Islamic Schools Making Girls Wear Veils and Burkas

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Young girls are being forced to wear burkas or full-face veils by Islamic schools in Britain.

A number of the religious schools enforce uniform policies where such clothing is mandatory, even for girls as young as 11.

Under the dress code stipulated by the Madani Girls’ School in Tower Hamlets, East London, all pupils must wear a black burka and long black coat when outside.

The girls must also wear headscarves in the classroom and the school says on its website that its uniform rule "conforms to the Islamic Code of dressing and must be adhered to at all times".

The Ayesha Siddiqa Girls School, in Southall, West London, insists its pupils wear a navy blue burka or Jilbab, a long, loose-fitting garment that does not cover the face, when walking between lessons, The Times reported.

According to the school’s website, it is "not willing to compromise on any issues regarding uniform". » | Rosa Silverman | Wednesday, September 2013

My comment:

There was a time in which I was truly proud to be British. Those days are long gone. How can I be proud of being British anymore when the establishment is too weak to stand up for the British way of life, too weak to stand up for what we believe in?

Do the politicians and so-called leaders not realise that to force girls as young as eleven to cover themselves up in this way is a form of child abuse? These children are being deprived of normal contact with other children, they are being deprived of their childhood, and they are being deprived of sunlight, which could lead to rickets. It will certainly not be good for their young skin; it will make many of those young girls spotty.

This practice should be stopped forthwith. The wearing of full veil coverings is not a requirement of Islam anyway. Islam demands of its female adherents modesty, not the full covering of all body parts. The wearing of the burqah and other complete coverings stems from Middle Eastern culture; it has little or nothing to do with Islam. (Not that I am making excuses for that backward religion.)

It is interesting to note that pre-pubescent girls are not forced to cover up even in Saudi Arabia. Even in Saudi Arabia, little girls are allowed to be little girls, and they can play with their contemporaries freely. So if little girls are allowed not to cover themselves before puberty in Saudi Arabia, why should we allow them to be covered up in these ridiculous garments here in the United Kingdom? These garments are unhealthy in more ways than one. They should be banned forthwith. – © Mark

This comment appears here too.

Asking Women to Remove Veil Is Not Racist, Says Former Extremist

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Asking Muslim women to remove their veils is not racist or Islamaphobic, a former extremist who is now a Parliamentary candidate has said.

Maajid Nawaz, a British-born Muslim who has since renounced his views and is standing as a Liberal Democrat, said girls and women should remove their veils in classrooms, courts, and banks. His intervention came amid a growing political row over the issue.

Theresa May, the Conservative Home Secretary, said “women should be free to decide” for themselves whether to wear a veil. She said it was not for the state to “tell people what they should be wearing”, but added that at schools and courts removing veils may be a “practical necessity”.

Earlier this week, Jeremy Browne, the Lib Dem Home Office minister, told The Telegraph that there should be a “national debate” about whether veils should be banned in public.

MPs and senior judges subsequently called for national guidance to clarify the issue. Mrs May told Sky News that she did “not think the Government should tell women what they should be wearing”. » | Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent | Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Muslim Woman Rebekah Dawson Must Remove Niqab While Giving Evidence, Judge Rules

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Muslim woman has been given permission to wear a niqab during a criminal trial but must remove it while giving evidence, a judge has ruled.

Judge Peter Murphy made the ruling in the case of Muslim convert Rebekah Dawson, who is facing trial for allegedly intimidating a witness.

The 22-year-old had claimed her religious beliefs dictated that no male other than her husband could see her face.

Lawyers for the defendant had argued that forcing the 22-year-old convert to remove her niqab in court would be a breach of her rights under Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

But in a lengthy ruling, Judge Murphy said it was of "cardinal importance" to the adversarial system that a jury could see a defendant's face while giving evidence.

