tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963192.post116116795415243722..comments2023-11-03T10:31:19.854+00:00Comments on Assistant Blog: the drumbeat of hysteriaJonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04267191412203443333noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963192.post-1161178051266317802006-10-18T14:27:00.000+01:002006-10-18T14:27:00.000+01:00It’s extremely disingenuous to pretend that the ve...It’s extremely disingenuous to pretend that the veil is just a fashion statement or, as Freedland seems to imply a form of harmless national dress or an expression of strange (but harmless) custom. More worryingly, this is a line put forward by <A HREF="http://www.stephennewton.com/2006/10/disingenuous-afzal-khan-veil-and.html" REL="nofollow">some Muslim leaders</A> (sorry for linking to my own blog), which shows that community is not facing up to the real issue, which is that the veil is symbol of grotesque misogyny. The Qur’an may not specify a veil, but it does make women responsible for any ‘molestation’ they may suffer as a result of wearing immodest dress.<BR/><BR/>This is why Harriet Harman, for example, used her interview in the current issue of New Statesman (in which she emphasises her feminist credentials) to declare that the veil has no place in British society.<BR/><BR/>We cannot, and should not try to, force women to stop wearing the veil. But neither should we pretend that just because a woman has chosen the veil for herself, she is an independent freethinker; many women choose to live with abusive partners.<BR/><BR/>The debate will at times stray into hysteria and be exploited by racists and the like, but it needs to take place and the longer the Muslim community refuses to acknowledge important issues like the rights of women, the more drawn out that debate will be.<BR/><BR/>It’s interesting that Freedland also talks about ETA and the Spanish experience. I flew to Barcelona the day Madrid was bombed and began my blog with photos of the huge demonstrations against ETA (who were initially blamed). It was powerful stuff. We know how easily Muslims take to the streets, so their response to events such as this, 7/7 and 9/11 does stand out. The muted reaction is a product of that community’s failure to come to terms with the extremists in its midst.Stephen Newtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10050387848277789711noreply@blogger.com