Veil Controversy - My Thoughts
Thoughts: Muslim Women wearing the Veil
This appears to have become an especially hot topic lately due to the media and certain proclamations by political leaders. I'm actually rather shocked by how much of an issue it is. I'm used to living in a culture with racist and xenophobic elements, but to see certain remarks from political leaders who once upon a time were championing multi-culturalism is pretty sick. I hadn't a lot of respect for Tony Blair, but pandering to the blatantly racist elements in our society is low even for him.
Anyway, I have been discussing this recently on VF and I wanted to give an overview of what I have been thinking. I'm not here to give some one-sided extremist account of how we should always defend the right to wear a veil under all situations, nor do I necessarily want to defend everything the veil might be taken to represent, but I do want to say my piece in defence of the veil
I think first off I need to set the topic more clearly.
There has been a specific case of a woman being fired from her job. I don't want to talk about this case specifically, obviously the issue has become much bigger. I will want to discuss about what I think should be thought of women in veils working generally however. More importantly, we've had political leaders mark such remarks as the veil being a 'mark of separation' and suggestions that they shouldn't be allowed to wear them. I've also heard remarks about whether it's appropriate for Muslim Women to wear veils because they are not part of mainstream English culture, in that whether Muslim women should have even the right to wear the veil. These are the things I would like to address.
So I want to discuss the topic in this order...
1) Is wearing the Viel inappropriate for certain occupations?
2) Are there any security risks regarding Muslim Women wearing the Veil?
3) Does wearing the Veil break down cultural integration and social communication?
4) Do I personally disapprove of the Veil?
Okay then...
1).
I do believe there ought to be room to be tolerant and accepting of people's needs, culture and fashion in jobs. For instance, even on what seems like more trivial grounds, I don't see why in a good many jobs a person shouldn't be allowed greater freedom in their choice of presentation. A lot of the people reading this will be involved in the alternitive music scene, and understand what I mean. However, I'm sure we all realise that in some positions an employer may have rational reason to deny people jobs based on how they present themselves.
I don't approve of denying people jobs based on blind prejudice. He has too many piercings, he must be a layabout, or lazy, or he must not work well with others, or respond well to authority. I don't believe that a person should forbid a Muslim women in a veil from working on similar grounds. Being Muslim and in the veil does not mean she isn't capable at her job or highly educated, it doesn't even mean that she's not a native British person.
However, there are sometimes when it's purely impractical. Again, on seemingly trivial grounds, there are jobs where flouncy shirts with frills and piercings may not even be safe, others were long nails may be inappropriate to the type of work being performed. Some work such as glamour and modelling work have obvious requirements on how people look whilst they work.
The more relevant issue to this is the issue of 'communication problems'.
I can understand how in a job teaching languages specifically a person would have to take their viel off. Hence for this reason a Muslim woman who wears the veil would be limited to teaching in all girls' schools whilst males were not present. Obviously they could not teach in an all-boys school. This restriction does not apply to science, mathematics, or other subjects where the need to see the mouth isn't as important. There does not seem a good reason to fire a teacher for wearing the veil if there is no specific need for the students to see the teacher's face.
Another more general issue would be relations with the pubic.
If I was an employer who has the choice of hiring me for a job that involved interaction with the public, I would probably be concerned about the way I present myself. If I turned up to an interview in the sorts of clothes I normally wear, I as an employer would not be impressed. Admittedly I myself can put on a shirt, a pair of trousers, tie my hair back and dress up to a way I think looks presentable, it would be up to the employer to estimate whether the inevitable showing of piercings or such like would have an effect on the success of his or her business.
I can not blame an employer for having similar thoughts regarding someone of a religious dress sense, especially one as extreme and controversial as a woman in the veil. Many people may have a hard time interacting with such people, although I cannot help but wonder if this is just because people are not used to it rather than anything else (I rather expect that as soon as you are used to talking to a person in a veil it ceases to be a problem). Also note that this only applies to jobs working directly with the general public, in which there is a need for employers to create a general image for the public, it does not apply to what might be the majority of jobs.
One thing to note even about the above is that when an employer feels that employing a person of a certain image will be damaging, in the case of people of religious images, or even in the case of a person with one or two piercings visible, we might excuse the employer, but I'd find it impossible to excuse the general public.