The issue first arose when Mrs Dawson refused to lift her veil in order to identify herself at a plea and case management hearing at Blackfriars Crown Court. » | Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent | Monday, September 16, 2013

Related »

Fully Veiled Women Hinder Progressive Islam

THE INDEPENDENT: Toleration is good but not when it prevents fair interrogation and robust argument

First a British judge, then dedicated educationalists running a British college have been defeated by the aggressive guerrilla army of Muslim Salafists and their misguided allies. At Blackfriars Crown Court, Judge Peter Murphy ordered a 21-year-old, veiled defendant to show her face. The accused had been charged with witness intimidation and pleaded not guilty. Whatever the results of that case, she and her supporters certainly intimidated the judge, who backed down so the trial could proceed.

Birmingham Metropolitan College was similarly cowed and had to reverse a directive forbidding students from covering their faces. One hooded lady crowdsourced a protest against the college. Some overexcited student union members, Muslim objectors and online petitioners have forced a U-turn. Shabana Mahmood, MP for Ladywood, Birmingham, welcomed the capitulation. Happy days. Muslim women can now to go to courts and college in shrouds.

That all-covering gown, that headscarf, that face mask – all affirm and reinforce the belief that women are a hazard to men and society. These are unacceptable, iniquitous values, enforced violently by Taliban, Saudi and Iranian oppressors. They have no place in our country. So why are so many British females sending out those messages about themselves? » | Yasmin Alibhai Brown | Sunday, September 15, 2013

My comment:

'Progressive Islam'? That's an oxymoron if ever there was one. – © Mark

New Dark Age Alert! Will Judge Lift Muslim’s Veil of Secrecy?

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A senior judge will come under pressure on Monday not to set a “dangerous” legal precedent by allowing a Muslim defendant to wear a full veil in a criminal trial.

The case comes amid a growing row over the wearing of niqabs and burkas in schools and colleges as well as in the court room.

An alliance of Islamic groups and Left-wing activists have been accused of conspiring to put pressure on institutions to overturn existing bans on the wearing of full-face coverings.

In a London courtroom tomorrow, lawyers acting for a 22-year-old Muslim woman will argue her right to religious freedom will be breached if Judge Peter Murphy orders her to remove her veil.

Chris Grayling, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, is understood to be monitoring the case closely, while senior figures in his ministry firmly believe “it is in the interests of justice for a jury to see the face of the accused”.

The woman’s lawyers are likely to bring an action against the court for breach of Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights if the judge rules her trial - for intimidating a witness - should go ahead in November with her face visible to the court.

Article 9, enshrined in British law through the Human Rights Act, guarantees “freedom of conscience, thought and religion”.

The woman’s case has received backing from Liberty, the civil rights campaign group, which has supported the defendant through earlier hearings. » | Robert Mendick, Chief reporter | Sunday, September 15, 2013

My comment:

Wearing the full-face veil is not an article of the Islamic faith. Islam teaches that women should be dressed modestly at all times. Covering one’s face is not necessary in order to be modest. The full Islamic veil is culture-bound, not religion-bound. So the judge need not bellyache over this one. – © Mark

THE GUARDIAN: Permission given for plea wearing face-covering on condition female police officer attested to woman's identity in private

A Muslim woman has been allowed to make a plea in court while wearing a face-covering niqab after a judge agreed a compromise in which she was identified in private by a female police officer who then attested to her identity.

The judge in the case at Blackfriars crown court in London then heard arguments as to whether the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, should be allowed to wear the niqab, which leaves only her eyes showing, during her full trial. Judge Peter Murphy will give that decision on Monday.

The compromise follows a standoff when the woman, who is charged with witness intimidation, first appeared before Murphy in August. Then, he ordered her to remove the face covering, saying the requirement for her to be properly identified as the defendant overrode her religious beliefs. She refused, saying she did not want to uncover her face when there were men in the room, and the case was adjourned.

On Thursday he allowed her to plead not guilty in the dock wearing the niqab after a female police officer who saw the defendant's face when her custody photograph was taken witnessed her with the veil removed in a private room. The officer then swore on oath that the correct person was in court. » | Peter Walker and agency | Thursday, September 12, 2013

Birmingham College U-turns over Ban on Muslim Veils

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Birmingham college has made a u-turn on its controversial ban on Muslim face veils, just hours before a mass demonstration by hundreds of students.

Birmingham Metropolitan College was accused of discrimination when they ordered all students, staff and visitors to remove any face coverings so individuals are "easily identifiable at all times".

