MUSLIMS AND FRENCH AND HIJAB AND WORLD OPINIONS

[Khayr]

Voices: Head scarf ban

 

Alma Levy, 16, left, points to her 18-year old sister Lila's headscarf, as they give a news conference at the headquarters of the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Between People, or MRAP, Monday, Oct. 13, 2003, in Paris. France is grappling with a possbile ban on all visible religious symbols in schools, including veils such as these.

 

THE STAR.COM STAFF

 

French President Jacques Chirac is shoring up France's secular traditions by calling for a ban on conspicuous religious symbols in public schools. This includes Islamic head scarves, Jewish skull caps and conspicuous, large Christian crosses. This is the opposite of the Canadian and British model of multiculturalism. What's your view?

 

The ban on head scarves in public schools will only drive young women out of mainstream society in France. Some will be forced and others will choose to attend Islamic schools for this reason.

Chris Dobson, Toronto, Dec. 19

 

If the boys were asked to wear head scarves to school as well as the girls, then the custom wouldn’t last a day. The point is the delineation of the genders in extreme ways has no place in modern French secular schools.

Anne Mandlsohn, Toronto, Dec. 19

 

People should wear what they wish.

Bill Desmond, Kincardine, Dec. 19

 

Right on, France. These people are supposed to be blending into society, not standing out against it.

Kenneth Oldfield, Belgium, Dec. 19

 

Living in a secular society does not mean eliminating religious symbolism from clear sight.

Will Nham, Toronto, Dec. 19

 

Religion should have nothing to do with politics or school, and by removing an obvious symbol of religion, many problems will subside.

Justin Gallego, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China, Dec. 19

 

This proposed ban is a disgusting example of the religious persecution and xenophobia that is all too common and accepted in Europe.

Terry Bigioni, Chicago, Dec. 19

 

I do believe that the French government is acting out of fear. The Muslim population in France grows daily, and the French’s veil of secularism is sewn of Christian fibre.

Robin Macklin, Charlottesville, Dec. 19

 

It’s not what the people are wearing but how they act towards one another that determine the barriers often faced.

Irma Francis, Brampton, Dec. 19

 

Because this law regards all religious wear equally, I fully support it. Limiting people’s ability to identify and judge others based on their religion can have a positive side. As a secular state, France has the right to do so and perhaps other nations should follow suit. If this is directed against all religions, then nobody should take it personally.

Adam Uppal, St. Catharines, Dec. 19

 

It’s a head scarf, people! The women who wear them aren’t shoving their religion down anyone’s throat.

Carrie Coady, Calgary, Dec. 19

 

All this foolishness will create a bunker mentality in religious minorities that feel that they can’t get a fair shake.

Kenneth Chisholm, London, Ont., Dec. 19

 

I salute Chirac in his attempt to homogenize French society and instil a sense of "Frenchness" in all the citizens of France regardless of race, creed or religion.

Gareth Ridout, Boca Raton, Dec. 19

 

A woman wearing a scarf has to do with her private life and has nothing to do with politics or public life. Therefore imposing such law in the guise of the defence of secularism is nothing more than a way to attack Islam even in the public sphere.

Kashif Hassan, Brampton, Dec. 19

 

In order to promote tolerance of religious differences, we need to celebrate diversity, not hide it.

Setu Finne, ontario, Dec. 19

 

In Canada (Quebec) we have a "language police" and "cultural police" that work to support French Canadian culture by ensuring that all signs are in French and that all the margarine is the correct colour. Like Quebec, France is just running scared.

Don Wray, Mississauga, Dec. 18

 

Canada should adopt the same attitude. The Christian community has been required to forego the Lord's Prayer and any mention of traditional Christmas/Easter celebrations [because they] have been deemed politically incorrect. Religious symbolism for other groups should be disallowed as well.

Freda Stewart, Calgary, Dec. 18

 

What next? We should be accomodating our differences as well as our similiarities.

Marie Reynolds, Toronto, Dec. 18

 

This move is necessary to protect women's rights [in France.] Under the cloak of religous freedom, Muslim extremists in France have intimidated women into wearing the Hijab, and prevented them from participating in the same opportunities that men have.

