Would banning the hijab be an unfair restriction on a religious practice?
Would banning the hijab be an unfair restriction on a religious practice?
No, but any face covering [in public] must be banned for safety reasons. I think any restrictive clothing ought not to be 'compulsory' - this is counter to modern human rights. These practices go back thousands of years and are not aligned to modern views. They are usually targetted at women. Similar to the daggers worn by Sikhs - these also must be banned, unless made out of non harmful materials.
Restrictive clothing...hummm, does that include high heels that inhibit the ability to walk or run quickly? Does it include bras that are badly fitting, because most of them are, I dont' believe we should have to train any part of our bodies to accept clothing. What about tight trousers and pencil skirts?
What about make-up, does that not give a false impression, or beards that cover most of the face?
Given that many Muslim women choose to cover thier heads, I'd say its their descision.
There have been times when I would happily have covered my whole body and certainly my face. If I had hair loss due to chemo or alopecia, then I may well choose a hijab they come in many colours and types and can be far more attractive than a woolly hat.
How do you feel about burkini's, swimming costumes that cover much of the body, some are very similar to wet suits, if anyone made me have to go swimming then I'd be looking at wearing something like that.
Restrictive clothing...hummm, does that include high heels that inhibit the ability to walk or run quickly? Does it include bras that are badly fitting, because most of them are, I dont' believe we should have to train any part of our bodies to accept clothing. What about tight trousers and pencil skirts?
What about make-up, does that not give a false impression, or beards that cover most of the face?
Given that many Muslim women choose to cover thier heads, I'd say its their descision.
There have been times when I would happily have covered my whole body and certainly my face. If I had hair loss due to chemo or alopecia, then I may well choose a hijab they come in many colours and types and can be far more attractive than a woolly hat.
How do you feel about burkini's, swimming costumes that cover much of the body, some are very similar to wet suits, if anyone made me have to go swimming then I'd be looking at wearing something like that.
There's always a mismatch between what women wear, what they do and how they act, with how little control some men are willing exert over what they keep in their trousers. I don't see how wearing any sort of head covering is a come on, or off.
The imbalance of power is that men feel they have the right to sex from women and feel free to take it or otherwise use sexual acts as a weapon and that they have tacit support from the law in so many cases. I know we have laws against rape and unwanted sexual acts, but its inadaquately enforced, it takes to long to get to court and the sentences are often inadaquate, that's if a woman is believed in the first place.
My Mum was last sexual assaulted in her mid 80's, by a man of a similar age to her, in Lidl's supermarket.. He pushed himself up against her and started rubbing himself against her, I was at the other end of the checkout and could see something was going on, but not what, I could see Mum guddling about in her handbag and her feet peddling up and down, the she swung round and elbowed him sharply in the ribs. When I asked her about it afterwards and did she want to report it, she no, she'd trampled all over his feet, concentrating on his insteps and then took the wind out of him with her elbow.
I think we'll all agree that this was a shocking thing to happen.
But given the context of this conversation, my Mum was wearing her woolly hat, her knee length coat, trousers and sensible shoes. I think this incident demonstarates that whatever her age and whatever she's wearing to go about her lawful business a woman isn't safe from sexual assault in a public place, let alone a more private space.
Don't you think that the use of the hijab is terribly chauvinistic because it shifts the burden of self-control from men to women, placing the responsibility unfairly on them? What if some women find certain men attractive? Is that the men's fault, or is the real issue that some people are simply not prepared to respect others' boundaries? To me, this is a power imbalance.
