To wonder why so many honour killings happen in Islamic countries when Islam preaches peace?

[Mooblies]

Also, how could a parent who loves their child consider killing them for honour, or do the people that commit them not really love their children?

I have not seen a woman in a burqa, I have seen women wearing niqabs. I never saw any women wearing niqabs when living in a muslim country only older women or younger ones at university wore a hijab. It was banned but that was ignored by many

if it is there choice why are you offended by it. So you cannkt see there face what difference does it make if you can they are still able to communicate and what communicatin do you neex to have with them. Why do you see it as sticking 2 fingers up at a society that allows you to dress as you so wish. Banning it will take that choice away meaning we do it live in a free society

if i am brown skinned and wear jeans is it a costume? i dont get the whole ridiculous looking thing, people should be free to wear clothes from other cultures if they want.

Do any pakistani families put pressure to wear niqab? From my experiences it is the other way round, they pressure girls to not cover!

if you are non Asian you will have the piss taken out of you wearing a sari or traditional dress not in nasty way, I am half Asian and my aunts will giggle how I have put it on wronly wearing it the wrong way, my pale skin(though darker than some of my family) it's amusing to some. western dress is seen as the modern way to dress for some i really would not look too much into it.

I doubt anyone on here is in favour of women being forced to wearing the niqab or supports the regime in saudi

But to cover up is not seen as traditional British culture, which is maybe why it is seen as contra? It is an Arab religious tradition - as I am constantly reminded by my male and female muslim relatives. They - even pre-revolution - did not wear scarves abroad - because, as great granny said, so that they didn't stand out. Now they don't as they see them as an opressive garment for women - they have no choice at home - and rip them off at Heathrow. They can't get their heads around why a woman chooses to wear it when they dont have to (at risk of arrest).

I have worked with Jewish women who wore wigs (whether their heads had hair or not I never asked). I assumed this was for religious reasons - I found this practise extremely odd.

a black woman at the childrens centre recently borrowed a sari of a sikh member of staff to go to a wedding. She brought the pics in and everyone said how much it suited her, and she returned the sari and a sweedish woman tried it on and she looked really great in it, tall and willowy, no one laughed. we wer encouraging her to buy one for part of her own wedding!

I think all this is weird.

You cannot compare a sari with a full face covering!!

A sari is traditional to culture. Not religion. Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and buddhist wear it in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan etc etc. it has nothing to do with religion. It can be comparable to jeans and t shirts or skirts and blouses. It does not make the wearer unreadable or unapproachable or seem hostile.

We don't cover our faces, our society has evolved to use facial expressions to communicate. Covering the face is quite threatening and instantly the person covered knows more about the person not.

I was at a wedding where the groom wore traditional Pakistani clothing. He isn't Pakistani (asian muslim) and his mum and aunties face was a picture. Then he changed into a penguin suit and that amused everyone else (not a formalwear kind of guy).

I wore an indian trouser and tunic to a fundraiser (it was Indian charity and it was advertised that you wear 'Indian' wear). My friend who lent me the outfit almost peed herself laughing (I am tall, skinny and very Celtic looking). I thought I looked like a princess, hurumph.

posie, I agree with your post! What's happened!

my family would have laughed like I said not in a nasty way and would have helped them dress correctly certainly would not tell the they couldn't because they are not Asian

the wig wearing comes down to covering of the head, like I said in a much earlier post covering your head would have been a necessity due to the heat time went on and people moved about how they covered their head changed. Would you tell a Jewish you are odd because you wear a wig when it is important to them and what does it matter to you

It makes me very that any woman feels she must become invisible (by covering abaya to burka) in order to live a peaceful life. Why would any creator wish that upon women? That they carry the burden of their brother's sin? As an anti theist (and Never ever a believer) I find it odd anyway, but I would hope if there was a God out/up there she would want me to be in charge of my own sin, not anyone else's.

Unzips suit.... those pesky kids.

Is covering of the face for the woman to be hidden or to be 'free' ie not judged by looks?

Why do some also cover the eyes - I have seen a couple of women here (probably tourists) with a fine material over the eyes. I would have loved to be able to ask them but how can you approach someone dressed in that way? You feel that they really dont want you to! How do they eat or drink in public? They cant smoke, can they? Can they hear ok?

I have chatted to some of the scary gold masked ladies on the bus - usually it starts with them cooing over DS (the handsome lad) and ruffling his curls, then we smile and say hello.

Self-righteous religious bigots come in all types, and I have no time for anyone with the attitude 'I am right and you are going to hell unless you agree with me'. God knows, I try to take people as I find them, but some are just too bloody god-smug!

I've seen one poor woman trying to paddle in the sea fully covered! And then in a hotel in Bangkok, boiling, a huge Arabic (looking, I'm not 100%) family all enjoyed the lovely swimming pool except anyone that looked like a mother, who was absent, and the two girls who were in head scarves. I cannot imagine feeling so restricted that on a boiling hot day I'm not allowed to enjoy things because of my gender.

was it nigella in the sea

No, but I did just google that? Oh my goodness.

Nah, this lady didn't even have a burkhini, perhaps not invented then, she just had silly heavy robes. I just felt angry on her behalf for the social conditioning/religion/culture or whatever compels her to wear it.

The wigs I found odd because of the reasoning behind it. To shave your hair off so that another man can't see it? If someone said 'yes, its because of the heat' then thats another matter (not a consideration in North London though). I'd certainly never say that to anyone though! Or, as a friend did to her new husbands aunties, ask if they all went to the same hairdresser. It was something I only came across as an adult.

What is it with the hair???? Weird. My hair is well erm hair, who decided that it was sexual?

My flowing celtic curls are hardly going to drive anyone to a dangerous level of lust. Well any level of lust really. I do get asked if I'm Jewish though...

How does one eat in a burka?! With great difficulty I think. I was recently at an Indian restaurant. A man came in with 2 ladies and a small child. The ladies were both wearing the burka. Now, I am not making this up. The man ordered the food for them. He did not speak to any of the ladies once. I assume at least one of them was his wife if not both. When the drinks arrived, one of the women forgot she had a burka on. She was clearly not used to wearing one. She tried to sip her drink with the face covering still on. Then realised and lifeted up the face flap to take a sip. Throughout dinner she did te same, lifted the flap up every time she wanted a bite to eat.
I felt sorry for her. I really did. There is no need for this in he uk.

GothAnn, "IMO, stripping is an abusive form of work, a niqab is a garment someone choses to wear"

Having been friends with a naturist I can assure you that there are people who have no issues whatsoever with nakedness.

Stripping is the same thing isn't it, as covering. It implies that a woman's body is for a man and is not her own.

i didnt compare a sari to a burka, i compared a sari to the posts about a man wearing an indian outfit being told he was wearing a costume by his wife and a woman saying she would be laughed at if she wore asian dress, do you lot not read the thread?

in niqaab you just eat under it.

In niqaab you are not invisible, my eid event had women in niqab helping me organise it (as well as those in abayah, those in jeans, those without scarf, those with scarf, a man without a beard etc) and she organised that big event for hundreds of people, how is that invisible?

posie, my body is for my own and those i choose to show it too, thats why i cover, i dont see how covering shows anything apart from your body is your own?

If you read the thread, I think you will find that people have a problem with hostile looking coverings. Like covering face. Or a hoodie on a teenager.

No one has said they have a problem with covering of the body.