Some thoughts on the veil "issue"

Hmmm... where to start lol.

Well, let me start off with what is becoming a rather overblown issue in the western world. The niqab (or veil). France has passed a law that is discriminatory, Quebec is close to one, and the western countries are all in a hullabaloo over it.

Let me say a few things on this issue.

First, despite what most non-muslims in the west think, it is NOT forced in most cases. Yes, some countries like Saudi Arabia etc do make it mandatory when in public and yes that is not what Islam says (it only says to dress modest for men and modest for women with hair covered) but... in most cases outside of this it is not forced upon the woman. I have spoken with a LOT of women who veil, and they do it by CHOICE.

Second, the garbage that Quebec has been claiming. For instance in regards to the veiled woman who was denied being in a French language course because she refused to remove her veil in the class and asked for "too much accommodation". The teacher claimed that he "needed to see her face" because of seeing the mouth for "elocution". HORSE F***ING HOCKEY. Listen bub, in that case then I guess a blind person cannot be a language teacher because they cannot see? Or a blind person cannot learn to talk because he cannot see? BULLS**T. What is needed to ensure proper elocution is not seeing... it is HEARING. For instance, most deaf people who talk have horrible elocution because they cannot HEAR the person elocute/speak. So that argument right there goes OUT THE WINDOW!

Third, the crap about women in Islam are treated poorly (ie especially in regards to niqabs/burqas). NO. Most Muslim men treat their women a LOT better than Christians or Jews. Muslim men have treated ME a lot better than the majority here in Canada (Christians & Jews) and I am a transsexual woman. In Islam a woman is regarded with the HIGHEST respect, and men are told in the Quran to treat their women pretty much like royalty, ok? Read it. I have, along with the Bible and the Torah.

Fourth, the crap about worrying about "security" with someone totally covered and veiled. Oh good grief grow up and think for once will ya? And NOT fall into the paranoia that Mr Bush & Mr Blair have created since 9/11. In that case, in winter, NO ONE will be allowed to enter anything but their own home without taking off balaclava's, scarfs, and winter jackets. Then no one should be allowed to cross dress in public because gee, they might be doing it to deceive and commit a crime! (and THAT argument has been used by border officials to deny transsexuals entry into the US, Canada and UK!!!!) Listen, the niqabis I have spoken with have NO problem to show their face for things like showing passport, banking, etc... BUT... most do not want to show their face to a MALE. Some accommodation has to be made, and that is not a hard one to ask for is it?

Do I veil? Yes. I find it gives me peace. Just like what the niqabis I know feel. Ideally I am judged not on my appearance (even if I am good looking) but rather on my PERSON. That is, ideally. Sadly, in the western world (USA, Canada, UK, Europe...) if I wear total covering... I am judged on that. We in the western world have to learn to accept and understand different cultures. We don't. We preach it that we do, but we don't. It's sad. It's like we'd rather live in ignorance, and just throw our beliefs out there as being the *only* beliefs that are right... and that is WRONG. North America was built on immigration, and different cultures coming together. We treated the natives horrible, the blacks, the Chinese, the Japanese... because of one thing - they were not of WHITE EUROPEAN DESCENT. Plain and simple. And that is why we are treating the Muslims so bad. We never learn.