reciprocity over dress code
a number of Islamic scholars called for imposing "decency" on the clothing of Western women, in response to what they described as a "war of the veil" rising in Europe
This comes amid European pressure against the wearing of the veil, where in France a draft law on penalty of imprisonment for up to an year and a fine of 15 thousand euros for the men who forced women to wear veil is Under preparation
Also In Belgium, the Belgian lower house of parliament approved the draft law banning the wearing of the veil in public places. The prohibition might become a law in the upcoming months, once the senate council approves it
Qatari islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmed Buainain called to respect the customs and traditions of Islamic countries, and punish anyone who violates the laws and regulations that preserve the identity of society and culture
http://www.raya.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=528158&versi...
My opinion, Qatar is far from imposing a strict dress code like Saudi or Iran.But I do not rule out the possibility of having dress code law applied here soon.Speculation over this issue was on the rise for the past two years. And yet, no official dress code law is defined except for the travel caution advice that women cloths must be modest
Dot.com....lol.
i really like the way u guys compared two different extremes.
wouldn't be better, if saudi's are imposing on niqaab, west must impose on being a naked?
lol @ people comparing Saudi Arabian laws to France. Yeah it seems perfectly logical to make a comparison between a dictatorship and a nation that is supposed to be a free nation that respects individual rights. Is it really necessary for me to explain why it would be idiotic to try to protest ANYTHING let alone something that would be deemed anti-islamic in Saudi Arabia?
Furthermore, what kind of stupid advice for those people to just "leave" if they don't like it? Some of these people are 3rd generation immigrants and have no other citizenship, where the hell are they supposed to go? The reason they immigrated was because of oppressive dictatorships back home, a nation like France is not supposed to be imposing the kind of laws one would expect from a nation like Saudi Arabia and others in the Middle East.
EDIFIS ... my Friend you should stop dreaming about lebanese girls ..
its rare to find somebody like lebanese girls, the way they dress and how fashionable they are ..
long live lebanon .
not really many lebanese conservative believe it or not but becuse they are beautiful they are most seen and noticed by people like you edifis;)
Leave!
That's what I keep reading, that's my advise too!
"when in Rome"...why do non-muslim women have to wear a burkha in Saudi?...the reasoning may be religion & culture for Saudi & it may be security for Belgium & France,that is a secondary issue...some people think banning the face veil is absurd,i think my non-muslim aunt in Riyadh having to wear a burkha everytime she goes out is absurd but she still does it,why?...because it's the LAW OF THE LAND...very plain & simple,don't like it,tough luck...the two extremes of the same law are being applied here...how come there's no big issue about non-muslim women having to wear a burkha in Saudi?...what about their rights???...& this ruling is come in NOW in Belgium & France,Saudi has been like this for decades...the same standards MUST apply...
There is a clear difference between Saudi and France..
One is a very conservative, closed society, the other has the following motto - "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité"
shaving your head and then wearing a wig. Yes, that makes sense. ;)
I don't think anyone is critising the hijab this has more to do with the niqab. If you choose to wear a head scarf then good for you it's your choice. What about the women who do not want to wear it but are forced by family, friends, religious leaders and society?
luluRM: I agree with most of what you are saying. However, we do hear criticism of Orthodox women and their wigs. It is usually along the same lines of the criticism of the hijab and niqab: that this is some sort of oppression forced on women by men. And the sikhs who wear turbans often go through troubles in the West, see the stories of the sikhs who were shot in the US directly following the Sept. 11 attacks or the sikhs who are asked to remove the turban when going through metal detectors in airports and public buildings.
As you say..western clothes have spread worldwide because of their practibility and that is all well and good for those who feel this way.For many muslim women the islamic form of dress such as hijab and niqab if she choses is a part of her personal spiritual journey.
Islam places a very great importance on privacy, and on keeping private what should be private. Hijab is in fact part of a larger code of conduct, and constitutes only one aspect of the islamic way of life.
As a muslim woman I do not feel opressed nor (to quote the above comment) do I have "ridiculous nature of an idiot who insists on deliberately adopting the most extreme dress".Infact the complete opposite! I wear the hijab not as a self defense mechanism but as a proud intelligent muslim woman! can you imagine the faith and courage a woman has to wear the niqab!?
why do we never hear criticism of the orthodox jewish women who shave their hair completely and then cover their heads with wigs? or sikhs who wear turbans? or nuns who wear head coverings?
to dress modestly is taught by every religion...and definition of being modest can vary...i believe every society has its own definition of modesty which is not very different from each other at a general level...like forexample...most of the indian woman i have seen dress very modestly from my perception (they are not muslim)
i beleive a woman knows when she is dressed modestly or not...
western clothes have spread worldwide because of practibility, jeans are great for outdoor work. It is noticeable that the spread of veiling to cultures like Egypt are not a reflection of an increasing piety among women but is rather a self defence mechanism against crazies. My Qatari friends remember when the mask was used here, much more practical than the Niqab,and such luxuries as full covering were not common when Qatari ladies had to actually work!
