It’s been a difficult time of late for women who wear the niqab, the Arabic name for the face veil usually identified with Islam. Although only a minority of Muslim (and some non-Muslim) women wear it, and very few of them are in the west, the issue has still been the focus of much negative publicity and even demonisation in these parts.
Not long ago there was a big fuss about a woman who appeared in court wearing the niqab. This was followed by a debate about banning healthcare professionals from wearing it at work. Although the first story was an isolated single case, it was nevertheless blown out of proportion and used to attack and alienate Muslims in general. Indeed, I have worked in the health service for about 15 years and I have never met any professional wearing the niqab.
As a matter of fact, of all the media stories about niqub-wearing by health service workers, there was not one story of any complaint made by patients or others related to the issue, nor indeed any story about any staff who wear it except one doctor who said that she takes it off at work. It was of course just an opportunity to launch another attack on the Muslim community. I don’t see anyone pointing out that patients’ safety can be put at risk because of doctors wearing high heels, for example.
While some journalists and opinion-makers have been busy with their assault on the niqab, as well as the hijab head-dressing that does not cover the face, I have never been privy to any story in the media about attacks on women who wear the niqab, which they believe it is part of fulfilling their religious obligation, or any story about a prosecution for attacking a woman who chooses to wear it.
Part of the problem is that those who advocate banning the niqab are little different to those who would impose it on women. Let’s take France, where the government imposed a ban on wearing the niqab in public places. This means that women who insist on wearing it might not want to leave the house, for shopping or work or anything else, which effectively puts them under house arrest. This was the same aim the Taliban wanted to achieve during their rule in Afghanistan. In reality, both sides are dictating what women should wear.
The vast majority of Muslims and Muslim clerics believe that the niqab is not Islamic, and that Islam does not require women to cover their faces. And for the minority who cover their faces, surely some of them might be forced to do so. However, this should not be used to justify banning it, or to demonise those who choose to wear it, which presents all Muslim men as ruthless thugs who force women to do things against their wishes.
Perhaps what might not be known for many people is that in some majority Muslim countries like Turkey, Tunisia and Azerbaijan, there is a ban on wearing the niqab. Even women who wear the hijab are denied jobs in some sectors. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia – the only country that imposes the niqab in some cities – is ruled by a monarchy that many scholars assert was shaped by British colonial influence.
I’m a non-practicing Muslim and I’m neither for imposing nor banning the niqab. I think women have the right to wear what they want to wear without being coerced or harassed by anyone. Wearing a niqab, a burqa, a veil or a short skirt should only be an issue for women; it has nothing to do with men.
Mohammed Samaana is a freelance writer based in Belfast.
