I never believed this day would come. But fine, I admit it. I agree with the Tory Minister for Immigration. This weekend, Damian Green was asked whether Britain should go down the path of the French and ban the burka.
He told a Sunday newspaper: “Telling people what they can and can’t wear, if they’re just walking down the street, is a rather un-British thing to do.” How true. Thankfully, in this country, people are uncomfortable with dictating what forms of expression should and should not be allowed. Are you gay and proud? Have a civil union! Suspect that whites are the superior race? Vote for the British National Party! Say and do as you wish (as long as you don’t hurt anyone).
But just because you believe in freedom of expression it doesn’t necessarily follow that you are comfortable about the burka issue. I certainly am not. I was brought up in a devoutly Muslim household. Almost all the women in my family wore a headscarf in public, some more tightly than others. It was the norm.
Then for the first time, back when I was an awkward teenager, women wearing veils visited our home. They did not take them off, even when inside. They insisted on sitting in a different room from my father. When I entered the room, they looked away, seemingly offended by my presence.
My childish reaction then still holds true today. I was put out. It was all a bit unnecessary, awkward and rude. It is always dangerous to generalise about British Muslims. Islamic customs and culture differ vastly depending on whether you are Sunni, Shia, Arab, African, Asian, a first-generation immigrant or born here. My experience is that of a British Bangladeshi living in inner-city London. A few years ago, I became aware of more women wearing religious garb — headscarves fixed so that no hair could be seen, or a full veil. I have no doubt that there are a number of women who sincerely believe that this is an outward expression of their faith. I have no argument with them.
But in many other cases, the rise of the veil has little to do with actual faith. It is an ever-escalating contest about moral superiority.
This is because for those of Bangladeshi and Pakistani descent — who make up the vast majority of Muslims in the UK — your family’s status is crucial to your standing within the community.
Status is set by the achievements you can list. Do you own a home and have a steady job and a nice car? Do your kids go to university? Which one? To achieve respect, you need to be able to point to these accomplishments.
But government reports in the past five years have consistently shown that Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are among the poorest in the country. They attend the worst achieving inner-city schools and live in overcrowded homes.
Very few within the British Muslim community leave urban ghettos — from Tower Hamlets to Oldham — to become doctors, lawyers and teachers.
However, there is a less strenuous way to gain status. Be super religious. This goes far beyond praying five times a day. You need to be so religious that you can laud your moral superiority over everyone else. There is nothing in the Koran to suggest that a woman should cover her face. Wearing a headscarf is one thing. But wearing a veil remains an extreme decision — one that I would argue is based on a skewed understanding of Islamic scripture and history. Yet it is considered a symbol of faithfulness.
So young women are encouraged by pushy parents to wear headscarves, and in extreme cases, the burka. The more tightly applied the headgear, the more superior the family. This “moral” brigade are not really representative of the British Muslim community, merely the most visible and vocal.
But moderate Muslims have not tried to argue with those who hold such extreme views. They haven’t called for a more nuanced standpoint , one that recognises that women should be allowed to wear the burka if they choose, but which also questions the value of encouraging people to cover their faces. Alas, for most Muslims this conversation would be too awkward, too uncomfortable, too rude. Starting the argument would be , well, rather un-British.