Of course, these are just common sense issues really. If this was the whole of the issue I doubt I would be as interested and aggravated, the issue has gone beyond this. Let me talk about something else raised in the media and I've had raised to me in face-to-face conversation. Let's talk about the 'security risk'
2)
Security. It's a big issue in the modern world.
What use are CCTV if we can't see people's faces? What good are passports if we can't see people's faces?
A comparison I've heard, that isn't so unreasonable at first glance, is that if anybody else obscured their face it wouldn't be put up with. Why should Muslim women get away with doing what the rest of us could never get away with?
People that drive motarcycles are well aware of the annoying need to take of their helmets every time they stop at a petrol station and go into the shop. It's awkward, it would be easier to not have to do it, but it masks their face. That means CCTV can't get a good capture on them, and it makes it useful for robberies. Hence, because of a few people that just can't control their behaviour, everyone has to remove their helmets. That's just the story of the way things work in modern society, right?
Now, if I walk into a petrol station (or most shops) with a balaclava over my head, I'm going to raise instant alarm, and even before I do anything the police might already have been called. Again, an example of where if I obscure or cover my face then it's not accepted. The argument goes... why is the veil an exception to this rule? Is this a case of a right they have but we're not allowed?
Of course, neither of the above is really similar. In fact, the two examples show why in themselves. Why is it that walking into a petrol station with a motarcycle helmet on will get you being told very quickly to take it off, but walking into one with a balacalva over your face will raise instant alarm and a much more extreme reaction? They both obscure the face so that CCTV doesn't work, what's the difference?
Well, anyone walking into a shop with a balaclava over their face is going to be there to cause trouble. The majority of people who wear motorcycle helmets will be just getting off their motorcycles. Obvious difference right?
So, ask yourself. You're walking home alone at night, you walk past two people. One is wearing a veil, one is wearing a balaclava. Which one are you more frightened off?
How many Muslim women in veils have you head off mugging people? Or rubbing the cash register at petrol stations? Or such like? I haven't heard of any, and further, I bet you that I would have had it happened. A woman in a veil committing those sorts of crimes? The tabloids would be on it immediately. The reason it's not seen as such a big security risk is because it doesn't really happen.
If it did happen, then shops would instantly start putting up policies to deal with it with no help from the state. If it does start to happen, then you needn't worry, shops will ban people wearing the veil from coming into the store. In the same way, it was raised to me about women in veils shoplifting (of course, I suspect any woman doing this isn't doing it for religious reasons of course, that would be rather bizarre!). Well, if shops discover this happens regularly then they will be forced (by unfortunate circumstance) to start limiting such women to coming in one at a time or take other such precautions as they might with young children (there are plenty of shops in my area that only let teenagers in one at a time, regrettable for those teenagers that are okay people, but a necessity)
However, there's no need for you and me to do anything about it. And there's no justification for any kind of strike against women in veils if this is not occurring, that would be rather a case of blind prejudice.
I would find the necessity of the above rather saddening, but I could not blame the employers.
Meanwhile at airports it seems obvious that there is a need to check people's faces. However, I wouldn't believe it impossible to have female security staff and private rooms to do this in (as I understand it there is no requirement that Muslim women stay veiled for other women when there are no men around). This would of course be awkward most of all for the Muslim women, but it seems the only respectful option available (unless someone has better suggestions?)
But let's talk about the 'social integration' issue that seems to have become the crux of the issue for many people.
3)
So, here's the real issue. Tony Blair forwarded a theme of this by declaring the veil a 'mark of separation'. It's an issue that goes beyond him of course (and indeed, he's likely trying to latch on to for popularity). People feel that Muslim women who don the veil are separating themselves from the rest of us. There are two ways of looking at why people feel this is the case.
First there is the argument we've seen put forward for this view. Veils mean people can't communicate as well et cetera. I will want to look at these arguments, and then I want to look at the real reason why people object to the veil rather than the aforementioned excuse to dislike the veil.
Now, we all know non-verbal communication is an important part of communication. We communicate not just through the words we speak, but we communicate through the way we say them, the gestures we make with our hands, our body posture, the way we use space, the way we dress ourselves, and of course, facial gesture. Facial gesture is a big, though by no means a majority, of non-verbal communication. The veil obviously obscures a lot of facial gesture, though notably the eyes can still be seen... the eyes being one of the most expressive parts of the face.
