Women, the hijab and the burqa

[Violet_Crumble]

Don't ban the hijab in schools. But the burqa is entirely out of place, writes Pamela Bone.

I WONDER why there are never any debates about what men should wear (no, I don't really wonder). I also wonder (but again not really) why it took the threat of terrorism to make George Bush, John Howard and other male politicians around the world become so concerned about women's rights. Who cared about the Taliban when all they were doing was oppressing women?

I don't agree with Liberal women Bronwyn Bishop and Sophie Panopoulos — or Leslie Cannold, on this page yesterday — that girls should be forbidden to wear the hijab in public schools. I believe such a ban is an extreme measure that would only add to the feelings of alienation and victimhood in sections of the Muslim community. But I do agree with Bronwyn Bishop when she says it is women who have most to lose if we don't "stand up for our values".

Does the hijab conflict with Australian values? The underlying rationale for the hijab is that women should cover their crowning glory so as not to provoke feelings of "lust" in men; whereas in this society we have (supposedly) progressed to the view that it is men's responsibility to control their sexual urges whatever women are wearing. However, I suspect this rationale is not high in the minds of most women who wear the hijab. Many Muslim women believe it is a religious duty to wear it. Many others — though probably not as many — say it is not (the Koran enjoins both men and women to be modest). It's likely most women wear it because they feel safe and comfortable wearing it.

<snip>

The hijab is one thing, the burqa is quite another. The burqa — the loose, long, all-enveloping, garment that allows only a slit for the eyes — that really is confronting. It does not belong in a society like this and the women who wear it — not those who are forced to by their husbands or fathers but who freely choose to wear it — are displaying as much insensitivity as would a Western woman wearing skimpy clothes in a Muslim country. It is, simply, very bad manners.

No, the burqa is not "just like" the Sikh turban or the Jewish yarmulka, as some who pride themselves on their liberalism insist. These are marks of religious identity but as far as I can see don't make any particular statement about the wearer other than that he is a member of that group. Oh, but nuns used to wear those long black veils, they'll say. No, it is not the same. Nuns didn't cover their faces.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/pamela-bone/women-the-hijab-and-the-burqa/2005/08/31/1125302632608.html

[mzteris]

1. There is a great short story

I forget the name - and the plot isn't all that important to this - but in it there is a fellow who talks about how American women are "tortured" every day.

They spend hours fixing their hair.
They're forced to put on tons of makeup.
They wear uncomfortable, unhealthy toe-pinching shoes.
They struggle into restrictive garments like bras and girdles.
They have to wear uncomfortable, runless, hose.
They have to shave off body hair.
They are slaves to fashion (that changes seasonally).
They are ashamed of how they look - naturally.

Interesting stuff. If I can dig up my old copy, I'll post the pertinent bits because he said it much better than I.