However, they backtracked after a protest petition attracted 8,000 signatures in 48 hours and their policy brought criticism from politicians.

Hundreds of students had planned to gather outside the Matthew Boulton city-centre campus at 2.30pm today to voice their opposition to the policy.

Last night the college said: "We are concerned that recent media attention is detracting from our core mission of providing high quality learning. As a consequence, we will modify our policies to allow individuals to wear specific items of personal clothing to reflect their cultural values. » | Hayley Dixon | Friday, September 13, 2013

Mona Eltahawy on France's Banning of Face Veils

POLICYMIC: French Rapper Diam [sic] Converts to Islam and Wears Hijab in Defiance of Her Country Law » | Jessica Schreindl | Sunday, October 07, 2012

Burka Ban Proposal Thrown Out by Parliament

SWISSINFO.CH: The House of Representatives has voted against banning burkas worn by Muslim women from public spaces in Switzerland, sounding the death knell for an initiative put forward by the canton of Aargau several years ago.

Following a March Senate vote with the same result, the house decided by 93 votes to 87 that the initiative would not go through.

Speaking for the majority, centre-right Radical Party parliamentarian Hugues Hiltpold said banning the burka would be excessive and would encourage tourists from Muslim countries to have negative opinions of the country.

“Today in Switzerland, wearing this type of clothing for religious reasons doesn’t pose any problems in daily life and is a rare practice in the Swiss Muslim community,” Hiltpold added.

“Banning the niqab or the burka in Switzerland would have adverse consequences for Swiss Muslims.” » | swissinfo.ch and agencies | Friday, September 28, 2012

MUSLIMS IN SWITZERLAND: The Muslim community in Switzerland accounts for about 4.5 per cent of the population.

Most Muslim immigrants came from the former Yugoslavia and Turkey. The community includes up to 100 nationalities.

The number of Muslims doubled between the censuses of 1990 and 2000, largely boosted by an influx of refugees and asylum seekers, including from the war in the former Yugoslavia.

There are about 200 mosques and prayer houses in Switzerland, but only four have a minaret. On November 29, 2009, 57 per cent of voters supported a people’s initiative to ban the construction of new minarets in Switzerland. This was in the wake of heated debates and legal battles at a local level about requests by mosques to build more minarets. [Source: swissinfo.ch]

Egyptian TV Channel Caters to Fully Veiled Women

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: The only visible female face in the Cairo-based studio of a new Islamic TV channel for women is that of a puppet. The human stars are all veiled from head to toe, with only their eyes showing.

Maria TV is run primarily by women. They operate cameras, present shows and interview female guests ranging from doctors to students of Islamic theology. But they cannot show their faces during the broadcasts, and no men are allowed on air during the female programming, not even for phone-ins.

Shrouded in long flowing black robes and scarves known as niqabs, with black gloves to match the women are distinguishable only by their voices and the slits for their eyes.

The channel, which was launched on Saturday to coincide with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, is the brainchild of Ahmed Abdallah as part of a broader effort to expand his religious pan-Arab satellite station Ummah TV.

The shows range from beauty programs where presenters simply discuss make-up tricks without actually showing any to shows about medicine and marriage.

The puppet is used in a satirical show that pokes fun at major news stories.

"Even if you have the whole house lit with candles, do not be upset when your husband comes home from a long day at work and does not notice," said Abeer Shahin, the presenter of a show called "First Year of Marriage."

Abdallah, known by his nickname Abu Islam, said his goal is to show women that they do not have to reveal their beauty to the world in order to be seen. "I am broadcasting a new era for women who wear niqab, for a new kind of woman," said Abdallah, who wore a traditional white Egyptian robe for men known as a galabeya.

That effort mirrors the cultural changes under way in Egypt since conservative Muslims rose to power after Hosni Mubarak's secular regime was ousted during last year's revolution. » | AP | Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Une chaîne de télévision 100% niqab en Égypte

LE FIGARO: Le 20 juillet prochain sera lancée «Mariya», la première chaîne satellitaire animée uniquement par des femmes portant le voile intégral.

