal instict to want everyone to look more like ourselves, thus less threatening. But also human intelligence to accept that even those who look differently, don't necessarily mean they can not be trusted or are a threat.
Now, if they started burning women in the UK because they were not chaste, or stonning them to death because they cheated on their husbands, or practicing female genetalia mutilation on little girls to make them "clean", then those those barbaric customs I would raise my voice in outcry. They better not try to bring those barbaric customs here. Covering their head, if they do it willingly, that is harmless and deserves a respect for that choice.
By the way, my grandmothers (rest in peace both) used to cover their heads whenever they entered the Church. One was Catholic, the other Catholic and converted to Pentecostal. It says so in the Old Testament that women should worship with their heads covered. I went with them to church sometimes, and they respected my choice not to cover my head and I respected theirs to do so. They taught me that you can love someone and accept them or tolerate their harmless behavior even if you believe their ways are wrong without having to push your ways onto them!

Answer 7

I was thinking that this "hiding of the features" will not assist in ANY form of integration in a society where the facial expression is important. There are also a large group of women who find the burkah deeply offensive to them. We live in a democracy. People are free to express views of this type.

Answer 8

Damn right, this is England not the middle East, if we go to the middle East we are forced to integrate into their culture. They make no effort to do the same, they want this to at the far reach of the Islam empire. Until we stop them every one of our rights and beliefs will go. And I don't blame the muslims, left wingers encourage it. Can't have christmas in case it offends, can't hang up the flag of your country in case it offends. It's about time we stood up for ourselves. I am an Englishman and i will do what is custom in this country, i will not be told it may offend. I don't care, this is England not the middle East. You see the reaction we would get in the middle East having a beer, wearing shorts and t-shirt etc... This one way everyone is against us Muslim crap has to stop.

Answer 9

City gent has the best answer, but seriously, What right do other relgions have in Saudi Arabia etc.

Veils are signs of oppresed gender, BE HEARD BUT NOT SEEN.

In Saudi Arabia Christians are not allowed a CROSS, others are not allowed Idols of their Gods.

Now final thing, how do you know that its a woman under that VEIL.

Answer 10

PERHAPS IN A ONE ON ONE SITUATION , IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE AN OPEN VISIBLE CONVERSATION.WITH EACH OTHER. We really should not judge others so harshly. We,- native UK citizens also have certain habits which are acceptable to us but possibly annoying to others. The greatest shame of the veil is that many Muslim women are generally so naturally beautiful even when only those big brown eyes are showing!. Please do not be offended, all beauty made by any God should be a pleasure for us all to behold. PEACE TO US ALL !