Neodemokratia examines the double standards underpinning Western claims that Islam oppresses women.
Category Archives: Hijab
‘Say no to burqas’ mural is replaced … with pro-Israel mural
The Greens candidate tipped to take the once-safe Labor seat of Marrickville from the Deputy Premier, Carmel Tebbutt, in the state election has been targeted in a mural over her council’s decision to boycott Israel.
Marrickville Council’s support for the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (BDS) against Israel in December has already been the subject of hostile questions to the Greens candidate and mayor of Marrickville, Fiona Byrne, at a debate with Ms Tebbutt last week.
Yesterday a mural in Newtown stating “Say no to the burqa” was temporarily repainted by its artist, Sergio Redegalli, to read “Say no to Fiona Byrne”. The burqa-clad woman with a strike through her was replaced by a figure in green and a mayoral sceptre stabbing a Star of David.
Mr Redegalli, a Newtown resident, said he was only keeping the new mural up for 24 hours to document it.
The artist said he was not a member of any political party and “hates” Labor. “[I wanted to] get people to look up Fiona Byrne, see who she is, what she stands for,” he said.
Sarkozy tries to outflank Front National by reigniting ‘debate’ on Islam
Just days after saying that multiculturalism had failed in France, President Sarkozy is launching a debate on religion and the secular state, asking what limits should be placed on Islam.
Speaking to his UMP MPs at the Élysée, he said he wanted concrete measures on the place of Islam in France and its compatibility with the country’s secular laws.
He said the French had “paid dear” for their blindness towards immigration during the 1980s, when debate was taboo. “There was a growing disruption between the concerns of the media and the concerns of ordinary French people. The racists of yesterday are today’s populists.”
With the Martine Le Pen’s Front National rising in the polls, Mr Sarkozy adopted one of Ms Le Pen’s own themes last year, and expressed disapproval of the sight of Muslim street preachers, saying: “We had a debate on the burqa and it was well done. Now we should have a debate on street preachers. In a secular country, there’s no reason to have calls to prayer.”
Mr Sarkozy hopes to pull the rug from under the feet of the Front National by making radical Islam incompatible with the values of France.
He has made it one of the priorities for 2011 in the run-up to next year’s presidential election, echoing his words in last week’s televised talk with French citizens: “The truth is that in all our democracies we have been too preoccupied with the identity of those who arrived and not enough with the identity of the country that welcomed them.”
The Connexion, 17 February 2011
See also FaithWorld, 17 February 2011
Exeter: ‘burka ban’ demonstration flops, anti-racists rally to celebrate diversity
The Exeter division of the racist English Defence League was humiliated in Exeter today. Just 15 racists turned up to a “Ban the Burqa protest” in the Devon city.
In contrast, up to 300 people took part in a celebration of diversity on the streets of Exeter to show the EDL’s politics of hate and division are not welcome there. People came in and out of the event, which had local speakers and children’s activities.
The antiracist event brought together people from all different beliefs and backgrounds – Christian ministers, people from the mosque and the synagogue. Lord Mayor Marcel Choules sent a message of support. Members of Exeter Labour Party, the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats attended.
The celebration was supported by the Devon branch of the National Union of Teachers and the Exeter Anti Cuts Alliance. There was a “Feminists against the Burqa Ban” banner along with many others.
Children’s activities were organised by the Woodcraft Folk – a poster where children drew flags of the world was very popular, along with making friendship bracelets and a “We Love Exeter” poster.
Speakers from UAF, the Woodcraft Folk and the Exeter Anti Cuts Alliance addressed the crowd. A student from Egypt spoke about the victory of the Egyptian people over the country’s dictator and about how Muslim and Christian protesters had stood side by side in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
The well organised, peaceful and uplifting celebration of diversity was very different to the racists’ protest. At the start of the diversity event, 10 of them turned up unannounced, seeking a confrontation. They seemed to be taken aback by the number of people who had turned out to oppose them.
The EDL were led away by police and then stood for an hour in the High Street where they were barracked by members of the general public before retreating to a pub.
Mike Gurney from Exeter UAF said:
Today was a great day for Exeter, for antiracism and for all those who oppose prejudice. The EDL were humiliated – they claimed on their Facebook page that over 100 would attend their event – they only managed 15. It was great to see Christians, Jews and Muslims standing together side by side to oppose the EDL.
The EDL’s claims that Muslims are going to impose Sharia Law on Britiain is laughable – Muslims make up only 2.7% of the population. Today the people of Exeter showed that the EDL’s politics of hate are not welcome here and will be challenged whenever it arises.
UAF news report, 12 February 2011
See Cliver Chilvers’ photos at Demotix.
More photos here.
Update: See also the Express & Echo, 14 February 2011
Exeter: police prepare for right-wing ‘ban the burka’ demonstration in city centre
The controversial group is understood to be taking part in a “ban the burka” protest in the city centre on Saturday while there is expected to be a counter rally by anti-racist campaigners, including the group Unite Against Fascism.
English Defence League supporter Jim Myers, from Exeter, said the protest was not being organised by EDL. “We haven’t organised it, we’re just supporting it,” he said. “It has been organised by another group, the United People of Britain.”
Supporters of the group, which claims to be non-racially or politically motivated, say they will be wearing balaclavas and burkas to emphasise their message.
