To feel sad to see 5 year old girl in hijab

[INeedSomeSun]

Probably will get flamed for this & iabu as its not my business.
I am not racist in any way. I am Asian myself and have many Muslim friends.

Growing up, I never saw any muslim girls with hijabs. This is a trend which has been growing since the late 90s.

I know that the meaning behind the hijab is to protect modesty and show committment to Islam. It is supposed to be the girls/womans decision after much thought and dedication.

At 5 years old they are still getting changed in the classroom for PE and she won't be able to do this now with boys around. How will she play and do PE freely? She has been singled out by the views of her parents.
Also, she will barely know what religion means, so she has not made an informed decision for herself.

Normally she is chasing about with my DS and other kids before school.Today she was just stood there, perhaps embarrassed or told not to?
I felt very sad

Also saying people have too much time on their hands is a cop out too. I have opinions on loads of stuff, I'm a busy person but I'll always engage with issues that interest me.

Why does the Quran not ask men to cover?

Crumbled, I'm not wearig a headscarf not to inflame nayone, I'm weairng it because it is Gods law, I have in the past got chatted up by men utterly unphased that I was covered.

Meejpoo, what a Shane you come late too a thread and mention the EDL. There was an intelligent debate here. What a stupid lazy comment.

Yes but the whole point of the thread was that 5 year old girls are not choosing. We've had the whole 'dressing up like mummy' thing but generally children do that at home, you don't get them turning up at school in Mummy's high heels and make-up. If they did they would be told it wasn't part of the uniform and told to wear the appropriate clothes. The fact that headscarves etc are exempted from this means that they are accepted as a religious symbol. Therefore this argument doesn't wash with me. It's obvious that they are being coerced in to wearing the scarf as otherwise the mother would just say 'no dear, it isn't uniform, wear it when you get home'.

In that case please condemn, Fuzzy, the oppression of Christians by Muslim dominant countries. Please condemn it loud and clear. Muslims worship freely and live freely in this country. You seem angry about something that isn't there. Muslims also dress the way they want and there are no plans to change that. But as you point out it's a free country and people are free to criticise a decision to wear the hijab or burkha or niqab, and free to criticise obliging a child to wear any of these. Please remember that.

yanu

But why is it God's law? Why does God say it's required?

Crumbledwalnuts - you like a bunch of White Atheist women mostly om rich Western countries telling Islamic women, specifically they speak mostly to ones who are not White from poorer countries, that they are wrong, ignorant, and can be saved from this by just doing and believing what the White Atheist women do. You like women who ignore the cultures of others and think everyone would be saved if they followed what they do? You like a group that enjoys ignoring the very large campaign from Muslim women asking them to stop talking for and over them because it's not helping and preventing their work because it gives the group more media exposure and fame to ignore them?

That's imperialistic BS. I'm from a culture that has had enough of people trying to 'save' us, and love to talk over and destroy our work by talking over us. It does nothing for us, absolutely nothing, it's all for them to feel good about themselves.

my dd is 8 and wears a headscarf sometimes, because she wants to. From the age of about 5. She likes it. For her, its the same as plaiting her hair or having it out.

I think women who can should reject it, because there are too many women who can't, and if you can reject it and don't, that validates and excuses the oppression of those who have no choice. I think it's an issue of global responsibility and sisterhood.

I want to repeat that because I feel it very strongly.

Morris, men have a dress code as well, they also have to grow their beards, those who choose to do adhere to that, they're just not as visible as women.

No I will not go against what I believe is gods law because somewhere some one is forced to wear a headscarf against her will.

I will however support and fight for womens right to be educated and for them to have equal rights and opportunities.

Litlte spork I'm sorry - I can't respond until your tone is less aggressive.

Well yes it's a bit sad, but I don't find it sadder than 5 year old girls dressed as barbie dolls, wearing skinny jeans and princess outfits in our culture. What is really worse? I find both sad, as it happens, and I think it's important not to be too judgmental about other families' choices. Parents who put their young daughters in hijabs probably find lot of things English girls do or are made to do very sad.

I'd love to see crumbled come to our school and give a talk to the girls about liberating themselves from headscarves , and making a stand for their sisters 'back home'

I agree Sanam: and with those girls the parents should be saying "that's not appropriate" not "oh but she wants to". The same judgement applies.

Isn't it amazing that the word of god in all religions often comes out of the gob of a bloke.

Strange that ladies isn't it!!!!

Boomba: I don't think it's funny. I don't think you should. It's very serious. And why did you say "back home"? Are you trying to ascribe to me the view that women in the UK who wear coverings have all come from another country?

my dd tells me, she likes her headscarf...its good for wiping her nose and mouth on!

One of my close friends is Muslim. She's a practising Muslim - she prays, observes Ramadan when not pregnant/bf, has done a Haaj, eats halal etc. In every way she is very observant, but she chooses not to wear a headscarf. She dresses modestly, in that she wears trousers and a long-sleeved top which doesn't show cleavage. But that's it. She would consider herself an observant Muslim. So why is it OK for her not to cover her hair?

No I do not like ito see young girls wearing a hijab. It is worn for modesty what does a young girl need to be modest about why does it even need to be something she or others think about

The niqab is a different argument and I personally dislike to see women beng hidden away from society

But do agree that what is considered important for women and freedom here is different in Muslim countries and too many see our way as being the right way but having lived in a Muslim country, been married to a Muslim and have family that are Muslim I value the freedom I have here

hajj sorry

I think it is damaging mejy: it validates systems of oppression against women. I'd like to know, I'm asking, why it's God's law, what is it supposed to achieve? I'm glad you condemn the fact that Christians too often cannot worship or live freely in countries described as "Muslim".