In a sense it's impossible to disagree with the statement that it's harder to communicate with a woman that is wearing a viel. In a similar sense it's harder to communicate a person wearing reflective sun glasses. Indeed, I remember reading the statistics for when an American police foce was equipped with them, the amount of police deaths because of shootings rose because it was much harder for officers to talk them down. Other examples may be when Emos put their hair in front of their face, so as to hide from the world, or the use of Botox removing our ability to have facial expressions.
Of course, one thing we must remember is not to exaggerate this though. We still have a huge amount of non-verbal communication to go from just by the tone of voice, the eye contact, and the other body language that isn't to do with facial gesture. We don't lose all that just because of a viel. Most people here will be comfortable communicating across a phone, and with the phone all we have is what they say, and the way they say it (paralanguage). With a woman wearing a veil, we have all that plus more. I am sure if one got used to talking to people in veils it would not become much of an issue. It may seem uncomfortable for many people, but for many people it may be uncomfortable talking to someone of a particularly extreme 'Goth' appearance mostly because they are not used to it. I've heard testimony from older middle-class people who have lived in areas where they isn't much ethnic diversity that they can get uncomfortable if they see a black man, not because they agree with racist views, but just because it's something they're not used to (one thing that might go through their mind is an irrational desire to somehow act differently so as to not offend) This of course is just general culture shock, and it disappears once it fades into being normal.
So, no. It's not that much of a reduction in communication. You can still hear in their voice, see in their eyes, observe in the way they walk, what sort of mood they are in. Don't overestimate the extent of our ability to communicate.
But that isn't really addressing the issue properly. Yes, it's perfectly possible for you and a muslim women to have a nice friendly chat. Yes, it's quite possible for a Muslim women to be just as expressive in saying hello to the neighbours. All of that is possible.
But why are we discussing this? Do Muslim women have a social obligation to be friendly to everyone? To engage in day to day life with you? If so then why the bloody hell is that the case?
I don't do it. I don't say hello to the neighbours. I don't talk to the odd people at the bus stop who feel the need to be friendly with me. What's more, if the over friendly stranger comes up to me and tries to talk to me, I deliberately try to adopt a blank face to be as uncommunicative as I possible can. Some people find this asocial, they might even find it rude, but isn't that my bloody right as an English citizen? Okay, so you like being friendly and chatty with everyone you meet, I don't, and I don't feel obligated to live up to your social expectations which you can frankly keep to yourself. So... even if Muslim women are shutting themselves off from socialising with you, why should that be considered such an awful thing? Why do they have this social obligation to be nice and friendly to you if they don't want to? Perhaps you ought to just get the hell over yourself and mind your own damned business?
Personally I find the requirement that I have to be friendly with everyone rather obnoxious. Go screw yourself. I don't like it when you put that requirement on me, and I don't like it if you try to put that requirement on Muslim women (and the bloody daft thing is the people that are causing the problem in communication are just the xenophobic non-muslims rather than anyone else anyway)
But this isn't really what underpins this whole problem, though I've started to touch on it. This isn't about any literal sense of 'hidng yourself from the world' or reducing your ability to communicate with one another. It's about cultural intolerance. It's about a literal 'mark of separation'. It's not about our inability to communicate with people in different cultures, it's about the fact they are a different culture at all and our unwillingness to communicate with people of different cultures.
Well, yes. Wearing the veil is a clear way to express you are different from everyone else, well done. Muslim women are different from other people, they're different in their religion, and perhaps even their values. Well, guess what. I'm different from the average British person in my values as well. I don't belong to mainstream British culture, there are parts of British culture I rather don't like. That choosing my own cultural identity is surely a part of my rights as a British citizen, so where has this need to impose a cultural hegemony come from?
If we're going to say 'well, live in Britain, live up to British culture, live as the British do?' where does that stop? You may think that Muslim women are the easy 'other' group because a lot of them are foreigners. But what about when a Native British woman chooses to adopt Islamic culture and religion? What about when someone like me chooses to adopt a 'deviant' subculture? At what point does the drive for 'cultural integration' (read cultural hegemony) stop?
Most of the people who will read this will be familiar with using their fashion sense to make statements of identity to varying radical degrees. Now, lately I have a fairly toned down appearance, when I was sixteen I was much more extreme. I turned heads in the street much more frequently, and whilst I wouldn't choose to dress that way again, by God I want the right to.
Being different ought to be a British right. That's what freedom is all about.