Meanwhile, Unite Against Fascism (UAF) is planning to meet at Bedford Square, in the city centre, between 11am and 2pm.
Liz Allnatt, of UAF, said: “People of Exeter are more concerned about jobs and pay and what is going to happen to their local services. Exeter is a beautiful city and people of all different beliefs and backgrounds usually get along here. The Muslim community has added to the city. The annual Respect Festival is a huge, well-attended celebration of Exeter’s diversity.”
This is Cornwall, 10 February 2011
See also “Groups will stage event to celebrate city’s diversity”, Express & Echo, 9 February 2011
Canada: Conservative MP wants to ban veiled voting
OTTAWA — A Quebec Conservative MP introduced a private member’s bill Friday that would require Canadians to show their faces before they vote, reviving a debate first sparked more than three years ago.
Steven Blaney, who represents the Quebec riding of Levis-Bellechasse, said the bill would fix a “gap” in the electoral system and is not meant to discriminate against religious groups, such as Muslims. “For me it is important that we all share this transparency,” he said.
“We are all proud to live in this country, we are all proud to share (its) basic principles. I think one of these basic principles is transparency through our election and democratic process, so that’s why I’m presenting this bill and it is applying to everybody and treating everybody in the same way.”
Dutch government rejects headscarf ban in schools
Religious schools in the Netherlands may not ban Muslim pupils from wearing headscarves simply if it contradicts their core values, the cabinet said on Tuesday in answer to questions from the anti-Islam PVV.
In addition, the argument that the wearing of headscarves shows a lack of equality between men and women gets equally short-shrift from the ministers. “Fashion dictates all sorts of differences between the way men and woman dress,” the ministers said.
Meanwhile, a Muslim girl at the centre of a row over her headscarf at a Catholic school in Volendam has agreed to cover her head in the assembly hall and in school corridors only, the Telegraaf reports.
Canadian salon worker fired for wearing headscarf
Pickering, Ontario — A young Markham woman who works as an esthetician claims she was fired for wearing an Islamic headscarf because the salon “promotes hair”.
Mehwish Ali, a 22-year-old esthetician with Trade Secrets in Pickering, was fired Tuesday, a day after she says the co-owner told her the hijab was unacceptable. “I was devastated when I heard that,” Ali told theStar. “I have worn the hijab for more than 10 years and never felt any kind of discrimination.”
But Robert Facchini, co-owner of the franchise near Highway 401 and Brock Rd, categorically denies that. “This is a performance issue, strictly a performance issue,” he said. “Her performance was poor and it’s only based on those comments that the decision to terminate her was made. Nothing else.”
Ali disagrees and has turned to the Human Rights Legal Support Centre for help. “I couldn’t just shrug it off,” she said. “I had to do something about it.”
A graduate of the Marca College hair and esthetics school in Toronto, Ali started working at the Pickering outlet of Trade Secrets, one of Canada’s larger professional beauty retailers, six weeks ago.
She said she wore a headscarf for the interview, which was conducted by the store manager. A week later, Ali was hired and her job entailed doing facials, manicures, pedicures and waxing services. It had nothing to do with hair, she pointed out.
Everything was going well, said Ali. “I liked my work and the people I worked with.” Then, said Ali, Mylene Facchini, Robert’s wife and co-owner, walked into the store on Saturday afternoon and saw the young woman in the hijab for the first time.
On Monday, Ali said, Mylene was at the store when she walked into work at about 3 p.m. “I was wearing a bright red hijab,” said Ali, adding that Mylene told her that since Trade Secrets promoted hair, headwear was unacceptable.
Italian town adopts Lega Nord proposal to ban veil
A small town in Italy has banned women from wearing burqas and face veils, making it the first time such a law has been passed in the country. Sesto San Giovanni, a small town on the edge of Milan, has made national headlines after it decided to ban women from wearing burqas.
Chabani Ibrahim of the town’s Islamic Center says he has no idea why the local authorities decided to agree to the ban. “We have real concerns about the position of this motion in the town council’s priorities as there are a lot of other problems that need solving in this town,” he told Press TV.
“There are only a handful of women who wear burqa and you hardly ever see them on streets. At the same time, there are nearly 6,000 Muslims who don’t have a descent place to practice their faith on a daily basis,” he added.
The idea was originally proposed by a female councillor from the far-right Northern League Party. Alessandra Tabacco argued that there is a law in Italy that says people should identify themselves since it is an issue of security.
Those most affected by the decision feel that it is an unfair and unnecessary attack on their freedom of expression. “It is our religion. Everyone should respect it in the same way that we are respecting other people’s faiths,” a Muslim woman said.
Another German state considers veil ban for civil servants
The German state of Lower Saxony is considering banning the Islamic full-face veil for civil servants, its interior minister said Thursday, after a neighbouring region said it would take similar measures. “The burqa has no place in public service,” Uwe Schuenemann told the Neue Presse regional daily. “Lower Saxony is currently looking at legal regulations for employees and officials.”
On Wednesday, the western state of Hesse prohibited the wearing of the veil for civil servants, the first of Germany’s 16 states to enact such a regulation. “Civil service employees and those who come into contact with citizens should not be veiled,” said Hesse’s interior minister Boris Rhein in a statement.