Category Archives: UK

Veil ban in schools will be divisive, say teachers

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Letter in today’s Guardian:

You reported that following new guidance from the education secretary, Alan Johnson, headteachers are to be given the right to ban Muslim girls from wearing the niqab or veil in schools (Report, March 20). Various reasons are put forward as a justification for this, including security.

The claim that the tiny number of girls who wear the niqab are a security risk would be laughable if it did not demonise a vulnerable group of students. It should be remembered that similar claims from Jack Straw last year led to physical attacks on women wearing the veil.

In France where the hijab or headscarf has been banned in some schools, the result has been division and conflict. As teachers we are committed to building inclusive, multicultural and tolerant school communities. At a time of increased Islamophobia, talking about bans on the very few young women who wear the veil can only help to sow discord in our schools.

Kevin Courtney
Executive member, National Union of Teachers
Alex Kenny, Ray Sirotkin, Sara Tomlinson, Gordon White, Sally Kincaid, Nick Grant, Barry Conway, Ken Muller

Daily Mail columnist defends tolerance and equality

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Frances Childs“Several years ago I started work at a prestigious sixth form college on the outskirts of London…. I was utterly flummoxed when I entered the classroom on my first day to be confronted by three girls in the back row, sitting side by side wearing the niqab, the full-face veil which leaves only a tiny slit for the eyes. Recovering myself, introductions were made. The voices behind the veils told me their names but – because there were no faces to put them to – I promptly forgot them.

“In the year that I taught the class, the girls never sat next to anyone else. They never entered into class discussion and I admit that I never asked them their opinions about the books that we read. Simply, they embarrassed me…. So it was with delight that I read this week that schools will be able to ban pupils from wearing the full-face veils….

“The issue of the veil and Muslim girls has been sorted out once and for all in France. Unhampered by any concerns about possibly offending this or that group, the French government passed a law banning the wearing of any religious insignia at all…. Perhaps it’s time we passed a similar law in this country rather than simply letting individual schools decide the dress code. Otherwise, religious fundamentalists will be back, pushing ever harder against the barriers of tolerance, common sense and equality that we have fought so hard to preserve in this country.”

Frances Childs in the Daily Mail, 22 March 2007

Tatchell on the cultural relativism of the Left (part 398)

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Tatchell No Islamic State“Large sections of liberal and left opinion have gone soft on their commitment to universal human rights. They rightly condemn the excesses of UK and US government policy, but rarely speak out against oppressors who are non-white or adherents of minority faiths. There are no mass protests against female genital mutilation, forced marriages, the stoning of women and gender apartheid in the Middle East. A perverse interpretation of multiculturalism has resulted in race and religion ruling the roost in a tainted hierarchy of oppression. In the name of ‘unity’ against Islamophobia and racism, much of the left tolerates misogyny and homophobia in minority communities….

“Some liberals and left-wingers mute their condemnation of intolerance when it emanates from non-white people; whereas they would strenuously denounce similar prejudice if it was being vented by whites against blacks or by Christians against Muslims…. Fundamentalist Muslim clerics are permitted to endorse the so-called ‘honour’ killing of unchaste women; whereas any woman who dared advocate violent retribution against Islamist misogynists would soon find herself in court…. Respect for diversity has sometimes degenerated into the toleration of abuses; as when the anti-fascist left embraced the Muslim leader Iqbal Sacranie after he denounced gays as immoral, harmful and diseased….

“The anti-racist struggle has been weakened by the excesses of the ‘diversity agenda’…. part of the Asian community has split off to identify primarily as Muslim, distancing themselves from other Asians – Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and atheists. This fragmentation has been endorsed by some on the left, who have colluded with communalism and the division of the Asian community on religious lines…. Multiculturalism can thus foster a ‘Balkanisation’ of the humanitarian agenda, fracturing communities according to their different cultural identities, values and traditions.”

Peter Tatchell in the Independent, 22 March 2007

Of course, some of us might argue that the anti-racist struggle has been rather more seriously damaged by white ex-leftists like Tatchell who spend a disproportionate amount of their time campaigning against people with black or brown skin.

Why this obsession with the niqab?

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Rajnaara Akhtar“Why are we talking about the niqab yet again? Once more this non-issue has hit the headlines.

“It is obvious that in light of the difficulties our schools are facing in tackling bullying, drug abuse, alarming rates of truancy, gang culture, knife and even gun crimes, and teacher abuse; the niqab certainly does not merit the Department for Education’s attention nor subsequent front page headlines in the news.

“A handful of girls wanting to observe the niqab should not be an issue and it should certainly not attract so much media coverage. All that this achieves is to provide further fodder for the ‘it’s those bloomin’ Muslims wanting more special treatment’ camp….

“The impact of the most recent circus surrounding the niqab will empower the Islamaphobes and force Muslims to stop debating the issue of the niqab internally, and unite against a perceived attack on their religious freedom. As a result, the natural progression of the niqab debate among Muslims may have once again been hampered.”

Rajnaara Akhtar of Protect-Hijab at Comment is Free, 21 March 2007

Peterborough schools say no to girls’ veils

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The city’s newest schools have backed Government plans to ban pupils wearing full-face Islamic veils. Despite being still under construction, the Voyager School, in Walton, and the Thomas Deacon Academy, in Eastfield, have said they will ban youngsters from adopting religious full-face coverings.