The average British person may be more comfortable in people of their own cultural background. Well, yeah, we all are. There's a reason why people of a similar cultural background tend to gather together, whether that be people of a religious culture, or whether that be of people of certain similar cultures like is seen in the alternative music scene. I choose my friends out of those I feel comfortable around, and surprise surprise, it's a certain type of person, and it bloody well isn't the average person on the street whom I would have no wish to spend time with.
The difference is I don't expect everybody to convert to my culture to make me feel more comfortable. So, you as the average British citizen feel more comfortable around people that are more like you? You feel uncomfortable when people have marked themselves out as being different to you? Maybe you don't feel you share the same identity? Well, tough. I don't care, and Muslim Women shouldn't have to care.
Take you're crybaby nonsense elsewhere. Not everyone needs to have the same culture and beliefs as you do. Maybe you find it hard to relate to them if they're not the same culture as you, well don't bloody well relate to them then and keep yourself to yourself if it upsets you that much. I can't see why people can't relate to people of the Muslim faith, but if it bothers you that much then don't be their friends, no one's trying to force you to.
I can't relate to a lot of people that live around my way. They don't have my values, they don't have my norms, they don't have common ground with me. So what do I do? Well, I'm just not their friends, I don't try to be. I get on with my life, they get on with theirs. What's so bloody hard about that? Maybe that means I'm not 'integrating with my local community' very well. In some sense it does, but maybe I don't want to integrate with my bloody local community and why on Earth should I have to? I'm not breaking any laws, I'm not sucking money away from the welfare state, I'm going through university and will end up being a productive member of society, so let me get on with it in piece. I'm still a functional member of society, so I don't share your culture, until that means I'm committing crimes or some such it's none of your damned business
And if that's true for me, why the hell isn't it true for Muslim Women?
Even if Muslim Women can't integrate very well socially with the rest of us, as long as they are happily being productive members of society and not causing any problems, then damn well let them be. It's their right to be segregated if they bloody well want to be. It's what I've chosen, let them choose it.
4)
So, having defended the right of Muslim women to wear veils, let me ask myself a question. Do I approve of the choice to wear a full veil. Well, in the sense that many Trad Goths wear mesh veils, actually I'm a huge fan, but in the sense of the kind of veils we're talking about? No. I don't approve.
I don't think it looks good, and I don't like the ideology it stands for. Not only does it reduce communication in an unnecessary way, it is plainly sexist. Not only is it only women Muslim that the culture dictates should wear it (although of course being British they get to choose that culture, just as many women choose to engage in sexist western culture), the idea that it's okay to not wear it around women but bad to not wear it around men is insulting to men as well as degrading to women.
Now, I could qualify this by noting that I think western culture is full of sexism as well. Does a woman that feels the need to hide behind make-up every day of her life because she's scared to be judged without it have any right to call a woman in a veil 'oppressed' as if she was 'liberated'? Probably not, but this isn't the issue.
But that's not the issue, none of what has just been said is the issue.
I don't like the veils. Maybe lots of other English people don't like Muslim women wearing viels. So bloody what? Well, one man on Question Time suggested that as most of the people in England, most of the people of English Culture, don't like the veils, well, Muslim Women are obviously disrespectful for wearing it.
Well Fuck You.
Just because a majority of people don't like it does not mean they have the right to ban it. That's the whole issue of minority rights. If most people don't want to see me dressed the way I do, or in some more extreme fashion, or if I'm going out cross-dressed, should people have the right to ban that? Or should I have the freedom to wear the clothes I want and other people should be forced to mind their bloody own business?
If I walk down the street I can see a lot of people expressing themselves in ways I don't like. Sometimes I think it looks awful, sometimes I think it looks intimidating, sometimes I just don't like the ideas I feel it expresses. I don't like it, I don't want to see it, but the whole point of living in a tolerant society is I put the hell up with it. I don't try to force people to present themselves in ways I like, why? Because I'd damn well hate it if they did it to me.
Yes, I don't like Muslim Women wearing Veils, but I do want Muslim Women to have the choice because I want that same choice. If I was a Muslim woman seeing all this spreading across the media, if I was listening to this talk about how people think I shouldn't have the choice to wear the veil, I have a rather large suspicion that you'd see me from tomorrow onwards wearing a veil as a statement about how I like to make these choices myself.
As far as oppression of women goes anyway, what's worse? Women choosing to adopt an oppressive way of dressing, or women not having the choice at all? Can we 'liberate' women by removing their choices? What sense does that make anyway?
