to stop shopping at M and S for selling hijabs for young girls

[worstmotherintheworld]

So M and S have started to sell hijabs as part of their school uniform range...aimed at primary school children. One reviewer helpfully suggests getting the small one for a 4 year old.

I have been shopping at Marks all my adult life and have remained a faithful customer despite some dodgy clothes of late and the uninspirational Sparks card, but I think this is going to be the last straw for me.

Nah I’m with you OP.

Wearing a hijab should be an adults decision. There’s no need before puberty at all.

And don’t bother with the “wants to look like mummy” stuff. We stop kids from doing lots of things that mummy does because it’s not appropriate. There is no reason for a small girl to cover her hair or dress modestly. It isn’t in the Quran, it is a cultural choice not a fucking religious one.

Why is that an issue?

I couldn’t care less if someone wanted to wear a doughnut on their head either. I’d care if the reason they wore the doughnut was a load of sexist nonsense wrapped up as modesty. I’d care even more if it was children doing it.

And don’t bother with the “wants to look like mummy” stuff. We stop kids from doing lots of things that mummy does because it’s not appropriate. There is no reason for a small girl to cover her hair or dress modestly. It isn’t in the Quran, it is a cultural choice not a fucking religious one

I agree

However the best way for any girl to break free of circumstances that make then u happy or they disagree with is an education.

Education is the best chance of anything many girls have.

I'd rather these girls were in school

They sell Christening outfits too. Bastards.

Shouldnt it be a parents cho8ce how.they dress their child ?Its nor something i would do but as long as children are looked after and not neglected in anyway anything else is up to the parents

And don’t bother with the “wants to look like mummy” stuff. We stop kids from doing lots of things that mummy does because it’s not appropriate. There is no reason for a small girl to cover her hair or dress modestly. It isn’t in the Quran, it is a cultural choice not a fucking religious one.

Yes, thanks for the lesson but I think you'll find most people are aware that it isn't in the Quran...

A child wanting to cover her head to look like mummy is not inappropriate.

A child covering her head to avert the male gaze certainly would be.

Totally agree OP. The whole point of school uniform is so children look the same. The hijab is designed to protect modesty in presence of unrelated men. A primary school child has no such need. The argument that they want to look like mummy is irrelevant, a primary school child shouldn’t be turning up in high heels and make up because they want to look like mummy either.

So we're now saying little boys of the Sikh faith shouldn't wear top knots? Orthodox Jewish boys shouldn't wear side curls and skull caps? The world gets a little madder every day. And you see it all on MN.

It is inappropriate because she doesn’t grasp the ideology and politics behind the headscarf or why mummy wears one.

There’s nothing inherently inappropriate about a small girl wearing makeup like mummy does. But we don’t allow it as it has nuances behind it which aren’t appropriate for children.

agreed with @Cloudly

And I don’t think a lot of people know it isn’t in the Quran, look how many people are conflating it with religion and christening dresses. It’s cultural. Not religious.

Well quite Blue. .

I agree with you totally OP.

I agree with previous post. The fact that you find it an issue means you have issues. Its all about tolerance which you clearly don't have. Come on dont we have so must hate in the world already!!!!

@Walkingdeadfangirl what do you mean?

So we're now saying little boys of the Sikh faith shouldn't wear top knots? Orthodox Jewish boys shouldn't wear side curls and skull caps?

Anyone who thinks that these are the equivalent of the hijab is deluded.

If this genuinely would stop you shopping there it's probable that you're not the type of customer they want.

Or the type of customer anyone would want.

Seriously - go back to the Daily Fail.

I am not against Muslims. I am against young girls having to cover their hair in order to be modest. I am equally against clothing for young children that is skimpy or sexualised and yes I would avoid stores that sold it.

I agree that these girls should be included in the same educational opportunities as everyone else, so can see the point from that aspect.

I believe in religious freedom but a hijab does not belong on a primary school child as part of school uniform. At the weekend or in the holidays if she wants to be like mum fine but not for school. Pre-pubescent children do not need to be sexualised, there is no need for 'modest' wear for a child.

Top knots and skull caps aren't worn to protect the boys 'modesty'.

Hijabs are pretty and if little girls want to wear them then
Do you actually know what a hijab is?

@cloudy Muslims don't put hijabs on young girls. The purpose of the hijab (as most head coverings for women in judaic religions) is to prevent me from being distracted during prayer (women cover their arms ect for the same reason). Some women choose to (or are forced) to dress this way all the time because it is considered modest and morally upright. Putting a hijab on a four year it follows is perverted. No one puts a hijab on a young child for religious reasons. It's purely a case of myspginistic cultures that fetishise women's bodies and sexyalise young girls. It's not a Muslim thing. It's a backwards thing.

I always believed girls only started wearing hijab after they reached puberty, is that correct? Also to the person saying that hijabs are beautiful, objectively they can be but I think you'd be hard pushed to call the one linked above "beautiful". The one above looks fairly oppressive to me.

It's also disingenuous to compare a 4 year old girl wearing a hijab to a Sikh boy's topknot or a Jewish boy's skull cap and curls, these have very different thought processes behind them. 4-year old Sikh boys do not wear top knots for modesty do they? I would be interested to know what moderate Muslims think of this, a 4 year old in a hijab seems extreme to me.