Beyond the Veil

[enitharmon]

I've never liked Jack Straw much, but what he said about the niqab the other day was right on the money and has since been twisted out of persctive.

In today's Grauniad, the Roman Catholic journalist Martin Newland has a rant about the right of him and others to express their faith without criticism.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm no fan of Jack Straw's and I never have been but I know exactly where he was coming from on the niqab issue, and it wasn't coming from an attack on his muslim constituents in Blackburn.

There's one thing that separates the niqab of a Muslim woman from the turban of a Sikh, or the kippah or a Jew, or the crucifix of a Christian. When I was a child I was taught that it was bad manners to cover my mouth when I was speaking. Communication is about much more than simply making noises, it's about the movements, subtle and otherwise, that add inflections to the words. How often have any of us said, or been told, "Look at me when you talk to me"? I find it disconcerting when I can't see the face of the person speaking to me,

I lived in London for a number of years - in Notting Hill as it happens, an area where many ethnic groups and a wide economic spread manages to live more-or-less in harmony. In many ways that harmony is maintained by maintaining a kind of social distance. In Blackburn, on the other hand, as with much of North-West England, there's been a tradition of greater social openness. You see a neighbour, you don't just say a cursory hello, you stop to discuss the state of the weather, the health of the dog, and whatever else is on the agenda for the day. Walking to the local shops is a major expedition not to be undertaken lightly. In this climate, those who exercise their entirely reasonable personal right to stand apart will not become invisible but stand out, find themselves the object of curiosity and suspicion, and not out of malice. It's a bit like the person who goes into a noisy pub and demands that the juke-box be turned off because he can't hear himself think.

Martin Newland's faith is his right, and it's also his right to express it. What isn't his, or anybody else's, right is to demand that everybody else should share it. To my mind, faith involves belief without questioning, and it goes against my particular grain to take everything as a given and not to question it. Faith must be an individual matter. It should also involve respect for the rights of others not to follow it.

Ultimately, the problem with the niqab is that, whether the wearer intends it or not, it is seen as a criticism of the society around the wearer. Rather like the masks worn by militant cyclists, which may well protect the wearer from traffic fumes but which also make a statement about a traffic-obsessed society. Me, I like to colour my hair, wear lipstick, show my legs occasionally. I don't think that makes me a sex-object (as if!), and I rather resent the implication that I, along with the society I represent, am corrupt, depraved, and immoral.

I respect the right of anybody to make a stand, but that right should also involve consideration of the effect of that stand on others. After all, they think they are right, but I know I am right!

Comments

[yokospungeon.livejournal.com]

Very well put, and summarises what I feel about the issue exactly.

[thermalsatsuma.livejournal.com]

People have a perfect right to express their religion however they choose as long as they accept that I have an equal right to call them deluded twats ... :-)

[fruhlings.livejournal.com]

Just letting you know, the reason why muslim women wear the veil isn't to insult our western society-it's to liberate them from the all-too-pervasive "male gaze". While Western women see the veil as a symbol of oppression, muslim women see it as a way to avoid having to deal with street harassment. Of course, they may get harassed anyway because they are wearing the veil, but that's besides the point. I feel like we can't judge other cultures and what they do, how they act, what their customs are until we take a good hard look at our own.

[skyring.livejournal.com]

In today's world, the attitude expressed by wearing garments that conceal womens bodies is out of place. Especially as it is confined to the female participants in a culture. That is pure sexism.

I don't mind if people wear what they want, but in this case I feel that there is an element of coercion being applied to have women dress in a certain way to suit men. Especially as other cultural elements restrict women from having access to the same opportunities as men. I heartily dislike the notion that anybody is a second-class person because of their gender.

Having said that, I'm not at all happy with moves to force people to remove scarves or veils or whatever. That sort of coercion is equally wrong.

My take on this is that in due course, all these cultural distinctions will fade away, and making a fuss over trivia only legitimises it.