This appears to have become an especially hot topic lately due to the media and certain proclamations by political leaders. I'm actually rather shocked by how much of an issue it is. I'm used to living in a culture with racist and xenophobic elements, but to see certain remarks from political leaders who once upon a time were championing multi-culturalism is pretty sick. I hadn't a lot of respect for Tony Blair, but pandering to the blatantly racist elements in our society is low even for him.
Anyway, I have been discussing this recently on VF and I wanted to give an overview of what I have been thinking. I'm not here to give some one-sided extremist account of how we should always defend the right to wear a veil under all situations, nor do I necessarily want to defend everything the veil might be taken to represent, but I do want to say my piece in defence of the veil
I think first off I need to set the topic more clearly.
There has been a specific case of a woman being fired from her job. I don't want to talk about this case specifically, obviously the issue has become much bigger. I will want to discuss about what I think should be thought of women in veils working generally however. More importantly, we've had political leaders mark such remarks as the veil being a 'mark of separation' and suggestions that they shouldn't be allowed to wear them. I've also heard remarks about whether it's appropriate for Muslim Women to wear veils because they are not part of mainstream English culture, in that whether Muslim women should have even the right to wear the veil. These are the things I would like to address.
So I want to discuss the topic in this order...
1) Is wearing the Viel inappropriate for certain occupations?
2) Are there any security risks regarding Muslim Women wearing the Veil?
3) Does wearing the Veil break down cultural integration and social communication?
4) Do I personally disapprove of the Veil?
Okay then...
1).
I do believe there ought to be room to be tolerant and accepting of people's needs, culture and fashion in jobs. For instance, even on what seems like more trivial grounds, I don't see why in a good many jobs a person shouldn't be allowed greater freedom in their choice of presentation. A lot of the people reading this will be involved in the alternitive music scene, and understand what I mean. However, I'm sure we all realise that in some positions an employer may have rational reason to deny people jobs based on how they present themselves.
I don't approve of denying people jobs based on blind prejudice. He has too many piercings, he must be a layabout, or lazy, or he must not work well with others, or respond well to authority. I don't believe that a person should forbid a Muslim women in a veil from working on similar grounds. Being Muslim and in the veil does not mean she isn't capable at her job or highly educated, it doesn't even mean that she's not a native British person.
However, there are sometimes when it's purely impractical. Again, on seemingly trivial grounds, there are jobs where flouncy shirts with frills and piercings may not even be safe, others were long nails may be inappropriate to the type of work being performed. Some work such as glamour and modelling work have obvious requirements on how people look whilst they work.
The more relevant issue to this is the issue of 'communication problems'.
I can understand how in a job teaching languages specifically a person would have to take their viel off. Hence for this reason a Muslim woman who wears the veil would be limited to teaching in all girls' schools whilst males were not present. Obviously they could not teach in an all-boys school. This restriction does not apply to science, mathematics, or other subjects where the need to see the mouth isn't as important. There does not seem a good reason to fire a teacher for wearing the veil if there is no specific need for the students to see the teacher's face.
Another more general issue would be relations with the pubic.
If I was an employer who has the choice of hiring me for a job that involved interaction with the public, I would probably be concerned about the way I present myself. If I turned up to an interview in the sorts of clothes I normally wear, I as an employer would not be impressed. Admittedly I myself can put on a shirt, a pair of trousers, tie my hair back and dress up to a way I think looks presentable, it would be up to the employer to estimate whether the inevitable showing of piercings or such like would have an effect on the success of his or her business.
I can not blame an employer for having similar thoughts regarding someone of a religious dress sense, especially one as extreme and controversial as a woman in the veil. Many people may have a hard time interacting with such people, although I cannot help but wonder if this is just because people are not used to it rather than anything else (I rather expect that as soon as you are used to talking to a person in a veil it ceases to be a problem). Also note that this only applies to jobs working directly with the general public, in which there is a need for employers to create a general image for the public, it does not apply to what might be the majority of jobs.
One thing to note even about the above is that when an employer feels that employing a person of a certain image will be damaging, in the case of people of religious images, or even in the case of a person with one or two piercings visible, we might excuse the employer, but I'd find it impossible to excuse the general public.
Of course, these are just common sense issues really. If this was the whole of the issue I doubt I would be as interested and aggravated, the issue has gone beyond this. Let me talk about something else raised in the media and I've had raised to me in face-to-face conversation. Let's talk about the 'security risk'
2)
Security. It's a big issue in the modern world.