New Government guidelines on school uniforms were announced yesterday and the report stated: “Schools must act reasonably in accommodating religious requirements, providing they do not pose a threat to security, safety and learning, or compromise the well-being of the whole school community.”

Peterborough City Council’s cabinet member for education Geoff Ridgway said he believed the banning of full-face veils was the right decision. He added:

“The facial reaction to anything which is being discussed is very, very important and by not having a veil it also takes away that feature of secrecy. Of course people are entitled to their own religion, but they have also got to be conscious of the society they live in. The society we live in is one where we want openness and transparency and eye-to-eye contact.”

Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 21 March 2007

And how exactly does the niqab prevent eye-to-eye contact, you might wonder. It sounds like a better argument for banning sunglasses in Peterborough schools.

Religious moderates just provide cover for fanatics, says NSS president

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Terry Sanderson (2)“There’s an argument in religious circles that goes: in order to undermine the fanatics we have to encourage the liberal elements of religion. If you want to stop suicide bombers, you have to encourage the more moderate voices in Islam to speak up…. It’s a seductive argument and I used to subscribe to it myself. But I’ve changed my mind….

“Just as the terrorists of the Middle East will hide out in schools and hospitals to avoid being targeted by enemy bombs, so the ideological terrorists hide behind the liberals and the good-natured in order to spread their doctrine of intimidation and terror….

“The liberals pave the way, open the doors and give succour to the very people they say bring their faith into disrepute. But it’s no good the liberals trying to dissociate themselves from their wilder compatriots in faith. They promote and praise the same holy books that the fanatics use as justification for their murderous activities.”

Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society at Comment is Free, 20 March 2007

Or, as Sanderson’s friend George Broadhead of GALHA has put it: “What does a moderate Muslim do, other than excuse the real nutters by adhering to this barmy doctrine?“

Has the veil been banned?

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain argues, that while “there does appear to be a shift in the advice the government is giving to our schools and while a signal is being sent that those schools which, following a consultation with parents and governors, decide to forbid the niqab will be supported, the Sun is wrong to suggest that there will be a blanket ban.”

Inayat continues: “The fact is, however, there are fewer than a dozen schoolgirls who actually wear the niqab out of half a million state school pupils. Still, it will no doubt have helped Mr Johnson – a contender for the post of deputy leader of the Labour party – to look as if he was being just as tough on this issue as his rival, Jack Straw.”

Comment is Free, 20 March 2007

Sun backs Johnson over niqab

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Veil Ban on KidsVeils will be banned in schools to help pupils learn and to keep them safe, Education Secretary Alan Johnson has ruled.

His decision will affect thousands of Muslim girls who wear clothing like the full niqab. He will publish details of his guidance to headteachers in the Commons today. The wearing of full-length robes may also be affected.

A source said: “Veils mean teachers can’t see the face. It’s a problem for security and it’s also a problem for learning because the teacher can’t see whether or not a child is understanding what’s being taught. A full face veil means you can’t see who the person is.”

Ministers will say it is also dangerous under health and safety regulations. A Bunsen burner could easily set light to a face veil in a science lab, Mr Johnson will point out.

School heads will be told to consult parents before going ahead with the ban. They will tell parents they CAN uphold religious traditions provided they do not put security and learning in jeopardy. The rules will also apply to faith schools.

But Mr Johnson is convinced there will be no serious opposition to the move.

Sun, 20 March 2007

In an editorial comment the paper welcomes a ban, asserting that the niqab is “divisive” and “provocative”.

The Guardian reports that this news was “leaked in advance to the Sun by Mr Johnson” – which gives you some indication of the audience he hopes his policy will appeal to, and how he wants to spin it. He’s certainly won the admiration of one BNP blogger, who hails Johnson’s proposals as “Some good news for once!”

See also the BBC poll on whether the veil should be banned in schools.

Ruth Kelly on tackling terrorism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Ruth KellySecretary of state for communities Ruth Kelly has an article in the Observer justifying the government’s decision to shift resources away from the genuinely representative Muslim Council of Britain to organisations that will be less vocal in criticising the role British foreign policy in inciting terrorism.

Significantly, the Sufi Muslim Council – which Kelly was enthusiastically promoting only last year – doesn’t rate a mention, and now appears to have been rejected in favour of the British Muslim Forum (or the “Muslim British Forum”, as Kelly prefers to call it) as the government’s favoured partner in the Muslim community.

This procedure bears more than a passing resemblance to the practice of colonial governors within the British Empire, who would appoint their favoured individuals to represent the “natives”.

Labour ministers should oppose niqab, says Tribune columnist

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Joan Smith“Labour must be more principled at a time when the whole notion of equal rights for men and women is under attack from religious extremists.

“Since Jack Straw became the first mainstream politician to question the practice of wearing the niqab last autumn, it’s become clear that a small but vocal minority in this country no longer accepts the premise that women have exactly the same right to the enjoyment of public space as men.

“If women have to cover their faces with a mask (which is what niqab means in Arabic) whenever they leave the house, they are signalling their acceptance of conditional access to public space – and a Taliban theory of gender relations in which women are responsible for avoiding men’s accidental arousal.

“Neither of these propositions is compatible with a notion of universal human rights, and Labour ministers shouldn’t be afraid of saying so.”

Joan Smith in Tribune, 16 March 2007

From the standpoint of this sort of secularist fundamentalism, of course, the concept of human rights doesn’t include the right of Muslim women to dress as they choose, without being bullied by white male non-Muslim politicians.