Niqab Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clowns
Posted by: admin
in Unity Blog
on Jan 28, 2010 
A few years ago, a failing politician who used to jet around the globe meeting world leaders was stuck in his dreary constituency desperately trying to figure out how he could catapult himself back into the limelight. And then it came to him like manna from heaven - why not attack the absolute weakest section of society - a minority (niqabis) of a minority (of those who wear hijaab) of a minority (Muslim women) of a minority (Muslims)?
Jack Straw decided that the sizeable Muslim population of his Blackburn constituency should be repaid for their loyalty to him by denying the right of any lady covering her face to see him. He felt that despite someone sitting directly in front of him and speaking to him, he needed to physically see someone's face before the conversation became "face-to-face." He went further saying that the simple face veil had implications for community cohesion and he would rather no one wore it.
Whilst a few Muslim organisations were indignant at his views, some came out and supported him. The Muslim Education Centre (a liberal secular organisation in Oxford) supported him and extended this support to banning of Niqabs in school. After a few court actions, schools now have the right to deny an education to any Muslim girl who refuses to remove her face veil. The message is clear - if you do not conform we will make sure that we cut you off from an education, a career, a future.
What was shocking to many was the way in which the supposedly liberal and tolerant society they lived in so easily upheld such hateful views. Those who wore the Niqab or Burqa were continually presented as an evil that threatened to undermine anything and everything. The debate raged but it was one-sided. People could sympathise with the right of serial murderers not to be executed or the right of certain birds to have their environment preserved against global warming, but they could not - would not - accept the right of a Muslim woman to cover her face. It would seem that Western freedom comes with caveats.
Note: The picture in this post is reproduced from Spirit21 blog
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by Anakin, January 29, 2010
where am I in that picture? I'm sure I as there at the time..
-
- +0
-
-
written by d. vader, January 30, 2010
I think the problem lies in the political corruption in this country. A politician thinks like this: "If I speak about banning the Niqaab, then I may lose some Labour votes but I'd probably gain more BNP votes. Hmm.. I wonder if I will get more votes than those that I will lose". If he figures that he's going to get more votes then he'll go ahead with it otherwise he'll shut up.
The problem is in the way the leaders are put in their positions. The one who can afford an expensive media campaign is far more likely to become the leader than the poor one with little financial backing REGARDLESS of whether he does what he promises after he becomes the leader, because nobody knows his real merits before he becomes the leader, people only have the media to base their opinion on his personality on. This means people are easily deceived.. And the leaders are not real leaders, but just good at promising.
-
- +1
-
-
As Allah(swt) says in Surah al-Imran verse 54; "And (the unbelievers) Plotted and planned, And Allah too planned, And the best of planners Is Allah."