What use are CCTV if we can't see people's faces? What good are passports if we can't see people's faces?
A comparison I've heard, that isn't so unreasonable at first glance, is that if anybody else obscured their face it wouldn't be put up with. Why should Muslim women get away with doing what the rest of us could never get away with?
People that drive motarcycles are well aware of the annoying need to take of their helmets every time they stop at a petrol station and go into the shop. It's awkward, it would be easier to not have to do it, but it masks their face. That means CCTV can't get a good capture on them, and it makes it useful for robberies. Hence, because of a few people that just can't control their behaviour, everyone has to remove their helmets. That's just the story of the way things work in modern society, right?
Now, if I walk into a petrol station (or most shops) with a balaclava over my head, I'm going to raise instant alarm, and even before I do anything the police might already have been called. Again, an example of where if I obscure or cover my face then it's not accepted. The argument goes... why is the veil an exception to this rule? Is this a case of a right they have but we're not allowed?
Of course, neither of the above is really similar. In fact, the two examples show why in themselves. Why is it that walking into a petrol station with a motarcycle helmet on will get you being told very quickly to take it off, but walking into one with a balacalva over your face will raise instant alarm and a much more extreme reaction? They both obscure the face so that CCTV doesn't work, what's the difference?
Well, anyone walking into a shop with a balaclava over their face is going to be there to cause trouble. The majority of people who wear motorcycle helmets will be just getting off their motorcycles. Obvious difference right?
So, ask yourself. You're walking home alone at night, you walk past two people. One is wearing a veil, one is wearing a balaclava. Which one are you more frightened off?
How many Muslim women in veils have you head off mugging people? Or rubbing the cash register at petrol stations? Or such like? I haven't heard of any, and further, I bet you that I would have had it happened. A woman in a veil committing those sorts of crimes? The tabloids would be on it immediately. The reason it's not seen as such a big security risk is because it doesn't really happen.
If it did happen, then shops would instantly start putting up policies to deal with it with no help from the state. If it does start to happen, then you needn't worry, shops will ban people wearing the veil from coming into the store. In the same way, it was raised to me about women in veils shoplifting (of course, I suspect any woman doing this isn't doing it for religious reasons of course, that would be rather bizarre!). Well, if shops discover this happens regularly then they will be forced (by unfortunate circumstance) to start limiting such women to coming in one at a time or take other such precautions as they might with young children (there are plenty of shops in my area that only let teenagers in one at a time, regrettable for those teenagers that are okay people, but a necessity)
However, there's no need for you and me to do anything about it. And there's no justification for any kind of strike against women in veils if this is not occurring, that would be rather a case of blind prejudice.
I would find the necessity of the above rather saddening, but I could not blame the employers.
Meanwhile at airports it seems obvious that there is a need to check people's faces. However, I wouldn't believe it impossible to have female security staff and private rooms to do this in (as I understand it there is no requirement that Muslim women stay veiled for other women when there are no men around). This would of course be awkward most of all for the Muslim women, but it seems the only respectful option available (unless someone has better suggestions?)
But let's talk about the 'social integration' issue that seems to have become the crux of the issue for many people.
3)
So, here's the real issue. Tony Blair forwarded a theme of this by declaring the veil a 'mark of separation'. It's an issue that goes beyond him of course (and indeed, he's likely trying to latch on to for popularity). People feel that Muslim women who don the veil are separating themselves from the rest of us. There are two ways of looking at why people feel this is the case.
First there is the argument we've seen put forward for this view. Veils mean people can't communicate as well et cetera. I will want to look at these arguments, and then I want to look at the real reason why people object to the veil rather than the aforementioned excuse to dislike the veil.
Now, we all know non-verbal communication is an important part of communication. We communicate not just through the words we speak, but we communicate through the way we say them, the gestures we make with our hands, our body posture, the way we use space, the way we dress ourselves, and of course, facial gesture. Facial gesture is a big, though by no means a majority, of non-verbal communication. The veil obviously obscures a lot of facial gesture, though notably the eyes can still be seen... the eyes being one of the most expressive parts of the face.
