“The many faces behind the veil”
The Independent has a lengthy piece on individual stories of women who wear veils.
Jilbab. Niqab. Al Amira. Dupatta. Burqa. Chador. Even the language used to describe the various kinds of clothing worn by Muslim women can seem as complicated and muddied as the issue itself. Rarely has an item of cloth caused so much consternation, controversy and misunderstanding as with the Islamic headscarf or veil.
For those Muslims who literally wear their religion on their sleeves, hijab (from the Arabic for curtain or screen) can be many things. For some it is a cultural practice handed down through the generations, an unquestioned given that is simply adopted. For others the need to dress and behave modestly can define a person’s relationship with God, their religious devotion or even their politics. For others still hijab is a complicated journey, one with twists and turns where veils are briefly discarded on the ground or taken up with willing fervour.
“Muslim women wear hijab for many reasons including piety, identity and even as political statements,” says Tahmina Saleem, the co-founder of Inspire, a consultancy which helps Muslim women become vocal members of their communities. “Most do so willingly, some unwillingly”.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-many-faces-behind-the-veil-1865772.html
Personally I find the niqab a huge psychological barrier. I am relieved that while a lecturer I was never called upon to teach a student who had covered her face. I have no trouble with the hijab, which leaves the face uncovered.
While I have sympathy with countries which have banned items of Muslim’s women’s clothing like the niqab and hijab, or have banned them in certain settings, I have a feeling that in the UK at the current time any formal ban (and you also have to consider how it would actually be enforced) would be counter-productive, as for many women who cover their faces, this is (rather paradoxically) a deeply-felt expression of identity.
Perhaps what might change their view is a visit to a country where you can actually be beaten in the street by the religious police for not covering up properly with your niqab, abaya or burkha? Plus an examination of the arguments which are advanced in favour of face-coverings, arguments which are, if you examine them closely, highly demeaning to women.