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Philosophy/religion

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Original poster

women wearing burqa, this riles me

459 replies

southeastastra · 04/04/2014 21:08

i am sorry to be saying this as i know we should all be equal and embrace diversity but when i see women dressed in this it raises my hackles and i want to get out and rant at them. i can't just think it's okay in the western world.

am i allowed this view on mn?

OP posts:
Original poster
southeastastra · 04/04/2014 21:43

i know i should have let this lie..

OP posts:
Weegiemum · 04/04/2014 21:44

I smile and talk to women in full burqa. They're just people!

Original poster
southeastastra · 04/04/2014 21:49

but they're not here they're holding bags with islamic writing

they're not just women they are proving a point which isn't cogent

OP posts:
Perfectlypurple · 04/04/2014 21:51

You want to rant at them? In a lot of cases women wouldn't be able to go out if they couldn't wear it. Each to their own. I certainly wouldn't be happy with living suppressed like this but you can't project your feelings on someone else.

Perfectlypurple · 04/04/2014 21:53

Holding bags with islamic writing? Just like we go places that have bags with other writing on.

How do you know they are proving a point? What point exactly?

nirishma · 04/04/2014 21:56

Islamic writing, op? You mean, Arabic? Not all Arabs follow Islam, you know.

Sort yourself out!

Weegiemum · 04/04/2014 21:57

There's one lady uses my local supermarket, her Burqa has the most gorgeous one with fabulous embroidery. I speak every time we meet and we have a. Great chat though she's covered up and I'm in a sleeveless maxi dress!

I'm in Glasgow, I'm not frightened by burqas. Why would I be?

MaryMotherOfCheeses · 04/04/2014 21:59

Having an opinion is one thing, wanting to get out and rant is quite another and is more worrying. It's aggressive.

ArtFine · 04/04/2014 22:01

They are human just like you.

It's stupid to think everywoman wearing a burqa is doing it to make a point. You clearly need to read up more about the burqa and meet women who wear one.

Original poster
southeastastra · 04/04/2014 22:05

i didn't suggest they weren't human but i am worried about women going out fully covered

why is it suddenly right when it wasnt years ago? what has changed?

OP posts:
neiljames77 · 04/04/2014 22:09

If I thought that they were wearing it of their own free will, then I wouldn't have a problem with it. I know there was a blog on here recently by a woman who said she prefered wearing it That's fine. I believe the vast majority are wearing it because they are forced to. This inequality and oppression doesn't belong in a modern society. I'd never rant at an individual, it's the principle I have a problem with.

Perfectlypurple · 04/04/2014 22:09

Why are you worried about them being covered? And I don't know what you mean about it suddenly being 'right'

tethersend · 04/04/2014 22:13

I fundamentally disagree with covering up or the concept of 'modesty' itself, particularly when applied to young girls.

However, I would not support a ban on the niqab, nor any other piece of clothing- part of living in a free society is having things around that you do not agree with. For me, this is one of them.

I would like to see more debate on the issue from a feminist perspective, though.

gamerchick · 04/04/2014 22:17

I'm not a big fan of any kind of thing covering the head but i'm weird about seeing faces. My pal visits who rides a motorbike and he takes it off before knocking because it hurts my head to see him covered up... I have really bad claustrophobia though which is having quite an impact on my life annoyingly.

But man.. imagine if you slept in and had to get the kids to school quick.. put one of those things on and it just doesn't matter if you've sorted yourself out first.

Plus, some of them are really bonny and look like lovely material to stroke.

I don't go round stroking random woman though.

PotatoesPastaAndBread · 04/04/2014 22:18

OP, have you ever asked a woman in burqa why she is wearing it and how she feels about it?

sashh · 05/04/2014 01:16

I believe the vast majority are wearing it because they are forced to. This inequality and oppression doesn't belong in a modern society.

This again.

Do you believe Sikh men wear turbans because they are forced to?

What about women who are forced to wear a short skirt by their partner?