In a sense it's impossible to disagree with the statement that it's harder to communicate with a woman that is wearing a viel. In a similar sense it's harder to communicate a person wearing reflective sun glasses. Indeed, I remember reading the statistics for when an American police foce was equipped with them, the amount of police deaths because of shootings rose because it was much harder for officers to talk them down. Other examples may be when Emos put their hair in front of their face, so as to hide from the world, or the use of Botox removing our ability to have facial expressions.
Of course, one thing we must remember is not to exaggerate this though. We still have a huge amount of non-verbal communication to go from just by the tone of voice, the eye contact, and the other body language that isn't to do with facial gesture. We don't lose all that just because of a viel. Most people here will be comfortable communicating across a phone, and with the phone all we have is what they say, and the way they say it (paralanguage). With a woman wearing a veil, we have all that plus more. I am sure if one got used to talking to people in veils it would not become much of an issue. It may seem uncomfortable for many people, but for many people it may be uncomfortable talking to someone of a particularly extreme 'Goth' appearance mostly because they are not used to it. I've heard testimony from older middle-class people who have lived in areas where they isn't much ethnic diversity that they can get uncomfortable if they see a black man, not because they agree with racist views, but just because it's something they're not used to (one thing that might go through their mind is an irrational desire to somehow act differently so as to not offend) This of course is just general culture shock, and it disappears once it fades into being normal.
So, no. It's not that much of a reduction in communication. You can still hear in their voice, see in their eyes, observe in the way they walk, what sort of mood they are in. Don't overestimate the extent of our ability to communicate.
But that isn't really addressing the issue properly. Yes, it's perfectly possible for you and a muslim women to have a nice friendly chat. Yes, it's quite possible for a Muslim women to be just as expressive in saying hello to the neighbours. All of that is possible.
But why are we discussing this? Do Muslim women have a social obligation to be friendly to everyone? To engage in day to day life with you? If so then why the bloody hell is that the case?
I don't do it. I don't say hello to the neighbours. I don't talk to the odd people at the bus stop who feel the need to be friendly with me. What's more, if the over friendly stranger comes up to me and tries to talk to me, I deliberately try to adopt a blank face to be as uncommunicative as I possible can. Some people find this asocial, they might even find it rude, but isn't that my bloody right as an English citizen? Okay, so you like being friendly and chatty with everyone you meet, I don't, and I don't feel obligated to live up to your social expectations which you can frankly keep to yourself. So... even if Muslim women are shutting themselves off from socialising with you, why should that be considered such an awful thing? Why do they have this social obligation to be nice and friendly to you if they don't want to? Perhaps you ought to just get the hell over yourself and mind your own damned business?
Personally I find the requirement that I have to be friendly with everyone rather obnoxious. Go screw yourself. I don't like it when you put that requirement on me, and I don't like it if you try to put that requirement on Muslim women (and the bloody daft thing is the people that are causing the problem in communication are just the xenophobic non-muslims rather than anyone else anyway)
But this isn't really what underpins this whole problem, though I've started to touch on it. This isn't about any literal sense of 'hidng yourself from the world' or reducing your ability to communicate with one another. It's about cultural intolerance. It's about a literal 'mark of separation'. It's not about our inability to communicate with people in different cultures, it's about the fact they are a different culture at all and our unwillingness to communicate with people of different cultures.
Well, yes. Wearing the veil is a clear way to express you are different from everyone else, well done. Muslim women are different from other people, they're different in their religion, and perhaps even their values. Well, guess what. I'm different from the average British person in my values as well. I don't belong to mainstream British culture, there are parts of British culture I rather don't like. That choosing my own cultural identity is surely a part of my rights as a British citizen, so where has this need to impose a cultural hegemony come from?
If we're going to say 'well, live in Britain, live up to British culture, live as the British do?' where does that stop? You may think that Muslim women are the easy 'other' group because a lot of them are foreigners. But what about when a Native British woman chooses to adopt Islamic culture and religion? What about when someone like me chooses to adopt a 'deviant' subculture? At what point does the drive for 'cultural integration' (read cultural hegemony) stop?
Most of the people who will read this will be familiar with using their fashion sense to make statements of identity to varying radical degrees. Now, lately I have a fairly toned down appearance, when I was sixteen I was much more extreme. I turned heads in the street much more frequently, and whilst I wouldn't choose to dress that way again, by God I want the right to.
Being different ought to be a British right. That's what freedom is all about.
