The last Straw
It isn't often that i find myself nodding sagely at a quote from George Galloway, but he is right on the money when he says that Jack Straw is effectively telling Muslim women 'to wear less' when he requests them to remove their veils.
It is odd that Straw, who presides over a constituency heavily populated by Muslims, should be so seemingly ignorant of the significance of the veil, aside from its non-Muslim British received symbolism of patriarchal oppression.
To most Muslim women, the veil represents modesty, and whether we believe this to be a male-imposed stricture or not, Straw's suggestion bears comparison with asking Christian women to remove their tops when they visit him.
The whole debacle reminds me of the furore surrounding Irish playwright J M Synge's play 'The Playboy of the Western World.'
On its first performance at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, the audience enjoyed it heartily, until a line which referred to a row of girls 'all standing in their shifts'.
On that occasion, rioting followed. How could Synge speak with such quasi-pornographic disrespect about the maidens of Ireland?
But Synge had made a telling point: Ireland's virgins were not all they might seem. The rioters were outraged at the uncomfortable truth.
If there had been rioting in response to Straw's comment, it would have been far easier to understand. Straw has insulted not just Muslim women's conception of sexual modesty, but their intelligence, by saying that a custom they live with day in and day out prevents communication.
The fact is, the opinions of non-Muslim people will never have much bearing on how Muslims choose to dress, for the reason that no-one likes to be dictated to by someone who cannot possibly understand their situation.
If there is to be a movement against Islamic women covering their faces, it must come from reformist elements within the Islamic world.
If Straw chooses to support such elements within his constituency, then so much the better.
But to ask them to remove the veil to put him at his ease? Sorry Jack, but it sounds like nobody's problem but yours.
The final word though, must go to the author of a letter in today's Telegraph, who says: 'Sir – If I had to have a face-to-face meeting with Jack Straw, I would insist that he wore a veil.
Nice.
It isn't often that i find myself nodding sagely at a quote from George Galloway, but he is right on the money when he says that Jack Straw is effectively telling Muslim women 'to wear less' when he requests them to remove their veils.
It is odd that Straw, who presides over a constituency heavily populated by Muslims, should be so seemingly ignorant of the significance of the veil, aside from its non-Muslim British received symbolism of patriarchal oppression.
To most Muslim women, the veil represents modesty, and whether we believe this to be a male-imposed stricture or not, Straw's suggestion bears comparison with asking Christian women to remove their tops when they visit him.
The whole debacle reminds me of the furore surrounding Irish playwright J M Synge's play 'The Playboy of the Western World.'
On its first performance at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, the audience enjoyed it heartily, until a line which referred to a row of girls 'all standing in their shifts'.
On that occasion, rioting followed. How could Synge speak with such quasi-pornographic disrespect about the maidens of Ireland?
But Synge had made a telling point: Ireland's virgins were not all they might seem. The rioters were outraged at the uncomfortable truth.
If there had been rioting in response to Straw's comment, it would have been far easier to understand. Straw has insulted not just Muslim women's conception of sexual modesty, but their intelligence, by saying that a custom they live with day in and day out prevents communication.
The fact is, the opinions of non-Muslim people will never have much bearing on how Muslims choose to dress, for the reason that no-one likes to be dictated to by someone who cannot possibly understand their situation.
If there is to be a movement against Islamic women covering their faces, it must come from reformist elements within the Islamic world.
If Straw chooses to support such elements within his constituency, then so much the better.
But to ask them to remove the veil to put him at his ease? Sorry Jack, but it sounds like nobody's problem but yours.
The final word though, must go to the author of a letter in today's Telegraph, who says: 'Sir – If I had to have a face-to-face meeting with Jack Straw, I would insist that he wore a veil.
Nice.
posted by Rob Davies at 9:48 PM
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