The Veil

The veil is once again in the news. To be honest, it feels like there’s been no news for about a month now except for politicians adding their thoughts on the issue. David Cameron feels that too many politicians were “piling in” on the issue, thereby adding his own name to the ever-growing list of MPs with something to say on the matter. Now I’m not a politician but I thought I’d add my own thoughts. First, people have the right to wear whatever they want. We have freedom of expression in this country and this includes, in my opinion, the right to wear whatever clothes you wish. This even includes the right to wear dungarees and novelty ties: two of the most horrendous pieces of clothing ever invented. Muslim women have the right to wear headscarves, veils, even veils which cover their whole faces if they choose.

However, as with most rights, limitations in certain circumstances may be necessary, particularly in places of work. It would be unhygienic for a chef to wear nothing but a bikini, for example; it would be inappropriate for a teacher to wear clothing with swear words on it and so forth. In the recent case of the teacher sacked for refusing to take off her face-covering veil, I support the judgment. Her face was obscured by the veil and when it comes to teaching, communication is everything and visibility of the face is important, especially when teaching languages or children with hearing difficulties. Her choice of clothing was hindering her capacity to teach and so the school did what it thought was necessary. When working in fields like education or health, we may need to put the rights of those we help ahead of our own.

More controversial is the idea that those who wear veils are isolating themselves, or excluding themselves from society in some way. It’s a tricky issue. I’m in two minds. On the one hand, we should respect those who practice their religion to be able to do so freely. If some Muslim women genuinely feel that their religion requires them to cover their face, then that should be respected. On the other hand, these are difficult times we live in and the conflict between the West and the Middle East is ever-growing. I worry that eventually there’s going to be a clash, a big clash. To prevent this from happening, both sides need to make an effort to reconcile differences and learn to live beside each other. Some British people find the veil to represent a barrier between “us” and “them”, may find it uncomfortable to talk to people wearing a veil. I don’t think I’ve ever actually met someone wearing a veil, but I can imagine that it’s off-putting to an extent. 80% of communication is non-verbal after all, and all the benefits of a face-to-face conversation are lost if the face isn’t visible.

I don’t know what the answer is. I can see both points of view. I guess further education is needed on religious symbols and clothing is needed. Many people don’t entirely understand the reasons or significance of wearing a veil, and this needs to be addressed. However, perhaps some Muslim women could ask themselves whether in these tense and difficult times, whether a modification of their clothing is possible – within their interpretation of Islam – in order to ease tensions and promote integration. As invariably is the case, both sides can do more. What we want to avoid is a situation where both sides get more indignant that they’re correct and the barriers between “us” and “them” get that little bit higher.