The average British person may be more comfortable in people of their own cultural background. Well, yeah, we all are. There's a reason why people of a similar cultural background tend to gather together, whether that be people of a religious culture, or whether that be of people of certain similar cultures like is seen in the alternative music scene. I choose my friends out of those I feel comfortable around, and surprise surprise, it's a certain type of person, and it bloody well isn't the average person on the street whom I would have no wish to spend time with.
The difference is I don't expect everybody to convert to my culture to make me feel more comfortable. So, you as the average British citizen feel more comfortable around people that are more like you? You feel uncomfortable when people have marked themselves out as being different to you? Maybe you don't feel you share the same identity? Well, tough. I don't care, and Muslim Women shouldn't have to care.
Take you're crybaby nonsense elsewhere. Not everyone needs to have the same culture and beliefs as you do. Maybe you find it hard to relate to them if they're not the same culture as you, well don't bloody well relate to them then and keep yourself to yourself if it upsets you that much. I can't see why people can't relate to people of the Muslim faith, but if it bothers you that much then don't be their friends, no one's trying to force you to.
I can't relate to a lot of people that live around my way. They don't have my values, they don't have my norms, they don't have common ground with me. So what do I do? Well, I'm just not their friends, I don't try to be. I get on with my life, they get on with theirs. What's so bloody hard about that? Maybe that means I'm not 'integrating with my local community' very well. In some sense it does, but maybe I don't want to integrate with my bloody local community and why on Earth should I have to? I'm not breaking any laws, I'm not sucking money away from the welfare state, I'm going through university and will end up being a productive member of society, so let me get on with it in piece. I'm still a functional member of society, so I don't share your culture, until that means I'm committing crimes or some such it's none of your damned business
And if that's true for me, why the hell isn't it true for Muslim Women?
Even if Muslim Women can't integrate very well socially with the rest of us, as long as they are happily being productive members of society and not causing any problems, then damn well let them be. It's their right to be segregated if they bloody well want to be. It's what I've chosen, let them choose it.
4)
So, having defended the right of Muslim women to wear veils, let me ask myself a question. Do I approve of the choice to wear a full veil. Well, in the sense that many Trad Goths wear mesh veils, actually I'm a huge fan, but in the sense of the kind of veils we're talking about? No. I don't approve.
I don't think it looks good, and I don't like the ideology it stands for. Not only does it reduce communication in an unnecessary way, it is plainly sexist. Not only is it only women Muslim that the culture dictates should wear it (although of course being British they get to choose that culture, just as many women choose to engage in sexist western culture), the idea that it's okay to not wear it around women but bad to not wear it around men is insulting to men as well as degrading to women.
Now, I could qualify this by noting that I think western culture is full of sexism as well. Does a woman that feels the need to hide behind make-up every day of her life because she's scared to be judged without it have any right to call a woman in a veil 'oppressed' as if she was 'liberated'? Probably not, but this isn't the issue.
But that's not the issue, none of what has just been said is the issue.
I don't like the veils. Maybe lots of other English people don't like Muslim women wearing viels. So bloody what? Well, one man on Question Time suggested that as most of the people in England, most of the people of English Culture, don't like the veils, well, Muslim Women are obviously disrespectful for wearing it.
Well Fuck You.
Just because a majority of people don't like it does not mean they have the right to ban it. That's the whole issue of minority rights. If most people don't want to see me dressed the way I do, or in some more extreme fashion, or if I'm going out cross-dressed, should people have the right to ban that? Or should I have the freedom to wear the clothes I want and other people should be forced to mind their bloody own business?
If I walk down the street I can see a lot of people expressing themselves in ways I don't like. Sometimes I think it looks awful, sometimes I think it looks intimidating, sometimes I just don't like the ideas I feel it expresses. I don't like it, I don't want to see it, but the whole point of living in a tolerant society is I put the hell up with it. I don't try to force people to present themselves in ways I like, why? Because I'd damn well hate it if they did it to me.
Yes, I don't like Muslim Women wearing Veils, but I do want Muslim Women to have the choice because I want that same choice. If I was a Muslim woman seeing all this spreading across the media, if I was listening to this talk about how people think I shouldn't have the choice to wear the veil, I have a rather large suspicion that you'd see me from tomorrow onwards wearing a veil as a statement about how I like to make these choices myself.
As far as oppression of women goes anyway, what's worse? Women choosing to adopt an oppressive way of dressing, or women not having the choice at all? Can we 'liberate' women by removing their choices? What sense does that make anyway?