I wear a niqab! AMA

[JamTea]

Hi everyone,

I am a regular MNer and NC'd for this :). As background, I have a successful career in tech, I am a Muslim and I wear niqab too. Since Boris's comments, I've seen quite a bit written on MN about burqa and niqab, and thought it may be useful to answer any questions people have in relation to niqab. I also know a large number of Muslim women and have lived in various Muslim communities, so can probably speak from my experience and relay other people's experiences too.

Just as a note: I don't know any women in the UK that wear burqa and I have never seen anyone wear a burqa in real life. The difference between niqab and burqa is illustrated here: cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/1/590x/scarf-651554.jpg

Sorry, just read whole thread and seen responses about my question. With the hospital thing, say you needed an operation would you demand female surgeon so you could remove niqab or would this class as an exception? Also, have you ever been in situation where male has seen you without it on by accident and is that a big deal or upsetting?

With all due respect, apart from the colour, how different are the KKK robes?

Really? That's the best you can come up with?

They have pointy hats and two eye holes cut out for starters.

@jamtea

You're being very patient in the face of some truly ridiculous posts. I don't have any questions but have learned a lot from this thread.

Also FWIW - I couldn't give a stuff if someone with a penis came into a changing room either. It's hideous when the self appointed judge and jury proclaim to speak for all women. I'm good thanks, I can speak for myself. As you clearly can too.

With all due respect, apart from the colour, how different are the KKK robes?

How disgusting.

@JamTea interesting thread, thanks for starting it 🙂 my personal take on this (I am not Muslim) is that if it’s your personal choice to wear it then that’s OK, and who are we to judge? It is the same as women choosing to wear high heels/makeup/“revealing” clothes - it may be imposed on us by society to wear these things sometimes but ultimately most of us do have a choice - I can’t stand tight clothing and I can barely walk in trainers let alone anything with a heel lol!

That being said I do worry about people that are forced to wear it.

Maybe Candy’s daughter is at an unregistered illegal school? 🙁

Why aren't there any female Muslim leaders/ muftis etc?

How can you possibly claim that your religion promotes equality whilst women are in a position of religious inferiority to men?
How did you abseil in a niqab?

c) I have never seen a woman (forget child) in the UK dressed in a burqa

This invalidates your whole thread. You claim to be live in an area where many women wear Islamic dress and you have never seen a women dressed in a burqa? I have seen many, including in a incredibly white, non multi cultural area.
I simply don't believe a word you say after that.

I saw a young child of possibly around 5 in a shayla? The other day. I was a bit taken aback as i wondered how much more modest she would be expected to be after puberty. I saw it as a child groomed.
How do you feel about such young children in this sort of clothing OP? Do you think that is free choice?
Im not saying its the crime of the century either

"The ayah of niqab is in Surah Al-Ahzaab, Verse #59 ‘O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks ("Jalabib") veils all over their bodies (screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way Tafseer Al-Qurtabi)"

That is NOT what that Surah says!

I urge everyone here to Google Surah Al-Ahzaab Verse #59. There is no mention of eyes in that Surah.

Meanwhile, the Hadith quote Mohammad as saying women’s face should be visible: "when a woman reaches the age of maturity it is not proper for her to show anything except this and this.” He [Mohammad] pointed to his face and hands.

Hotblack Do you understand the difference between burqa and niqab?

I am not Muslim, live in London and have seen many niqab-wearing women. I have never seen a burqa-wearing woman.

yes, which is why I said Burqa. If you've never seen one in London one wonders where you have been looking.

OK then, fair enough. My experience is different from yours.

The difference is negligable between burqa and niqab.

Exactly, all this "its not a burqa its only niqab"...there is very little difference. Oh you have a small slit for one or both of your eyes and might not wear gloves, well that makes all the difference! not.

The OP says she wears a niqab. I assume she is telling the truth about that.

I don't see how it invalidates her thread when she says she has never seen anyone wearing a burqa, because I have never seen anyone wearing one either.

Obviously you disagree with these types of religious dress. That does not mean the OP is lying.

I am not understanding the significance of not having seen a woman in a burqa. If you've spent any time in London or Birmingham it would be unusual not to see a lady in a burqa, but yes it's a small minority.

