The Way I See It: Habit forming

Yes yes, I know, bad pun.

Considering that the discussion is going to include the dress and formal style of women in the Roman Catholic Church, and comparing them to another group of women who recently have been receiving a great deal of backlash; Muslim women.

I really had to pause and think about this after I saw a small cartoon.  It showed two women (in the Asian style of art), one dressed in a nun’s habit, and the other wearing what appears to be the hijab, or Muslim head scarf.  The caption above the nun said “a nun can be covered head to toe in order to devote herself to God, right?”  The caption above the Muslim woman then read “But if a Muslim girl does the same, why is she oppressed?”  It’s an interesting argument, and opinions are scattered across the world on the meaning behind the hijab, burka, niqab and so on.

There’s different views on the Islamic dress for women.  Some say it’s very much an oppressive set of clothing that is forced upon women.  Now yes, there are cases like that, but you can point to any organized religion and see the very same thing.  Shocking, I know, but even in the Christian faith there are examples of oppression.  There are also a large number of women within the Islamic faith who willingly wear the hijab, niqab or burka as a proclamation of their faith.  Just like Roman Catholic Nuns do.  And even within the ranks of the Roman Catholic Church, not all nuns wear the fully covering habit that is often thought of when a nun is discussed.

Recently various governments throughout the world have declared that they wish to ban the burka (and other Muslim head coverings).  France and Quebec have been at the forefront of this.  I researched the Muslim population of Quebec, which has the second largest population of Islamic worshipers with just over 100,000 (Nunavut claims the least with 30, and that territory is building a mosque).  But let’s clarify things.  In Quebec, the government has stated that the burka and niqab are not welcome in schools and medical facilities, and other provinces are considering a similar ban.  This, however, is contradictory to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which states under Section 2(a) the wearing of the hijab is permitted in schools and medical facilities.  Even the furniture giant, IKEA, has developed its own Muslim friendly head scarf for Muslim employees, with the first in Canada being in Edmonton to adopt the IKEA head scarf.

But the talking heads south of the border would have the entire world believe that anyone wearing the Islamic garb is equal to a terrorist.  News flash: the individuals that struck out against America on 9/11 were terrorists, who just happened to be Islamic.  They aren’t any different than the individuals who fire bombed Planned Parenting clinics recently in the States.  Those individuals claimed to be Christian.  Religious affiliation aside, both groups have one thing in common.  They’re terrorists, plain and simple.  They wish to spread fear and cause injury using acts of violence.  While the individuals that caused nearly 3,000 deaths over nine years ago were Islamic, that does not mean that Islam condoned those actions.  Just as Christianity and the different denomination did not condone the fire bombing of a Planned Parenting clinic.  Or the burning of the Qu’ran.

The talking heads need to read their Bible.  After that, we in Canada need to read the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and we need to remember that many Muslims were born in Canada, while others came here to escape oppression.  Instead, what they are finding is just more of it.  That needs to stop.  If we can look at a nun and find nothing wrong with a full covering of a traditional nun’s habit, then we should give the same respect to a woman of Islam who by choice would wear the hijab or burka to express her own faith.

Other topics related to this around the web:

Related Articles

• Should Burkas, Niqabs, and Hijabs Be Banned? (friendlyatheist.com)
• Hijab and Niqab Banned in France (friendlyatheist.com)
• Burka and Niqab Banned in France (friendlyatheist.com)
• Australia Considers Copying France’s Xenophobic Burka Ban (womensrights.change.org)
• France attacks oppressive burkas (fullcomment.nationalpost.com)
• Despite criticism, Houston Muslim women wear hijab (chron.com)
• Disneyland Employee Files Complaint Over No-Hijab Rule [Unhappiest Place On Earth] (jezebel.com)
• Nothing is simple about controversy inspired by simple veil known as a niqab (canada.com)
• Richard Dawkins causes outcry after likening the burka to a bin liner (telegraph.co.uk)
• Banning the Burka is Wrong – Do You Agree? (iaindale.blogspot.com)
• Muslim schoolgirls show that faith and fashion are not incompatible (guardian.co.uk)
• Proud Niqaabis (jilliancyork.com)
• Ed Gurowitz, Ph.D.: Why Single Out Muslim Women? (huffingtonpost.com)