Forcing someone to wear something without good reason, helmets to ride motorbikes or surgical gowns in an operating theatre is the problem, not what someone actually wears.

GarlicAprilShowers · 05/04/2014 01:31

I have ishoos with not being able to see a person's face, as well. It engenders a feeling of mistrust, even fear, which is a basic human reaction. Soldiers & policemen are told to take their shades off when talking to civilians for this reason - and I don't have any claustrophobia, but am uncomfortable talking to bikers in helmet.

Given the 'modesty' principle, I assume burqas are actually intended to create this feeling of ... distancing. Tradition has overlain it with a complicated weave of other meanings, and this is what I think prevents modern wearers understanding that basic principle.

I am opposed to burqas being worn in customer-facing, caring and teaching roles. What you wear for a trip to the shops or the park is up to you, but if you're supposed to be communicating with a range of people, your face should be visible. When it's not, you may as well be on the end of a phone!

neiljames77 · 05/04/2014 01:39

Sashh - You can't seriously be comparing men wearing a turban or a skull cap to being covered head to toe?
It's a patriarchal doctrine that dictates women wear those.

DrewsWife · 05/04/2014 01:46

Do you mean burqua or niquab ? I can't spell. I have Muslim and Islamic friends. I'm Christian and wear a Salvation Army uniform. Would you rant at me. Talk to them. They are ladies like you and I. They make a choice to wear what they do.

I'm very envious if my friends stunning sequinned outfits and there's me in blue serge alone skirt below the knee. I look square. Hmm

I can't believe we live in the 21st century with views like this still in existence.

You don't have to wear the outfit but please respect their right too

LRDtheFeministDragon · 05/04/2014 01:47

I think it's a patriarchial religion, and I think they are socially conditioned. The same is true of me wearing high heels and going to church, obviously. I'd feel daft flinging critcisms at women who wear the burqa, when I know I'm not free of social conditioning, and can't get free.

I think the important thing is to keep working towards a society in which women in all walks of life have a freer choice. You can't begin by stigmatizing some women, IMO. And I certainly don't follow what bags with 'islamic writing' has to do with it.

DioneTheDiabolist · 05/04/2014 01:47

I don't care what other women wear. Their body, their wardrobe, their business. I can't imagine wanting to rant at anyone because of their clothes.

DioneTheDiabolist · 05/04/2014 01:49

I'm not a big fan of those Louis Vuitton bags with writing on them. Even so, I wouldn't rant at someone carrying one.

SecretWitch · 05/04/2014 01:57

It would never occur to me to "rant" at anyone for any article of clothing they are wearing. How would you feel if some stranger ranted at your mum or your daughter for wearing some piece of clothing that raised "their hackles".

thornrose · 05/04/2014 01:59

I struggle with seeing 9yo girls wearing a hijab. I genuinely don't understand why such young children should be covering their hair?

sashh · 05/04/2014 09:29

Sashh - You can't seriously be comparing men wearing a turban or a skull cap to being covered head to toe? It's a patriarchal doctrine that dictates women wear those

And it's not patriarchal to assume the only reason a woman is wearing something is because a male relative has forced her?

I don't know what is happening in this country with regard to Muslim women. Many many people were clothing that expresses their faith / beliefs / or even just a band they like.

It's OK to complain about a woman wearing a headscarf but not a woman wearing a wig for religious reasons? If you look at what orthodox Jewish women wear it is, from an outsider's perspective, the same dress code.

Head covered, baggy clothing.......... in fact click the link

newsforshehlarashid.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/israelis-facing-a-seismic-rift-over-role-of-ultra-orthodox-women-new-york-times/

We, as a society, don't seem to care about Amish women and what they wear (OK not many in the UK). We don't care if a man wears religious dress. We don't care if a nun covers herself from head to toe including a veil.

I struggle with seeing 9yo girls wearing a hijab. I genuinely don't understand why such young children should be covering their hair?

What about a 7 year old making her first communion?

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