 | Priya Shetty in The Guardian’s Comment is Free writes on the Home Affairs select committee report on forced marriages arguing that women are often as culpable in the perpetuation of oppressive cultural practices, like forced marriages, as men who enforce codes of “honour” in minority communities. |
Shetty is of course right to argue that female members of a family can be complicit in the emotional blackmail, kidnapping and forced marriage of young adults as criminal cases have shown.
Shetty concludes her article thus:
“Where the French are decidedly more forthright about which cultural practices they will tolerate – several women have already been arrested for wearing a burqa after it was banned recently – in multicultural Britain, we tiptoe gingerly around controversial cultural practices for fear of stymying a plurality of expression or being tarnished as racists. But British society now needs to take a deep breath and engage with these issues head-on: ancient cultural practices can never trump human rights.”
The paragraph repeats a false dichotomy with a “multiculturalism of fiction” masquerading as a “multiculturalism of fact, “as Gary Younge put it. And while no-one would deny that honour killings and female genital mutilation are horrific crimes deserving of the force of law to stamp them out, is it proper to designate the wearing of the face-veil (niqab or burqa) with practices that are neither Islamic nor defensible by recourse to Islamic teachings? Furthermore, is it appropriate to refer to the choice exercised by Muslim women to wear the burqa as “controversial cultural practices” which we “tiptoe gingerly around… for fear of stymying a plurality of expression or being tarnished as racists”?
No one observing the rancorous debate that has descended upon women who wear the face-veil could sensibly consider it an example of our “tip-toeing gingerly around” for fear of anything.
Perhaps the more disturbing dimension to the sentiments expressed by Shetty is the presumption that women wearing the face veil are engaging in a cultural practice rather than understand it as the articulation of their right to freedom of religion; a human right after all.
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Comments
Youve chosen to ignore her entire piece, just over the last few sentences
IA http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
I dont think its a conflict between religions its between medieval people and civilised people.As a teacher I see people coming from Somalia who you cant blame for only knowing 3 words of English.But this people have been here for 30/40yrs and they also know 3 words of English.Even a Masai tribesman when he moved to the capital Nairobi knew a few words of English within a few months and had a good dress sense.Is it so difficult for a person to leave their backwardness.Islam was the most progressive civilisation but this arent those type of Muslims.I am surprised how tolerant this British people are.If I was a border guard and saw a man with a scruffy beard with his wife wearing a veil so entrenched in their backward culture,I would never let them in because no one will employ them(no more factories in UK) and not only them but their children will also live off the taxpayer.
When a Muslim goes to Kuwait from Pakistan they make him work for £20 a week and in some Muslim countries cant even live in the city.All this pretence of one Muslim identity ,than why arent this people settling in Saudi etc.When things get better in Palestine are they going to move there.Are they going to give them free health care and benefits.If they want to bang their war drums what are they doing in the enemy camp.Are they going to go back to settle in the mountains of Pakistan.We got all religions in Britain ,you wouldn't even know.They work in the day and in the evening and weekend their pray.They don't bring religion to work or in everything.
Lets face it just like a lot of immigrants they came to this country because they didn't have two chappaties on their plate.Why pretend they conquered Britain.You have Islamic party/parliament of UK, have they taken over Britain as a colony?Is there a Christian party of Pakistan?See my point.Its not like they have made their country a great success,a model for everyone to follow.Isn't it time they changed their village type of Islam.So many Islamic organisations like they are trying to build a parallel country when the mainstream society provide them with handouts and services.Are there enough of their Pakistani business companies here to employ their children when they grow up.Are they going to work?I saw the Muslims of Egypt on TV even they look more educated and moving on with the world.
When I go to Smallheath and Bordesley I see this hypocrisy.When the black/white/brown taxpayers are going to work their are running up and down the mosque.Some person is slogging in a factory floor and paying taxes so this lot can claim benefits and women can wear veils.I have some veiled and Pakistani Muslims coming to college.While their intentions are good who is going to employ them unless they change their dress code.Again its the taxpayers money.
Seventy percent of the people in places like Smallheath/Bordesley or even Bradford are unemployed living off benefits where do this people get their pride from.Even when they work they will do it in the black and claim tax credits.No wonder now people are targeting them.
Even the other Asian are turning against them and after this more will.We didnt come here to live in a Muslim state and if they wanted to what are you doing here.I don't believe the Western permissive society is perfect but maybe this people need to move with the times.You they are unhappy why is Pakistan accepting 3 billion from USA.Thei government has invited them because they also see them as a threat
Farouk