Le physique ne devrait pas être un critère d'embauche pour les présentatrices de la nouvelle chaîne de télévision qui suscite la polémique en Égypte. La chaîne satellitaire, qui sera lancée pour le début du ramadan, le 20 juillet, sera en effet animée uniquement par des femmes portant le niqab.

La chaîne Mariya, du nom de l'une des épouses du prophète Mahomet, une esclave égyptienne copte offerte par le roi d'Égypte, diffusera ses programmes six heures par jour via Umma Islamic Channel, selon le site d'information égyptien Ahram Online. Cette chaîne ultraconservatrice diffusait déjà des émissions dans lesquelles n'apparaissaient que des femmes voilées.

Les présentatrices ne seront pas les seules à se couvrir intégralement: toute l'équipe devra se plier à la règle vestimentaire. Même les personnes interviewées devront porter le voile intégral. Et si l'on ne trouve pas d'experte voilée? Mariya a tout prévu: soit la personne sollicitée acceptera de mettre le niqab le temps de l'interview, soit son visage sera flouté.

Pas question de voir un seul homme, que ce soit sur le plateau ou dans les coulisses. Seul le propriétaire de la chaîne, le salafiste Cheikh Abu Islam Ahmad Abd Allah, jouera à titre exceptionnel un rôle consultatif dans la programmation. » | Par Laura Raim | jeudi 12 juillet 2012

Bounty Offered to Report Face Veil
A Belgian right-wing politician has offered a financial reward to anyone who would report a woman wearing a face veil to the police. Face veils in public, worn by a small minority of Muslim women, was banned by the government last year. But right wing groups say the ban isn't being enforced because police are afraid it might lead to riots. Al Jazeera's Bhanu Bhatnagar reports.

Le niqab sème la zizanie à Bruxelles
LE FIGARO: Après l'interpellation mouvementée, jeudi dernier, d'une femme voilée, les politiques belges s'opposent sur l'intégration.

La rébellion d'une femme en niqab a mis Bruxelles sous haute tension. À quelques mois des élections communales, prévues en octobre en Belgique, des incidents déclenchés par l'interpellation mouvementée, jeudi dernier, d'une femme intégralement voilée, enflamment le débat politique.

L'affaire a débuté jeudi après-midi, lorsque des policiers ont abordé une femme qui attendait un bus vêtue d'un niqab, dont le port est interdit dans la rue en Belgique depuis un an. Refusant de décliner son identité, cette Belge convertie a été conduite dans un commissariat de Molenbeek, une commune de Bruxelles à forte population immigrée. Elle s'est rebellée, frappant deux policières, dont l'une a eu deux dents et le nez cassés. » | Par Stéphane Kovacs | lundi 04 juin 2012

Dutch to Ban Muslim Face Veils Next Year
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Minority government set to prohibit niqabs and burqas and other forms of clothing that cover the face.

The Dutch minority government plans to ban Muslim face veils such as burqas and other forms of clothing that cover the face from next year.

The ban would make the Netherlands, where 1 million out of 17 million people are Muslim, the second EU country to ban the burqa after France, and would apply to face-covering veils if they were worn in public.

"People should be able to look at each other's faces and recognise each other when they meet," the interior affairs ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The ban will also apply to balaclavas and motorcycle helmets when worn in in[f]appropriate places, such as inside a store, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Verhagen told reporters, denying that this was a ban on religious clothing. » | Friday, January 27, 2012

Belgian Face-Veil Ban Goes Into Effect

RADIO FREE EUROPE: On July 23, Belgium became the second European country after France to ban the wearing of veils covering the face in public.

The Belgian parliament passed the law by a vote of 149-1 in April 2010. But due to the fall of the government shortly thereafter and an inconclusive election that left the country with a caretaker government, its implementation was delayed until now.

The law does not explicitly mention niqabs or burqas. But it prohibits the covering of one's face in public for security reasons -- effectively banning the two Islamic garments. Violators will face fines of 137.50 euros ($197.50) and up to seven days in jail.

