The repetitions of ignorance and intolerance

So, we are witnessing some ill-aimed swings at the veil. Again. There seems to be a shortage of imagination.

At any rate, we can congratulate Nicolas Sarkozy in managing to simultaneously display ignorance and a shortage of logic. The French President, as we know, has lashed out at the veil claiming it undermines a woman’s dignity. So shall we assume the auctioning of his wife’s nude pictures at Christies, New York, (which he had no problem with) is hardly undermining of a woman’s dignity? And if women being ‘cut off from social life’ is the concern, then I’m afraid such an approach will only prove to be counter-productive. An act of faith cannot be forcefully removed, and attempting to do so will only result in women who want to wear it shunning and being shunned by an intolerant society – i.e. being ‘cut off from social life.’

Recently Saira Khan has also unburdened herself of another amusingly unfortunate article on the subject; amusing not least for the ignorance she also displays. Humorous claims like ‘rickets has reemerged in the British Muslim community because women are not getting enough vital vitamin D from sunlight because they are being consigned to life under a shroud’ show up the shortcomings of her argument, not only for the absence of any cited evidence but because rickets is after all a children’s disease.

As previously, Saira is suggesting the veil is extreme and those covered are obviously oppressed.  It is remarkably ironic to say freedom and rights are found in dictating how people dress. Even more so when you claim to be attacking those who force women to wear the veil, while you wish to force people to not wear it. And no amount of labelling those who agree with you as ‘ordinary British Muslims’ and sidelining those who disagree as either ‘fundamentalist Muslims and ‘hate” preachers’ or victims of ‘radicalisation,’ conceals that.

Freedom is in allowing people to choose and respecting their choice, even if you disagree. I should also point out to Saira that I wear hijab of my own choice, am comfortably writing this article, went to university, plan to do much with my life, God-willing, and have had no patriarchal hindrance. No ‘pressures have been brought to bear’ on me and I consider myself liberated in being able to wear it in spite of the counter pressures to conform to society.

So my message to Saira is, if those who you claim wish to live in a ‘Talebanised society’ and ‘turn their face against Britain’ by virtue of wanting to wear the veil should go live in an Islamic country, then perhaps you, who clearly wish to turn your face against the rich multi-cultural Britain the rest of us are proud to be a part of, should consider crossing the channel. I hear the French government is really warming to intolerance these days.