DAR AL HARB - U.K.: TO VEIL OR NOT TO VEIL, WELL MAYBE NO NO DEFINITELY NO, MAYBE

Muslim peer calls for end to 'divisive' full face veils
By Simon McGee, Political Editor

Britain's first Muslim peer has condemned women wearing veils as "a barrier to integration" and called for an end to their use.

Reigniting the controversial debate over the wearing of the face veil, or niqab, Lord Ahmed of Rotherham said there was no religious reason why Muslim women should wear them and that they were now causing society more harm than good.

The Yorkshire peer, who last night spoke out over veils in a debate in the heart of the Arab world, stressed that a sensible discussion was needed urgently within Muslim communities about whether veils represented a danger to integration in British society.

He backed the motion "This House believes the face veil is a barrier to integration in the West" at a debate in Doha, Qatar.He told the Yorkshire Post: "The veil is now a mark of separation, segregation and defiance against mainstream British culture."

"But there's nothing in the Koran to say that the wearing of a niqab is desirable, let alone compulsory. It's purely cultural. It's an identity thing which has been misinterpreted."

They were supposed to be worn so that women wouldn't be harassed.

"But my argument is that women, and communities as a whole, are now being harassed because they are wearing them."

They are a physical barrier to integration.

"Just as Westerners cannot walk around the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh without a headcovering and long clothes and expect to engage with local people, so Muslims in Britain must become more sensitive to their surroundings."

He added: "It's finally time for a sensible debate on this sensitive subject in Britain."

"I don't want a ban on them like in Holland but Muslims need to have a debate among ourselves about whether we need them. We need to re-engage as responsible British citizens and be seen once more as contributors to society rather than people who are a burden, living parallel lives."

Lord Ahmed's comments follow last year's heated public debate sparked by Jack Straw when he called on Muslim women to consider removing their veils.

But the Muslim Council of Britain last night rejected Lord Ahmed's arguments and maintained that Muslim women should have the right to wear whatever they like.

Assistant secretary general Inayat Bunglawala said: "I think people's attitudes are responsible for harming integration, not veils. And wearing them is very much a matter for individual Muslim women."

Some believe the hijab (headscarf) is a religious requirement, some believe that the niqab is a religious requirement, and others believe that neither is. People have the fundamental right to dress as they choose, provided it's not against the law.

"This isn't Saudi Arabia: if it's wrong to force people to wear veils, then surely it's wrong to force them not to wear them."

One senior Muslim leader in Yorkshire also gave Lord Ahmed's comments a cool reception.

Asked if he thought veils were responsible for integration problems and whether there needed to be a new debate, Dr Hassan Alkatib, former chairman of Leeds Grand Mosque and now Leeds University's campus imam, said: "No, I don't think veils are a problem."

He added: "I can understand why, as a leading public figure, he might feel he has to respond to the media's portrayal of veils. But I don't think it's a big issue."

So few women choose to wear niqabs – not even five per cent – that I just think there are far more important things to worry about in our communities."

Referring to the case of 23-year-old Kirklees teaching assistant Aishah Azmi, who lost her job for refusing to work in class without a niqab, Lord Ahmed insisted veils were unhelpful in schools, as well as other situations where people needed to communicate, such as in the courts and shops.

Shadow Minister responsible for diversity Dominic Grieve last night agreed that veils presented a barrier.

"As a believer in integration, I find Lord Ahmed's comments very interesting because the veil is clearly a barrier which represents very considerable difficulties in terms of making contact and communicating with other people," he said.

"The issue of whether they should be worn is up to Muslim women – we live in a free society, but there are clearly consequences flowing from that choice, not least because it means disqualifying oneself from many areas of employment."


***UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE***


Muslim’s U-turn as veil issue deepens

A MUSLIM peer who called for an Oldham MP to resign from Government after he criticised the wearing of veils has changed his mind.

Lord Ahmed of Rotherham is now calling for a sensible and sensitive debate among Muslims on whether veils were needed in today’s society.

In November, Lord Rotherham called for Oldham East and Saddleworth MP and community cohesion minister Phil Woolas to resign from the Government after he called for a Muslim teaching assistant to be sacked for refusing to remove her veil in the classroom.

However, Lord Rotherham said yesterday: “There’s nothing in the Koran to say that the wearing of a niqab is desirable, let alone compulsory. “It’s purely cultural. It’s an identity thing which has been misinterpreted. “They were supposed to be worn so that women wouldn’t be harassed. But my argument is that women, and communities as a whole, are now being harassed because they are wearing them.”

He added that the veil was a physical barrier to integration.Teaching assistant Aishah Azmi was suspended on full pay last year after staff at Headfield CE Junior School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, said pupils found it hard to understand her. She was later sacked and lost her claim at a tribunal for religious discrimination.

Mr Woolas made the call saying the educational needs of children needed to be put first.Aishah’s case sparked a national debate on multiculturalism in Britain.Commons leader Jack Straw said the veil was a visible statement of separation and difference. He even revealed that he asked women visiting his surgery to consider removing it.Speaking this morning, Mr Woolas said: “For a leading figure in the Muslim community to say this is very important. It represents a change of heart. Most people of all communities supported comments made by myself and Jack Straw.“We should always bear in mind that the veil is a cultural, and not a religious symbol.”


Pertinent Links:

1) Muslim peer calls for end to 'divisive' full face veils

2) Muslim’s U-turn as veil issue deepens