More of a WWYD,explaining headscarves/veils to a child?

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More traffic here.

DC1 is wondering why women of certain cultures and religions cover their hair and sometimes their faces. I have explained about differing religions etc but still the question persists as to why only the women,why don't the men have to.
Does anyone have a simple way to explain it to ages 5-12 (DC2 is joining in with it) ? I'm trying and obviously failing.

y she was just wearning it for effect then or because she was told
the rule isn't about wearing headscarves it's about being modest

Why do men not wear burqas?

sorry the majority of women i have spoken to from various continents, including friends who have emigrated to Muslim majority countries

some girls like to make the transition in stages,
others wear it for fashion,
others for culture.

I don't like the burkha myself, I don't think it should be banned because that way madness lies, but I don't think it should have any special protection. It should be treated like a mask, so you have to take it off in situations where you would have to take off a mask, and if people react badly, you have to accept they're reacting to someone wearing a mask.

My issue with the burkha is you can get your drivers license taken in it.

That's just insane.

yes that should be illegal, that's nonsense
even if I felt liberated by wearing a spiderman mask I'd have to take it off for a driving licence

is that true in this country or just the states, I notice your spelling of license
this is not pedantry it's a genuine query

I'm in Australia, and it's true here. Unsure what the laws are in the UK.

i'll find out

y I don't think that's allowed here, also border controls are allowed to "satisfy themselves as to the indentity of the person" and schools are allowed to ban them on learning as well as security grounds

Eek! I've read most of this -

In terms of my Ds2 we live in a very 'white' part of the southeast -at his school, there is a lunchtime supervisor who wears the full burka.

I was mildly interested as to how he perceived this, cos it's not common where we live, and we got chatting one day... - the couple of times I have had to pop into school at lunchtime, she is strolling around the playground with a few adoring children attached to her sleeves...

"Oh! Mrs 'F' - she's brill - when I fell over last week, I got to sit on her lap whilst she put a plaster on my knee, and we talked about dinosaurs..." (he was 6 at the time) he saw past the burka. We've talked about it since - about religion, dress and choice etc.

Tbh - I don't even notice headscarves etc - but I struggle with the Burka a bit - not for what it means for Ds2 in terms of the lunchtime supervisor, who is fantastic, and who he wanted to marry - but about the gender thing.. x

Not here. There was a story a few years ago about a muslim woman who was training to be a police officer. For her swim test (usually everyone does at the same time) everyone had to leave the room except for one female coach.

Kudos to her for wanting to be a cop, but I do wonder how she'd manage it in a burka? EG reaching for gun et. Makes me quite curious actually.

I don't think people realise they don't need special protection for religious reasons, maybe they think the burkha is a religious requirement rather than a choice, or an oppression. Whichever one it is, it shouldn't be protected in law at the expense of freedom, security, honesty, cultural norms etc.

erm just to clarify Islam requires you to show your face in situations where your identity needs to be verified, such as in court, giving evidence, getting married etc.

the only issue is if the court proceedings are televised or something like that.

the police woman wouldnt be working in a burka.

i've said this before, culture changes, the cultural norm in this country is to be welcoming and accepting of different forms of dress, different religions and cultures. As part of the society we are part of what makes up the culture, not separate from it.

Compare it to how women wear bikini tops while men go topless. Every culture has it's norms and they are often different for men and women.

Some tribes in PNG are happy getting about in little more than a leather strap but would feel naked and exposed if they were seen in public without their strap. Our culture requires greater coverage and Arab (etc) culture requires greater still.

If she wouldn't be working in a burka because her identity would need to be identified..

Why on earth can someone get their license photo taken in one?!

but the prevailing culture should be respected nailak so that change comes slowly

perhaps there are muslims who would like us all in burkhas, I'm sure there are, but please don't bring that cultural norm to me, I am not going to accept it

when I travel I respect other cultural norms, I think that's the right thing to do

Great post Accuracy

I will cover up if I ever go to Saudi Arabia for example.

I am not bringing anything to you, I am part of your culture, raised and brought Jul here, and decide to make a choice to change the clothing I wear in public. Because of that I am suddenly not part of the society?

This is not about forrin women traveling to New countries and not integrating. It is about those raised here changing the way they dress.

And plenty of tourists go to morroco Tunisia Egypt indonesia etc without covering up, even though it is the culture of the people who live there! Lol

Sorry, I would find it impossible to legitimise. It goes against everything I would teach my children about equality, self-respect and human rights.

To a small child, I would keep it simple and say, maybe she's cold

To an older child, I would explain why they really do it.

I just told my DD "Because that's what she chooses to wear." Then explained I couldn't possibly know why that particular lady was wearing it, but some choose to as part of their religion, or for tradition and probably for many other reasons too.

I'm sure within the vast Muslim population of the world there are some women who are forced, (You can actually probably pick anything anyone does and point out some people are forced to do it) but I don't define everyone who wears a burkha by the actions of a few.

Yes, I would teach then that too. It is also a concern.

My point still stands.

Your final words are so far off the mark, I can't be bothered getting into it with you. You are deluded.