NationStates Jolt Archive

I've been away in Monaco for the last seven days, with my sister, so I don't know if there's a thread on this or not - when I do my search it comes up with errors (in Luxembourgish, so I won't bother posting them) - but this thing in the UK about women with veils - I believe the word in English is Burqa? I don't see whats so bad - i have a freind who covers herself completely - and I can still tell if she's looking at me, when she's smiling etc. it might conceal your face, but it doesn't actually conceal you, if you get what I mean? Probbly you don't, and I've probably not expressed myself correctly, as I've been 'on the go' since Wednesday:( . So, early g Night! I'll read the replies, if any, when I wake up on Sunday.

I've been away in Monaco for the last seven days, with my sister, so I don't know if there's a thread on this or not - when I do my search it comes up with errors (in Luxembourgish, so I won't bother posting them) - but this thing in the UK about women with veils - I believe the word in English is Burqa? I don't see whats so bad - i have a freind who covers herself completely - and I can still tell if she's looking at me, when she's smiling etc. it might conceal your face, but it doesn't actually conceal you, if you get what I mean? Probbly you don't, and I've probably not expressed myself correctly, as I've been 'on the go' since Wednesday:( . So, early g Night! I'll read the replies, if any, when I wake up on Sunday.
I think its just the politicians pandering to the centre right whose numbers are growing in the UK at the moment.If this was targeted at Hasidic Judaism for example there would be a much louder outcry.I say, its the womans own bloody bussiness what she wears.

It's a discussion on whether multiculturalism aids integration of ethnic minorities into British culture.

Politics being politics they have found a particularly emotive question about whether the burkha increases the view by the "British" that ethnic minorities are not interested in 'being british' and whether their cultural identity are, indirectly, a cause for them feeling alienated - this then panders to the right wing view that they are "over here formenting violence and dissent and fleecing honest hardworking brits from jobs wot are rightfully ours" and to the liberal view "that the british are trying to enforce our jingoistic imperial superiority complex on people who have a right to dress how they wish"

However the debate about whether the multicutural experiment is working, can work or should even be pursued is valid. Unfortunately as with most things it gets hijacked by the extreme ends of the debate.

The conflict that started that debate was about a teacher who wore the veil while she was teaching her english class. The big issue was that her veil obstructed the learning of the pupils in her class, that particular debate was a simple clear cut case of job performance vs. religious beliefs....

The broader argument about whether or not muslim women should be able to wear the veil at all is much more complicated. Personally I think they should be able to, and I agree with you having talked to several veil wearing women, you can get facial expression feedback, from the eyes, eyebrows, movement of the cheek muscles around the eyes, ect.