To think to say wearing the hijab brings you 'respect' and 'security'.

[Eltonjohnssyrup]

Just to start off - this is not a 'ban the burka' thread. I respect the right of all women to wear exactly what they want be that a burka, a bivouac, a hijab, short shorts or a bikini.

It was World Hijab Day yesterday. An event which was promoted by government agencies including the Home Office.

The organisation promoting this event has claimed that the hijab brings you 'liberation'. I'm fine with that. I can see how it would feel liberating not to have to worry about bad hair days or styling every day. And feeling liberated is a personal thing. One woman might feel liberated wearing a full length skirt and long sleeves, one might feel liberated in a bodycon dress and bikini.

But then they went on to say that the hijab brings you 'respect and security'. I feel really uncomfortable about this. It implies that there is a type of respect which women who do not wear the hijab are unworthy of. That showing our hair makes us unworthy of automatic respect.

And 'security', security from what? Harassment? Rape? Terror attacks? This sort of language is moving the responsibility for women's security onto women by saying 'wear this and you'll be secure'. In other words, don't wear it and you're taking risks, asking for it, sending out a signal it is okay to grope or harrass you.

This makes me really uncomfortable, especially in the era of me too. AIBU to think that this campaign should be moderating it's language to avoid tarring those who don't wear it with negative associations? And that the government and Home Office shouldn't be endorsing an organisation that uses it? It's not sending a message of 'women are free to wear what they like' and instead is sending a message that if women want to safe and respected they must cover up.

I mean liberals supporting stuff like Sharia Courts thinking they are being anti racist. Not an organised movement of liberals.

Crunchy your bit about females and family honour sounds like something that is very big in Indian and paskistani communities (not necessarily Muslim).

Tap, have you ever seen annoying the uk wearing the blue burka as seen in your photo (or even the random red or yellow one?!)

Anyone, not annoying!

It is the Indian and Pakistani origin community I know most about.

hmmwhatatodo
No never.
I have seen the black one though more than once, but always in heavy (gabardine?) material. Seen it worn with gloves and flimsy shoes ~ climatically odd.
Just odd the seller imports it into the UK ~ to sell to (?)

hmmwhatatodo
Seems only 1 colour was available in Afghanistan (sales dropped rapidly as Taliban rule declined)

Crunchy that's the spirit it should have been done in.

Despite most muslims believing there is no requirement in the Koran for women to wear the burka, or the slightly less overwhelming niqab, sales are up and the prevalence of fully-covered women is increasing.
Express.co.uk can reveal shopkeepers in Blackburn, the British town with the third highest Muslim population, are enjoying a boom in sales.The burka is the most concealing of all Islamic dress incorporating a usually black one-piece garment which covers the face and body with a mesh covering the wearer's eyes. It is designed to effectively dehumanise the wearer in the interests of modesty by disguising all of her physical elements.The niqab is usually a veil worn in conjunction with a headscarf to create a similar effect to the burka.
In the Islamic faith both garments are worn as an assertion of religious and cultural identity. But, while their popularity in many Middle Eastern countries is on the wane the number of women wearing burkas and niqabs on the streets of British northern towns and cities and parts of London is increasing.A snap survey carried out by Express.co.uk in the Lancashire town of Blackburn, where 11 per cent of the population is Islamic, found around 30 per cent of muslim women completely covered their faces.Exact figures are hard to establish because many burkas are sold door-to-door, but Nadeem Siddiqui who runs the Hijab Centre in Blackburn and is the town’s biggest burka supplier said: “I'm selling more burkas and niqabs than I used to, no question.
“I used to sell one or two burkas a month, now I sell about that in a week, so sales are clearly up.”He blamed the US reaction to the September 11th attacks for increased sales and said: “The rise of the burka and the veil all stems from that.”

Apologies ~ from The Express! But as women in some Islamic countries get to see the light (literally), some more advantaged women in the west chose to put themselves in the dark.

January 2017
Morocco has reportedly banned the sale and production of the burka in what appears to be the latest stage of the kingdom's crackdown on Islamic extremism.Letters announcing the ban were sent out to market vendors earlier this week, with businessmen given just 48 hours to get rid of their stock.
“We have taken the step of completely banning the import, manufacture and marketing of this garment in all the cities and towns of the kingdom," a senior Moroccan government official told local news website le360.

Maybe why we in the UK are importing them to sell on?

You know other religions ask women to cover too. Nuns are covered....

I think the catholic church is evil, but no it is not the same.

Nuns (and monks) are a special religious order/group whose entire life is devoted to religion and who often cloister themselves away from the world; the catholic church does not require women in general to cover up. They have the same rules for appropriate dress for inside churches for men & women ie shoulders, upper legs etc. covereed

morgan
Catholic women used to cover their head in church TIL the change (enlightenment) came in the 1980’s. Many Christian nuns have dispensed with the veil now.
Until the 20th century most women in the West wore head coverings (indeed had long hair as a rule) until work outside the home became normal.
Women who are Orthodox Christians and Jews still have their heads covered (the latter often choosing to wear wigs instead of hats.
It’s be no means an exclusive Muslim ‘thing’.

Yes and it is based on oppressing women in Orthodox Christianity and Judaism as well.

Yes ~ all groups where men make the rules!

There seems to be more and more porn featuring women wearing hijab, niqab and the burkha. Has it become some kind of fetish thing nowadays?

The thing is, tapandgo, when you read that articles and ones linked to it, or even search Blackburn bites all you get is pictures of ladies wearing black headscarves and niqab and abayas. Where are all the photos of these popular burkas in Blackburn? Why didn’t he show a picture of te one that is a big seller in the shop? Why can’t they just say niqab is on the increase or modest women’s Islamicwear?

hmmwhatatodo
It did say it was the Daily Express!

Newspapers tend to use stock photos.

the quran does not mention the word hijab or tell women to cover their heads

In Berlin in the summer I saw a woman wearing a full-length hijab walking along the street. She must have been sweltering. She stopped at a water fountain and cupped her hands under the water and dowsed herself (any parts which weren't covered, ie her face) in water. She was so hot and bothered, I felt sorry for her.

There were loads of young women wearing the niquab and hijab in Berlin, including several white women who looked German. They all hung out together at the playparks, with their kids. I think headcovering is a way for young Muslim women to feel part of a community, it gives them an identity. I also think it's a horrible symbol of oppression and should not, here in the West, be allowed to become an accepted virtue-signalling rhetoric of 'respect' and 'security'.

It is wrong that Muslim men or ANY man thinks that wearing a certain piece of clothing makes that woman more pious and not to be leered at in a sexual way....and infers that the opposite is true of a woman not wearing the headscarf....

ALL women regardless of their preferred dress should be safe and respected.

It is back to the age old issue, still evident, that these 'male' rules and attitudes dictate to women how they are perceived.....women need to challenge all men on these attitudes constantly and loudly or it will never change.

You know other religions ask women to cover too. Nuns are covered
You mean the Roman Catholic religion? they aren't asking women to be covered , nuns aren't representative of catholic females.

Tulips, I see plenty of children going to school (esp teenagers) without proper warm clothing in winter. Girls out on evenings wearing very little in freezing weather. Each to their own.

www.haaretz.com/allison-kaplan-sommer-a-modesty-proposal-1.5281567

Here is the solution ~ glasses that deliberately blur the vision of men so that they don’t have to look at what they consider ‘immodest’ attire. The nearest thing to a male burka I’ve heard about yet.

Brilliant ~ the men that have the problem have to solve it themselves. Then women can go about their business dressed as they like 👏👏👏