Soccer / Hijab

[infernale]

Yep. This here is one of dem serious posts. Rare as they may be, when they involve anything outside of music, I do think about other things. I think I probably don't write about other things (aside from my general woe is me *headpalm*) simply because I work with people who are of sufficient intellect that I can vent and rave and have a good old

Comments

[sebastianne]

The issue of the hijab is something I've though about a fair bit given I work with a lot of Muslim clients. Initially I was all for banning it, but further information gathering and discussion with people has made me consider it from a different angle for a variety of reasons.

Cultural Norms: Regarding the hijab, I dont think it is as simple as saying we have to wear it in their country so they cant wear it in ours. For starters we dont have a specified dress code that is the cultural norm in our country, so technically there is nothing to conform to here. We are fortunate enough to have (mostly) freedom of expression as far as our dress code goes-with the limit of indecent exposure, though that seems to get violated in most nightclubs anyway ;) Fair enough the full-hijab isn't anywhere near being a mainstream dress-code in our country, but then again what is? If we want freedom of expression of dress then that should be inclusive, otherwise it just seems to reek of intolerance.

Emancipation: I know a lot of muslim women who chose to wear it because of personal choice and not because they are forced to. So from that angle it's not an emancipatory action to ban it, but rather a removal of right of religious expression, which I think people have a right to (even if I am against organised religion myself). For centuries, and still continuing in some orders, nuns wear headdresses, a cultural practice stemming from similar religious connotations to the hijab. Yet we accept that in our society, as we do turbans, the Kippah, and a myriad of other religious dress codes which often have their own accompanying gender based differences. There are far far worse gender based inequalities and injustices that get imposed on women than religious dress codes. If only the general public were so vocal about opposing child abuse, rape, and other gender based violence and inequalities something might actually get done about those issues.

Offensiveness: To say a hijab is offensive is the same argument as those who protest mohawks and tattoos because they dont like the connotations that go with it. As someone who has been given shit for their appearance for the last 17 years I certainly dont appreciate people judging and abusing me just because they dont like my dress sense. If the person wearing it isnt offended by it, then others shouldnt be either. It's not like it's even a deliberately imflammatory garment anyway, unlike the barrage of COF t-shirts that were banned which caused an uproar amongst many an angsty teenage metal-head ;)

Security: this I agree with is an issue. In a society where people are physically identified by their faces we have certain situations where it isnt acceptable to cover your face. If you cant wear sunglasses and helmets in certain places then other face coverings should be included in that too, including the hijab and emo-fringes. Though as far the eye contact thing (sorry Ash), I dont agree with that as eye contact is not appropriate in every culture anyway. It's against most Aboriginal cultural practices to have ongoing eye contact depending on the age/gender of the interaction and we are accepting of that, so why exclude Muslims? What may be polite social practice to us isnt the same for everyone else.

Anyway...that was a bit longer than intended! But bascially I think if someone chooses to wear the hijab then that is their choice. It's when women are forced to wear it against their choice that it's an issue, but I dont see banning it as resolving that issue- it's a bandaid solution to a much deeper issue, and would only make the issue less 'visible' anyway.

[aske]

I know the issue of eye contact differs amongst various cultures - Japanese people tend to get quite nervous if you constantly try to make eye contact whilst talking to them. Having said that I usually don't spend most of a conversation looking at the other person's eyes anyway, but I still feel it's appropriate to take of my sunglasses for that initial "hello" or "excuse me".

What may be polite social practice to us isnt the same for everyone else.

Yes, but where do you draw the line on this concept? Despite my love of travel and foreign cultures I'm not exactly a firm believer in absolute cultural or moral relativism. :P Granted, the sunglasses thing is perhaps an odd thing to give much of a care for, but even if someone wanted to make absolutely no eye contact it's still a courtesy I appreciate... but not a big deal in the broader picture. :P

[sebastianne]

RE:Yes, but where do you draw the line on this concept?

I think as long as it doesnt grossly violate my personal beliefs or cause me physical harm then I am happy to modify my behaviour for others if it's a big issue for them. So I decline food offers from Ethiopian clients if it contains meat even if it is impolite for me to do so, but I'll accept their coffee as it doesnt harm me to drink it, even if I'm not needing another coffee at that point. Likewise I modify my behaviour in my own culture according to the context. For example my behaviour at work differs from my behaviour at a nightclub. I swear a fair bit in general but not at work meetings as it would be considered inappropriate and offensive, so I see no difference from that and accommodating something like eye contact with certain people. I also dont believe in absolute cultural or moral relativism, but rather on a harm minimisation and egalitarian approach to others, so as long as someone's social practice doesnt cause harm then I dont consider it any more or less better than my own customs :)

[infernale]

I wasn't neccessarily advocating the outright ban of the covering, but certianly think it is a debate worth having. I realise that banning anything of that sort would not only be difficult, it would ultimately be divisive and for those that rally against our indulgent western lifestyles, meerly more proof of why we should be so dispised.

A few things though I think worth considering. Nuns wear habits - they do not cover the faces. In western society, generally, cover the entire face, or most of the face, is considered to be a sign of disrespect, or, of guilt. I know that doesn't make it right to criticize, but it is worth considering i think, when assessing how and why people react so strongly to face coverings. I think there is clearly a religious bent to some of the fear, but I remember from my days back in Centrelink, pre-sept 11 when the general public didn't openly fear muslims so much, there was still a dislike of and complaint towards, their covering of their face. Sometimes it was veiled (pardon the pun) as it being a security issue (photo ID matching), but I think that was really beside the point.

My main problem with muslim face garb, is not with women who chose to wear it as a symbol of religous, social or personal freedom, it is with those that are wearing for quite the opposite reason. Again, from my time at Centrelink, where I dealt with a great many refugee's and new entrants into the country, many of whom were muslim, I can tell you that in a significant majority of cases, the women were not wearing the garb freely. They were not breathing freely, they were not allowed to so much as speak without getting a look that indicated what a flogging they would get (incidentally, sometimes in the carpark right outside work).

I think any practice that is in place to subvert and crush the will og any gender or race, is not at all welcome. Likewise, any practice that is in place simply because of years of indoctrinated dogmatic practice, should be openly questioned.

[sebastianne]

I know a lot of people get worked up over the covering the face part, but that's also culturally relative. Just because something is a cultural norm in the majority of the world doesnt make it right and the minority wrong. Yes I personally have a major issue with the religious based gender inequalities in any religion, but I think if a woman chooses to adopt that practice of her own free volition (that term being used loosely because religious doctrination and free will is another topic entirely)
then she has a right to do that. And some things we do, like covering female breasts because they are apparantly sexual, whereas men's are not, is a concept that is entirely foreign to a lot of African cultures. I agree there are a lot of women who wear the face veil against their choice, but to me the issue isnt the peice of fabric, it is the religious based patricarchal subordination of women, because these women are also often exposed to a whole barrage of other inequalities, and I think this is what should be focussed on and not just the face veil.