The fight in support of the veil is hindering the process of Muslim integration in Britain and missing the bigger picture.

Words Reem Maghribi

This article was first published on the Guardian CiF site.
 

 Some Muslim women in the UK have been wearing face veils (niqab) for many years. We heard little from them until Jack Straw wrote in his newspaper column, which can now be described as an introduction to not only a national but also an international debate.

I do believe it is healthy to open debates about topics of contention, and am pleased that this issue has been given airtime to both Muslims for the veil and those against. Though I am in favour of self-expression and the right of individuals to practice their religious beliefs, I am not in favour of the face veil. A contradiction? No. The face veil has no grounding in Islam, misrepresents an already marginalised community, and is, I fear, being used as a political statement rather than a religious one.

If we, as Muslims, want to make political statements surely we must find ways which suggest openness to dialogue. Because ultimately putting up any kind of physical barrier is an act of aggression, and what we really want to be doing is focusing on the large acts of aggression being committed by our government, rather than encouraging a whirlwind of controversy around what will ultimately encourage our portrayal as the uncompromising aggressors.

My main concern is not with the veil itself, but rather what it represents for the future of Muslim communities. We as Muslims are in the weak position. We may blame this on the greed or ignorance of the west all we want, but ultimately it is our responsibility to make ourselves heard.

left-right: Lord Nazir Ahmed, Reem Maghribi,
Ayshah Ismail (back), debate chair
Tim Sebastian (partial) & Ahmed Younis

It was recently put to me, by my opponent on the Doha Debate in which I argued for the motion that the face veil is a barrier to integration in the west, that it was unjust that the Jews were stripped of their identity in the 1940s and that we must fight against that happening to us. I agree that we must not allow ourselves to be bullied into losing our identity. But we are fighting for a strip of cloth while thousands die each week in the Middle East. We need only look at the Jewish community now to see how short-term sacrifices lead to long-term gain. Once the underbelly of Europe, Jewish communities now flourish with a very strong sense of cultural identity. 

My arguments against the face veil are many. I have detailed them below and welcome you to add or object to them by sending in your comments. 

Freedom of Religion
Many who defend the right to wear the face veil do so on the grounds that they have the right to practice their religion freely. Within reason this is certainly true. However wearing the face veil is not a requirement of Islam. It is not mentioned in the Qur'an and was only adopted as a custom centuries later.

Respect for our host nation
There are five fundamentals - five pillars - of Islam. The right to practice these beliefs has not only been afforded by the British government, it has been accommodated. Britain has been more accommodating to many ethnic minorities than most European countries and has worked to encourage integration through both legislative and cultural initiatives. In fact, the face veil is banned outright in Morocco and the headscarf is banned in Turkey's government offices, both Muslim nations. If we fight for the right to practice something which is not a religious requirement and hinders communication with our neighbours in Britain - under the banner of Islamic rights - we are certainly hindering the whole process of integration by, at the very least, showing little appreciation for what this nation, which we chose to migrate to, has offered us.

Human Rights
Others present the argument as a human rights issue. What about the human rights of the children who are to be taught by a teacher wearing a veil? Does her right to cover her face in front of a male colleague precede the rights of the toddlers to be able to communicate openly with their teacher and perhaps more importantly not to have to ask the question, why is a woman covering her face from a man? They are certainly too young to understand sexuality. Similarly the parents of a 12-year-old girl wanting to cover her face in an all-girls school should be concerned about her motivations for wanting to cover her face from a male teacher rather than encouraging her. The welfare system in Britain exists to work with parents to provide for and protect children. To them this isn't a case about human rights and of prohibiting a child from practicing her beliefs; it's about serving the interests of the child and her fellow pupils.

The Fear Factor
We must be understanding of a country's right to feel safe and secure, particularly after the 7/7 bombings, and not have to worry about perpetrators masking themselves in veils, as was recently the case in Britain. It is understandable that Britons, following 9/11 and 7/7, fear the unknown. Unfortunately an unrepresentative few carried out those attacks, but if we, as Muslims, are to represent ourselves and our religion as the pragmatic peaceful religion it is then surely fighting for the right to do something that makes others uncomfortable and is not a requirement of the religion itself is going to hinder integration.

Abuse of Rights
There is a doctrine in Islam called the abuse of right. Rights in general are not absolute, they should be practiced wisely and not have adverse effect on the community resulting in the community having the wrong idea and attitude about Islam, thus frustrating the objectives of the Muslims in presenting their religion as understanding, tolerant and fair. It could then be argued that wearing a veil would be considered such an abuse.

Communication
Human nature is such that we communicate in many ways. If we present ourselves, before even speaking, in such a different manner which also excludes our audience's ability to read our physical communication, then we are instantly labelling ourselves as the other - this will no doubt affect the way in which our words, however honourable, are received.

The Bigger Picture
Muslim countries have suffered at the hands of bad foreign policy, and yet even with the support of the aggressor's own citizens we have been unable to stop the bloodshed in our countries. This has left many Muslims feeling vulnerable and defeated. It seems as though some are picking at any argument they feel they might have a chance of winning simply for an opportunity to be heard. But surely we must focus on the bigger picture and abandon the fight for the right to cover our face with a piece of cloth when we have a responsibility to fight for those who lie wrapped in cloth.