The other day some British friends asked me what I thought about the whole new idea of banning veils(/scarves/tudungs.)
As you probably would – or might not – know, there is this whole debate here in London on whether Muslim women should be asked to remove their veil. At first glance, especially me coming from a Muslim country, this seems like a gross infringement of human rights and religious freedom. And it probably is. And please, before I continue to elaborate on this topic, I want to say that I don’t know where I stand on this matter. Honestly, I don’t think I really need to decide anyway. It’s not my country. But it is an interesting topic to discuss, innit?
The sad thing about reality is that when a few of us mess up, the innocent masses end up being punished alongside. For example, due to the terrorist attacks by radical Muslims, Muslims all over the world are subjected to a significant amount of suspicioun. Because some politicians have rather questionable morals, the integrity of any politician is viewed as rather discreditable. And on a milder note, why is the first impression of an American teenage girl that comes to mind a ditsy blonde saying “oh like totally”.
The truth is, it is human nature to be slightly more apprehensive about Muslims considering what events have taken place in the span of the last five years. But the intellectuals inside of us remind us that one doesn’t represent all. I remember my host-dad in Holland saying that the veil (covering the entire face except the eyes) hampers education. (He was a school teacher.) He said this simply because with a veil, it was very difficult to judge the emotions and level of understanding of the student. In other words, a teacher cannot tell for sure if the message is getting through. Which is a fair arguement, I would say.
Besides that, a number of people have related to me stories of their horrific experience with ‘women’ who are completely covered from head-to-toe. Most times, they weren’t even women! (In the stories, I mean.) And to be fair – wouldn’t dressing so guardedly draw suspicion? I know the arguement is that they are not to attract the attention of men – but honestly, are men so weak that even the slightest hint of a waistline can turn them on??? As aware as I am of men’s phenomenally unbelievable high sex-drive, I really don’t think it’s that uncontrollable. And, personally, I think men should be taught to control their eager desires instead of shoving the responsibility to the fairer gender.
On the other hand, going to the extend of removing the veil completely seems rather harsh. I mean, how different is a veil from a hat or a hood? It covers about the same amount – but one is for fashion (or neccessity) and the other religious. Telling someone they can’t wear a veil is practically telling them “I don’t respect what you believe in.” While we may not understand the reasons of their habit, who are we to tell them how to dress? It’s just as bad as imposing your own values on others.
Oh well anyway, back to the point. I don’t know where I stand. But I reckon freedom of religion and freedom of dressing and freedom to simply believe in something is very important, so perhaps I’ll lean more toward the conservative stand.