David Markun, San Francisco, Dec. 18

 

What is so threating about wearing a Hijab and identifying yourself as a Muslim? A person should have a basic right to practice their religion which includes the Islamic dress code.

Arica Mukri, Toronto, Dec. 18

 

I grew up in a mainly Muslim society. I find scarves are a manifestation of male dominance over females. I don't believe for a moment it is a religious requirement. It is very much a cultural marker. Not all muslim women wear the headscarves. Does this mean that their belief in God is more or less than those that wear them? I doubt that. In a secular society where there is a clear separation between Church and State, religious manifestations of any kind should be confined to places of worship and one's own private quarters.

Christopher Assad, Ottawa, Dec. 18

 

This is outrageous. And contradictory. How do you advocate freedom for women to choose whether they want to wear the hijab and then ban the wearing of it.

Mubin Shaikh, Toronto, Dec. 18

 

I fully agree. Religious diiferences are causing too many problems around the world. Less conspicious symbols will engender more unity among peoples. It is up to host countries to set standards that encourage assimilation.

Willard Malcolm, Toronto, Dec. 18

 

A soverign country saying : "Those who come to this Country must adapt to its Culture". What a refreshing idea.

Gerry Bourgeois, Toronto, Dec. 18

 

It's about time! Let us get religion out of our social lives. It has already done enough harm dividing people. School is not the right place to show our separateness. I applaud their decision.

Ruhi Tuzlak, Toronto , Dec. 18

 

I think it is rather sad that the President of France supports such a measure. The so called "secular" clothing is very "Christian" way of dressing. The "secular" clothing of France has got its roots from the culture of France over the centuries that is fundamentally a Christian culture.

Manu Dev, Ottawa, Dec. 18

 

I don't see how separation of church and state is served by the separation of people from their cultural symbols. France's reinforced secularism comes at the expense of two other pillars of personal feedom, namely freedom of expression and freedom of association.

Robert Turnbull, Chicago, Dec. 18

 

I have always agreed with the U.S. melting pot. Multicultural differences divide us too much. People who come to Canada from foreign lands have concentrated on maintaining their norms and customs without trying to assimilate into this country's culture. There is the old saying, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do." Otherwise why bother to leave your birth country in the first place?

Pat Daly, Toronto, Dec. 18

 

I can understand the reason behind the ban on wearing religious apparel or symbols in school. By no means do I agree with it. If a person's religion requires the wearing of certain garments or other accessories, then that person must be allowed to wear it, so long as the safety of others is not at issue.

Toby Cox, Toronto, Dec. 18

 

It's about time a leader had the courage of his convictions. Like sex, one's [religious] choice should be behind closed doors. If you leave your place of birth, you adopt the laws and ways of your new home.

Wayne Colegate, Toronto, Dec. 18

 

Religion should be kept in the home. President Chirac's ban should be hailed rather than condemned. If it is forbidden by a religous law to not wear a head scarf or skull cap, then perhaps people should re-evaluate the country they chose to emmigrate to and consider returning to their homeland.

Kamla Persaud, Toronto, Dec. 18

 

If we can not tolarate multiculturalism, can we claim to be democrate in principle? What a shame in this 'cultured' socity!

Masud Ali, Toronto, Dec. 18

 

ANYONE SUPRISED BY THE REACTIONS/COMMENTS???

 

[ May 28, 2010, 06:05 PM: Message edited by: Libaax-Sankataabte ]

[Conscious Manipulation]

asalaamu alaykum,

 

I think there's a bright side to all this. For a long time the French has been trying to get Muslims to give up their Islamic identity and assimilate into the French society. The banning of the the Hijab in schools will inshaAllah motivate the Muslim community in France to establish Islamic schools and the next generation of French Muslims will inshaAllah be closer to Islam than the current one. I can't believe they are naive enough to think they'll make Muslims less Islamic by banning the hijab.

 

salaam

[Medley of extemporanea]

It seems more and more these days the lines are being drawn very clearly between the Muslims and the west. France is making a mistake by banning the Hijab; but we shouldn’t be surpriced by this at all. Many “muslim” counties already ban the Hijab or some specific interpretations of the Hijab for woman.

