word of the day: niqab
I started this extremely long discussion at MetaFilter about various head coverings and veils worn by Muslim women. Basically, there's a couple of girls at school who wear the niqab, which is the covering that leaves just a slit for their eyes, and I've always wondered why they would wear it in Toronto -- is there some controlling father or set of brothers forcing her? Does she actually want to? Is she treated differently? Is it oppressive, or am I missing something?
So, I found a few articles by/about women who are Muslim and chose to wear the niqab and really like it, which are linked to at the top of the aforementioned discussion. They find it liberating. People can't judge them on whether or not they're having a good hair day or fit into beauty standards. They don't ever have to tell people that they're Muslim, because it's obvious. In certain cultures, they are given more respect.
It's become an issue in Europe, with some places (including cities in Holland) starting to ban the niqab. They say it's about security, but I think it's more about Muslim and non-Muslim relations. We see it as oppressive, so we ban it. They see it as a precious symbol of modesty and faith, so they're clearly outraged. It's a cultural miscommunication.
This afternooon, there was a woman wearing the niqab on my bus, and for the first time, I saw it and felt good about it instead of feeling uneasy. It's nice to realise that some of my assumptions are wrong.
posted by Heather Ann @ 8:17 PM
4 Comments:
Wow!!! I can't tell you how great it was to read this article. I myself wear the infamous niqab and have quite a chuckle when faced with people who say things like "but you live in Canada now, you DON'T have to wear that thing!!!" It is funny because the first assumption is that I am NOT Canadian or Canadian born but that happens to be quite the opposite and the second assumption is that I'm forced to do it rather than on my own accord. I always see the hypocritical double standard....a nun who covers her head alone is seen as devout to God but a muslim who covers her head alone even though it is for the same exact reason is seen as "oppressed". Niqab is no different...the media with an objective has succeeded in the minds of people to paint an image that it is oppressive and not something woman do out of their own will. The standards of covering oneself as muslim woman believe it regardless of the degree one takes it to lies with God and God alone. It should not lie with the ever changing norms and values of society . These are not constant nor are they uniform when it comes to the different societies. An ex. of this would be that there are certain tribes to this day in the Rain Forest that wear nothing but a thong...men and women. If you were to take a woman from Canada who is dressed in lets say a t-shirt and shorts they would consider it odd and overdressed....in fact they would say "you are here now, you don't have to dress that way!!!" Does that mean that we should change and drop our norms and values?
I thank you for taking a deeper look into the situation. My respect is with people like you who choose to look beyond the veil and find beauty.
I think that women who want to wear the niqab in public should go and live in a country where that is the norm. Why should muslims be able to push in our faces what religion they are? Do we really want to know? By muslims wearing a niqab in countrys such as England and Canada, they are seperating themselves, THEY are making themselves seem different. If they want to dress that way then it should be done in the privacy of there own home because yes, everyone does have the right to wear what they like but if i was to turn up to school wearing only my underwear you can be sure i would be sent home! would this be discrimination? no of course it wouldnt, it would just have been a unpractical thing to do just the same as muslims wanting to fit into a community but totally hiding there identity! We have a few muslims round where i live that wear the niqab and my sister is terrified of them because they look so scary and threatening to her. I would like to know why muslims that where the niqab think they should be exceptions in certain situations eg. a guy on a bike would have to remove his helmet before going into the post office, is the muslim asked to remove her niqab? no of course not, but whats the difference, both are hiding there identity. Is it exceptable to go get money out of the bank wearing a balaclarver, no its not. Come on muslims if you want to fit then do your bit to!
I think that women who want to wear the niqab in public should go and live in a country where that is the norm. Why should muslims be able to push in our faces what religion they are? Do we really want to know? By muslims wearing a niqab in countrys such as England and Canada, they are seperating themselves, THEY are making themselves seem different. If they want to dress that way then it should be done in the privacy of there own home because yes, everyone does have the right to wear what they like but if i was to turn up to school wearing only my underwear you can be sure i would be sent home! would this be discrimination? no of course it wouldnt, it would just have been a unpractical thing to do just the same as muslims wanting to fit into a community but totally hiding there identity! We have a few muslims round where i live that wear the niqab and my sister is terrified of them because they look so scary and threatening to her. I would like to know why muslims that where the niqab think they should be exceptions in certain situations eg. a guy on a bike would have to remove his helmet before going into the post office, is the muslim asked to remove her niqab? no of course not, but whats the difference, both are hiding there identity. Is it exceptable to go get money out of the bank wearing a balaclarver, no its not. Come on muslims if you want to fit then do your bit to!
Just in case i wasnt heard the first time ;o)
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home