Journalism: Where are you on the veil debate?

Question

I am a journalism student and need to seek out opinions on the veil debate for an article I am preparing. Where do you stand on the issue? Do you think it's all been blown out of proportion? Do you think it marks a step back in women's rights? What do younger/older people feel?

Obviously there is no right answer, but I would really appreciate your views. If you could give your age too, that would be helpful.

Many thanks!

Answer 1

I`m in England and I find that veiled women don't seem to intergrate the same, for example while standing in a Queue I never see these ladies chatting as lots of non veiled ladies do the veil separates them.I think the old maxim when in Rome do as the Romans do applies in this case..If you are in a Muslim country where most women are veiled then wear a veil if in a Christian country where most women aren't veiled then don't wear one..

Answer 2

The full veil should be banned where effective for security reasons, including schools I'm afraid. I personally find them scary and that is against my rights, so what are we to do. A time and a place for everything is a good motto, I certainly would not want to be taught by what is effectively a pair of eyes and I would not want that for my children either.
If I have read the veil is in use beacause certain men are unable to control their urges then I am all for chucking them in the bin, but if the women wearing them truly believe they are being worn for religious reasons, then either these women don't work or they have some leeway in the jobs they choose. Nothing in the Q'uran states a woman should be covered from head to toe, but it is a personal choice. One of many, however! 40 and wish I were younger!!

Answer 3

I have two opinions on this. My first opinion is that people should be able to express their religion in any way they choose as long as it's not disruptive or offensive and doesn't bring harm to others.

I'd be very annoyed if people in the streed mocked me or if politicians were continually telling me to choose between integrating or getting out of the country all because I was wearing a small crucifix pendant around my neck (Just for the record I don't actually wear one). If this were to happen I'd gladly point out that this was part of my religion, and possibly be defiant of the rest of society for telling me it was wrong to wear one.

However, there are major differences between a small crucifix which sits around your neck under your jacket and the burqa/veil.
A veil is instantly noticed and seen from far away. A veil prevents you from being recognised in the street by your friends. A veil essentially hides you from the world so that only an outer shell of clothes is seen.

I believe it creates a divide in society, not only are burqas confronting in a western society when they are seen, but they are sexist in the muslim society. If you ask a muslim man in a fundamentalist muslim country why all the women he knows must wear burqas, he will say "because the woman is like a flower and must be preserved," and "so that the man does not lust after the woman." Why must women be subjected to these inequalities and indignities because of this. Does the man not have any control over his own actions?

Conservative muslim men in western countries who commit rape almost always blame the rape on the woman. Often they do not even say that the intercourse was consentual, but instead say that the woman was asking for rape and deserved it because they dress in a way that they choose. But in reality, would any woman ever ask to be raped? Of course not. The burqa is a way for conservative muslim men to be seen as the religiously, culturally, spiritually and socially dominant figure.
It degrades woman in the extreme by denying their equality.

But then again, there is the other side of the story. On a less extreme issue, many women who wear the headscarves (the ones which permit the whole face to be seen) often want to wear it because they actively seek to show that they are faithful to a religion that they believe in. While the headscarf is not extreme, the burqa is; as stated by the reasons above. The headscarf does not create a divide, the burqa does. The headscarf does not force females to be anything other than equal to the man, the burqa does.

Because I live in a country where it is said in the constitution that there is no, and will never be a state enforced religion, I believe, as I said before, anyone should be allowed to practice their religion in any way they want. But in my opinion the burqa is degrading to women and should therefore not be considered a religious issue but one of women's rights.

I hope this helps you with your journalism assignment. Good luck

Male, 19

Answer 4

I am also working on this story & can report that the veil is not an Islamic form of dress at all but an early Christian one.

The Moors who overran Constantinople (Istanbul) adopted a great many Byzantine places & habits e.g.St. Sophia (then the worlds largest church, until 20 yrs ago the worlds largest mosque).

Amongst these 'adopted' cultural artifacts was the high class females form of dress. The veil & full body covering (it has an interesting name, but thats for my article not yours) the purpose of which was not to hide the females sexuality but to raise the expectations of suitors & lovers alike. The idea was to cover the female form so that the man would be aroused by the prospect of 'unwrapping' the present.

So you could say that by wearing the veil etc, Muslim women are adopting un-Islamic habits, designed to arose the male rather than protect the chastity of the female.