 

All this for just reinforces the view I thought these people had towards religion…

[Thinkerman]

This is great news great news walaahi, i hope that this can finally convice us muslims, especially anyone of us who trully belive that we can trully integrate into these countries that we cannot, and that they will never let you practise your deen. Bit by Bit the continously bite away at us and some completely resign themselves to some of the above views

It's about time a leader had the courage of his convictions. Like sex, one's [religious] choice should be behind closed doors. If you leave your place of birth, you adopt the laws and ways of your new home.

Wayne Colegate, Toronto, Dec. 18

Rember Allah SWT said the Kufar will not be happy with you until you become one of them.

[Thinkerman]

Another Good Example of what these Kufhar are like

 

Don't Bow to U.S. on Reform, Top Islamist Tells Gulf

 

 

KUWAIT (Reuters) - A leading Kuwaiti Islamist parliamentarian on Saturday urged six Gulf Arab states with close ties to Washington not to enact educational reforms on U.S. orders as part of a drive to fight terror.

 

 

 

Lawmaker Waleed al-Tabtabae called on Gulf governments not to bow to pressure from the West on education reform, an issue high on the agenda of a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit meeting in Kuwait on Sunday and Monday.

 

 

"The amendment and development of the curricula should stem from the Gulfis' needs, not from external pressures," said Tabtabae in a statement.

 

 

Tabtabae leads the four-member Salafi Islamist bloc in Kuwait's parliament, a powerful body controlled by conservative tribal leaders and Islamists. The latter hold 15 seats in the 50-member, recently elected house.

 

 

After the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Washington pressured regional kingpin Saudi Arabia -- home to 15 of the September 11 suicide hijackers -- to change school curricula.

 

 

Saudi reformists say the country has removed from textbooks intolerant or offensive chapters on Christians and Jews, which had depicted them as infidels and enemies of Islam.

 

 

Tabtabae said it was U.S. Zionist and right-wing institutions who were pushing changes in school curricula in Islamic countries.

 

 

They "want to capitalize on the post-September 11 atmosphere to impose unacceptable changes...that contradict with clear verses in the Holy Quran and the Sunna (sayings of the Prophet)," he said.

 

 

They were doing this "in order to impose normalisation with the Zionist entity (Israel)," Tabtabae added.

 

 

The December 21-22 annual GCC summit will discuss a Gulf agreement on fighting terror attacks, and GCC officials said concrete proposals on changing curricula will be presented to the summit for approval.

 

 

The GCC, a political alliance, includes Saudi Arabia, which is fighting a surge in militant violence linked to Saudi-born Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s al Qaeda group. Other members are Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

[Qac Qaac]

agree with the sister above me Concious.

 

i think, this is the best thing that could happen to the muslims, why, coz now muslims will built schools, they would get their kids out of the public school, which just kills our kids, also muslims now have no choice but to spend money in the islamic schools, it seems most of the islamic school in west, lack funding by their own muslim ppl, with the banning this would change.

 

also as the brother above me said, this would show finally, that this gaalo never liked us, France feels threat, with all that big muslim population it has.

 

but what scares me is, what is next. muslims can't have mosques, no jobs, no freedom of religion, put us all in concentration camps, anyways insha'allah khayr. but we can't be naive anymore and think, this ppl only help us.

[Bambina]

Salam to all nomads , banning headscarves won't help integrate muslims into the French society.I agree that muslims there, have to follow the laws of the countries which they live in , but there should be certain limits.Canada, Australia as well, USA, dont ban hijabs in schools,so why is it so hard for France to accept religious symbols in class? This is bullshit and we all know that.

 

Is it in our right to wear all religious symbols that we want and Im not only talking about Islam, religion is a part of who we are.The supporters of the ban of religious symbols, use the excuse that expressing any religion will result in conflicts. Bullshit , bullshit and bullshit.Religious conflicts have always existed and wearing religious symbols wont change that.

 

The French president should have discussed one of the main issue that muslims face discrimination even in schools and in the job market too.Hijab for a reason that I dont get is viewed as something aggressive(compared to the mini-skirts that some girls wear,which is very astonishing )