[DanaC]

Originally Posted by Nedusa

I say it should be banned in all public places like in France...!!

I really don't understand why anybody would want this.


The number of muslim women who wear the veil is tiny. It's less than 1 per cent of muslim women. Less than 1 per cent of one half of one minority population.

It does not require legislating against.

And we have to ask ourselves why we would want to legislate against face veils. Is it to protect ourselves? (from this tiny number of women) or to protect them (from the patriarchal silencing that veils represent)?

If it's the former, then I think we have become far too fearful as a nation. The transformation of Islam into the Big Bad Wolf is complete.

If it's the latter, then we risk doing more harm than good to those we seek to protect.

There are a number of reasons why a muslim women will wear the veil:

• A genuine desire to show 'modesty' and express their faith and culture

• A rebellious (often late teenage) adoption of a visibly Islamic style, sometimes in opposition to parents who are themselves quite western

• Pressure from strict, puritanical parents

If it's the first then it is wholly illiberal to stand in the way of heartfelt expressions of faith, which cause no actual harm to anybody else

If it's the second, then outlawing such expressions of Islamic identity will simply fuel that rebelliousness

If it's the third, then all we do is drive those women further into the home and if their family is very strict effectively prevent them from participating in any kind of public life.

It is a ridiculous thing, to me, to ban the wearing of a piece of apparel out of some sense of cultural queasiness on our parts.