Answer 5

Firstly I am 28 yrs old and secondly I am a Muslim.You have to realize a very simple fact,what I am about to say is not a biased view,even though people will think it is. It is my opinion. The veil is not meant to be used to subjugate women but rather to allow them to respect themselves.I will say one thing I have led a varied life whereby I have partied like mad and I have become spiritual inclined as well.Men across the board in history have subjugated women with or without veils. Right now the world's politicians need to find a scapegoat for all the problems that they themselves have caused and what is the best way.Attack Islam in every shape and form.I am not saying that all Muslims are clean and that they adhere to each and every tenant in the Quran. All I am saying is that right now , "if George bush has a bad day at golf its because of muslim terrorists." Welcome to the new world order where the dollar is god.

Answer 6

Hi - this is a good question. I think that the issue has to be seen from several sides.

Firstly, veils and burkas are religious and cultural symbols, not fashoin statements. These are not like hoodies or caps where people wear them to not be recognised, they are worn in respect of beliefs so the women who chose to wear them should not just be told to wear something else, I think is is disrespectful.

However, we can also see it from the point of view that if you are wearing a burka or veil, your ability to communicate is SLIGHTLY diminished. Your voice will be slightly muffled, plus a lot of the English language is based on expressions COUPLED with actual words. How many times have you been speaking to someone and theyve said something accompanied by a facial expression? Without this facility, commuincation is not as easy as if your face was 'naked'.

The only time (from current news stories) Ive agreed with a burka not being worn is the case of the classroom assistant. I think that children need to be able to have the opportunity to study a teachers face in order to assist their understanding of whats being said. Especially at the school in question where most od the children did not speak English.

Phew, I didnt realise I had such a strong opinion on this but there you go! Hope this has been useful / informative. Oh, Im a 26 year old British female. Bxx

Answer 7

I converted to Islam to marry my husband but as I have no religion (and am very happy about that!) I don't follow the ways of Islam (apart from eating my mother-in-law's curry). I understand that there is no compulsion to wear the veil, rather it is an extreme interpretation of the koran which encourages women to dress 'modestly'. The muslim women that I know are not oppressed and they do not cover their heads in their day to day life - only at prayer times and when they are in the company of men who are not members of their family.

That's all fine by me as I believe that people should be free to worship as they see fit, as long as it doesn't impact on other people's life. The wearing of a full veil is a cultural convention and is not required by the religion. To me (and other muslim women) it is a regression and a form of oppression. Personally, I object to them wearing it because it's a MAN made convention which dates back to the time when women were bought and sold in marriage and had little say in their own destiny. In the 21st century it's an affectiation which has no place in women's lives.

Answer 8

I am 17 (so i'm guessing in the younger category) veils should be banned, I went on holiday and my parents wanted to visit a famous mosque there and we (my mother and I) were told to wear a veil or we wouldn't be allowed in and so out of respect we did, what about respect for the british culture (and i'm hindu). I find it extremely intimidating when all i can see is a pair of eyes, more so than a guy in a hoodie. To be honest the veil was only introduced all those years ago to protect people from the sandstorms, religion was used as the excuse to make people wear them

Answer 9

Here's my view. I hope it helps:

1. Under ideal conditions, headscarves and veils should be free. But those ideal conditions would allow me to go naked in public and nobody would look at me sideways. Most countries have a regulation about public nudity, so it is only utopia.

2. In monotheistic religions, the headscarf and veil represent male control over the female. Generally it is not the women who opt to wear them, it is the males of the family or society who force women to wear them. In some cases, the women say it is their own choice, but at this point you should check if they actually have another choice. So, freedom to veil is not actually freedom to women, it is freedom given to men to oppress women.

3. Again, generally, the style of wrapping and tying the headscarf is a symbol of which religious tariqa you belong to. Especially in laicist countries where tariqas are forbidden, headscarves are used not as a cover but as a resistence symbol. That's why some countries don't have a rule against traditional headscarves, but they have a rule against certain headscarf wrapping styles.

Of course, you may ask why tariqas are forbidden, but that's a whole different discussion.

Answer 10

I'm 27, male, British Caucasian, atheist. My view is - fine, everyone should be allowed to wear what they like, the state has no right to tell people what not to wear - it can tell people to cover up, but not to dress down. Otherwise we could start dictating that women wear bikinis on hot days. If the individual decides to wear a veil, for whatever reason, fine. What we need to do, as a society, is ensure these people do not feel the urge to wear a veil as a political statement - we should be accepting of all. It is our societies fault that women feel the need to wear a veil due to our non-inclusion and misunderstanding of the Islamic faith - and we are just exasperating the situation by saying they should not wear them. Instead, we should say "Fine, wear it, we accept your faith, we respect it, we won't demonise or mistreat you because of it". Its a strange concept called tolerance. And you can even tolerate intolerant people....