Support for the legislation crossed the ideological spectrum, with supporters calling it an effort to promote gender equality. » | Rikard Jozwiak | Saturday, July 23, 2011

French Women Become First to Stand Trial for Wearing Niqabs
THE GUARDIAN: State prosecutor requests €150 fines for pair charged with defying ban while protesting on streets of Meaux, near Paris

A court this week heard the first case against women for wearing the niqab – or Islamic face veil – since a ban came into force in April. One of the defendants was banned from entering the courthouse because she was still wearing the niqab.

The two women on trial were stopped in the street on 5 May near the town hall of Meaux, east of Paris. The mayor, Jean-François Copé, is an architect of the ban and head of Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling rightwing UMP party.

The women were wearing their niqabs during a demonstration against the law. They were supported by the Don't Touch My Constitution group, which has led protests against the ban. » | Angelique Chrisafis | Friday, June 17, 2011

Toronto: Un politicien veut freiner le «processus d'islamisation»
CANOË: TORONTO – Un politicien néerlandais connu pour ses prises de position radicales contre l'islam soutient que le Canada doit interdire la construction de mosquées et bannir la burka afin de freiner le « processus d'islamisation » du pays.

La France et la Belgique ont banni le port du voile intégral dans les lieux publics. La Hollande est dans le processus d'interdire le port du niqab.

« Si tu veux conserver ta culture islamique, reste dans ton pays », a tranché Geert Wilders, lors d'une entrevue accordée lundi à Ezra Levant à l'émission The Source sur les ondes de Sun News à Toronto.

Geert Wilders, chef du Parti pour la liberté, en Hollande, s’est fait remarquer, au cours des dernières années, pour ses attaques virulentes à l’endroit de l’islam en général, qu’il accuse notamment de brimer la liberté des gens et de répandre la haine contre ceux qui ne croient pas en l'idéologie.

Wilders, qui en est à sa première visite au Canada, a indiqué que l'islam n'est pas une religion, mais plutôt « une idéologie totalitaire ». » | Agence QMI | Lundi 09 Mai 2011

Two Views on France’s Burqa Ban

CNN: France's Islamic veil ban spurs passionate reaction worldwide » | Michael Saba, CNN | Monday, April 25, 2011

’Wear Scarf Or We Will Kill You’, Muslims Told Woman
DAILY EXPRESS: ISLAMIC extremists bent on imposing Sharia law have threatened women and told them to cover up their heads, it has been claimed.

One woman was told she faced death if she failed to don the hijab, or headscarf, in east London’s Tower Hamlets.

Signs warning the area is a “gay-free zone” have also been seen while posters at bus shelters featuring models and a Bollywood film have been defaced with black paint. Incidents involving posters have also happened in Birmingham. » | Anil Dawar | Monday, April 18, 2011

THE SUN: Wear hijab or die: ISLAMIC extremists bent on establishing Sharia law in Britain have threatened to kill women who do not cover their heads. » | Anthony France | Monday, April 18, 2011

La loi sur le voile intégral entre en vigueur
LE POINT: Porter un voile intégral dans la rue est désormais passible d'une amende de 150 euros et/ou d'un stage de citoyenneté.

Les femmes qui porteront un voile intégral dans la rue sont désormais passibles d'une amende de 150 euros et/ou d'un stage de citoyenneté, en conséquence de l'entrée en vigueur, lundi, de la loi du 11 octobre 2010 interdisant la dissimulation du visage. En France, il y aurait environ 2 000 femmes intégralement voilées, selon diverses estimations. » | Le Point.fr | Lundi 11 Avril 2011

Voile : une femme en niqab prend le train
LE POINT: La jeune femme affirme que la loi interdisant le port du voile intégral dans l'espace public est "une atteinte à (ses) droits européens".

Une jeune femme portant le niqab a pris le train lundi matin pour Paris en gare d'Avignon, affirmant s'opposer à la loi interdisant le port du voile intégral dans l'espace public, qui est "une atteinte à (ses) droits européens", a constaté un journaliste. "J'ai été invitée pour participer à une émission de télévision à laquelle je me rends et il se trouve que nous sommes le 11 avril, premier jour de l'application de la loi sur le voile intégral", a expliqué Kenza Drider, 32 ans, bénévole dans une association. » | Le Point.fr | Lundi 11 Avril 2011

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