Under the veil
Jack Straw has balls. No matter what your views are on this rather sensitive topic, credit should be given to him for bringing this issue out into the open.
For those people who have been asleep or missed this story for one reason or another, in a column for the Lancashire Telegraph (reprinted here in Comment is Free), Mr Straw said:
I decided that I wouldn't just sit there the next time a lady turned up to see me in a full veil, and I haven't.
Now, I always ensure that a female member of my staff is with me. I explain that this is a country built on freedoms. I defend absolutely the right of any woman to wear a headscarf. As for the full veil, wearing it breaks no laws.
I go on to say that I think, however, that the conversation would be of greater value if the lady took the covering from her face. Indeed, the value of a meeting, as opposed to a letter or phone call, is so that you can - almost literally - see what the other person means, and not just hear what they say. So many of the judgments we all make about other people come from seeing their faces.
Which is fair enough. He has the right to ask whether the lady in question wishes to take off her veil. Just as said lady can refuse to lift the veil. I don't think there's anything wrong with asking. The simple matter is that it does feel there is a barrier to communication if you are speaking to someone whose face you can't see. Facial expression plays a huge part in transmitting what we say, and in our interpretation of what others say. It could help them get whatever message they have over more persuasively. The other simple matter is that if someone chooses to wear the niqab for religious reasons, there is absolutely no reason why they should be prevented from wearing one.
Interestingly, most women Mr Straw asks take the veil off:
I can't recall a single occasion when the lady concerned refused to lift her veil; and most I ask seem relieved I have done so. Last Friday was a case in point. The veil came off almost as soon as I opened my mouth. I dealt with the problems the lady had brought to me. We then had a really interesting debate about veil wearing. This itself contained some surprises. It became absolutely clear to me that the husband had played no part in her decision. She explained she had read some books and thought about the issue.
I can't help feeling that there has been some overreacting to Jack Straw's comments. To take one example on Comment is Free:
Not only are Muslims right to be up in arms at Mr Straw's suggestion but we hope the rest of society will join us in opposing his attempt to curb basic freedoms such as how we dress; surely a step too far even for this nanny state. It appears Mr Straw has not listened to nor understood the reasons for why women choose the veil as he clearly disregarded any reasoning when he requested that they remove it; and in all likelihood he has abused his position of power when making the request. Perhaps it is time for some more dialogue on the issue Mr Straw.
Also, here's Patricia Hewitt's take:
She said that in the past she had regarded the veil as a symbol of women’s oppression, but changed her mind after a meeting with a Muslim woman in her constituency. “She’d made the decision — not her parents or anybody else — that she wanted, as part of her statement of her faith, to wear the veil.”
I think the point is that Jack Straw isn't saying it's wrong to wear a veil in public, but in a private face-to-face conversation in his office he has every right to ask politely if they want to remove their veil. Just as they have a right to answer "no". Either way, nobody gets hurt.
While we're on the subject of veils (and hopefully it'll be a while before they return) the article I mentioned above from today's Times is worth a glance:
A MALE suspect in a major anti-terrorist investigation in Britain escaped capture by allegedly disguising himself as a Muslim woman dressed in a burka...
The man, who was wanted in connection with serious terrorist offences, evaded arrest for several days as police searched for him across the country...
It is the first time that a male suspect has allegedly disguised himself as a Muslim woman in Britain. However, the tactic has been used frequently by Islamist fighters — including suicide bombers — in Iraq and Afghanistan. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, often dressed in a burka to evade American forces hunting him.
Yes....but so what? We can't stop people wearing veils for that reason. By that logic, we should ban balaclavas, as well. And hoodies. And large hats. And tights, in case would-be bank robbers wear those on their faces as well...
Cory