There are plenty of things I've not seen, but this doesn't mean they don't exist. For example I have never seen Japan. This doesn't mean japan does not exist, or anyone who says they have visited Japan is in some way confused or lying. I'm sure as sure Japan exists. Me not having seen it doesn't mean it can't be real or that others views are not reliable.

I'm not saying women who wear burqas don't exist. I'm only saying that I believe the OP when she says she has never seen anyone wearing one.

I was responding to PP who seemed to be saying that if the OP wears a niqab and says she has never seen anyone wearing a burqa, she was being dishonest.

Jamtea, I can recall the name of the school - it was a feeder primary for the secondary where I taught & I was involved in y6 transition - but I doubt it's a matter for Ofsted because, as I said, only some girls wore the niqab.

Others wore hijab, simple headscarves or no hair covering at all.

So it cannot have been a uniform requirement of the school, & was presumably either freely chosen by the kids or imposed by parents.

Arguably the school should have banned them? But then maybe some girls wouldn't attend school.

No easy answers, but I wish covering the face wasn't a thing. I respect your choice, & your righr to decide what you wear, but I don't agree with your reasoning.

But thank you for the thread.

My question isn't particularly to do with niqab.... but generally amongst your community, is there any feeling of anti semetism? Do you discuss Israel and what are the predominating thoughts?

I am deeply shocked at the amount of hostility shown towards the OP on this thread. It's actually been quite upsetting to read in one sitting. You may not agree with the niqab but why be so openly hostile to a fellow woman who has invited you to ask her questions? Everyone could have made the exact points in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

I have lived in Newham and TH for 30 odd years and I don’t ever recall seeing a burka.

I’m not a lover of the Niqab, however I support the right of women who choose to wear it. It is a slippery slope for the govt to ban what people wear and in any case the police have enough to do.

I do believe as with the OP that many wearers are making a choice, many wear it with an aura of confidence in my opinion.

I do also believe that some are coerced and I class this the same as any domestic abuse situation regardless of religion or race. Banning it won’t make the abuse go away, educating/promoting female equality and provision of decent women’s aid type services is more productive if you ask me.

Also, some of the comments here seem to pigeon hole Muslim women into an homogenous mass. The experience and culture of a immigrant rural Bengali woman is likely to be different from a 3rd generation Iranian woman.

My Q - OP I’ve always assumed that some women may/not wear the Niqab or Hijab daily is that likely? Not for reasons that you have already explained but for frivolous reasons like - ‘hmmm... bit cold out there today I’ll wear my Niqab’ type reasoning.

EyeSaidTheFly

I don't think people have been 'racist' or coming on here to 'troll' as you so aggressively put it.

Jamtea posted a thread asking for people to ask her anything regarding the wearing of the Niqab, and people have done just that.
Of course the topic of the Niqab is going to be quite debatable, if it wasn't such a point of interest then it wouldn't be banned in certain countries.
I posted myself because I couldn't understand why the OP would herself choose to wear something which.she knows could well invite insults from the public. Now, I'm not for one minute condoning people who are abusive to those who choose to wear the Niqab, but I can see why many people are uncomfortable (me included) seeing people wearing it.
Candysugar decided to come on and post her own reasons for having to wear a Niqab and she was subjected to nastiness. Why wasn't she.listened to aswell?

For the record I am not Muslim, and I am also disgusted by some of the comments here and admire the OP’s perseverance, I’d be curled up in a ball crying and feeling somewhat attacked for my choices, culture and beliefs.

Out of curiosity i did a bit of research online regarding schools and head coverings and found this.
A study of schools’ uniform policies by the NSS found that
out of 142 Islamic schools which accept girls, 59 have uniform policies on their website that suggest a headscarf or another form of hijab is compulsory. This includes eight state-funded schools and 27 primary schools, three of which are state-funded.
In some cases, the schools laid down that girls should cover not only their heads but their entire bodies (in other words, wear a jilbab) or their faces. At the somewhat more liberal end, the study found 18 schools which said the hijab was optional.

www.economist.com/erasmus/2018/02/02/in-british-schools-the-wearing-of-the-hijab-by-young-girls-is-an-explosive-issue

I don't think i could support a ban on adults wearing what ever they want but I'd absolutely back a ban on the use in primary schools!