Banning is not an acceptable response, a better alternative is to show the ridiculous nature of idiots who insist on deliberately adopting the most extreme dress wherever they come from. I am thankful to see how the younger generation of Qatari women are leading the way in this as so much else in Qatar by dressing modestly without full covering. as required by Islam.
Banning the veil in public buildings and banks for instance makes perfect sense. It's a safety and secruity issue. The same way you cannot wear a bike helmet in those places.
However if men and women want to wear it elsewhere then that is up to them..... Unless a husband or father is forcing someone to wear it then the law should step in to protect them.
Education is the key. Educated women can make informed choices. That's one reason the Taliban attacks girls schools as they know it will lead tobthem making their own choices
Doesn't really matter to me Happy. I've lived here in the 80's and 90's when there was "officially unofficial" dress codes and when people couldn't eat anything during Ramadan even in their houses and even supermarkets used to be closed at Ramadan, when the only shopping centre was " The Centre" . I can live with all that. But I hate their double standards and when they don't publish rule changes and create mass confusion instead.
If, when I get married, my wife doesn't like it, I'll leave. I like this place because it's been a home to me, but if you're not welcome then no point in trying to extend the stay.
...deepb, Qatar will not impose dress code. It cannot and it won't.
I don't care what they do, I just hope that they publish the changes officially instead of making hidden law changes which will end up as hearsay in the end.
...Banning hegab (hair cover) would be intolerable breach of human rights, to the core. Banning veil (face cover) may be considered invasion of privacy. Nonetheless, no place in the whole wide world to be criticized for banning face- concealing except in Muslim countries, whom should allow for female officers in all premises to check women's identity. A facility that other Non-Muslims countries are not obliged to provide.
Chal bhaag yaha se....:)
Please go.
Chal Oye
i've to leave now :-)
ok thank you.
by the way, wots Poda Patti ?
New kinda sweet dish ?
Yes, Pajju told me that in Malyalam its mean You Poda Patti :P
Dot.com do u mind telling me the meaning of ur Avataar Pic ? :)
Joke of the day
thank you Geneses for a Good start :-)
are missing the point.
Why do you really think full-face veils are being banned in Europe?
Pikey......... Then it will be draught in Qatar.
I guess the biggest proportion of the population affected by this call will be the Arab (lebanese) ladies.
I know that most of the western ladies here do abide by the local laws and customs.
"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."
Mahatma Gandhi
Indian political and spiritual leader (1869 - 1948)
European Countries have taken wrong steps by banning veils. By such steps they are discouraging muslims worldwide and such steps by liberal countries motivates Organisation who are involved to create hatrate between muslims and rest of world communities, gets encouragement to create panic in the world.
Organisation like Taliban will be happy that they have created panic in public and our governments are reacting with such decision which discriminate religions. Yes there are few people who act as a face of terror but we can't put all the Muslim in one category. This issue is very complicated and should be handle very carefully.
In Regards to Qatar. Yes there are limitations but because of certain fellows who don't follow the protocol placed by authorities & then they face punishments.
But Again everyone should be allowed to wear dress what they feel right to them.
Mahatma Gandhi Quote - "I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers"
The European countries would prefer to ban or prohibit wearing the burqa or veils (or whatever you call it) NOT BECAUSE to oppress those who wears them but they are THINKING more of safety and lessening public tension and of course, harrassment.
After the 9/11 incident, people who around the world are still living in fear or apprehension that similar attacks would happen (which is true) and these feelings create "animosity" to those who have the same faith as of those terrorist. They tend to be antagonistic to those who wear arabic clothes or arabs (in general) or even knowing that someone is from the middle east receives unwelcomed attention.
Flipping the coin, in a manne of speaking, the expats who lives in the middle east do observe the dress codes of the country where they reside.
If you're speaking of Qatar, this country has been very linient with the dress code, and some folks do abuse this liniency(sp) by wearing short skirts and skimpy clothes in malls/public places.
Police will require few 40 seater buses parked in Villaggio and CC , for taking the booked ones.
it will affect someone anyway.
thats life
Will affect the Lebanese girls most, not the Europeans.
Doesn't affect me so I am not bothered though I avoid wearing my tshirts with some offensive slogans on them :D
what if the Qatari females going over there wears a veil and go? Will they be jailed for that?
are quite different.
There is a dress code in effect in Qatar anyway.
The banning of the veil is quite another matter.
My wife doesn't wear shorts or shoulderless tees or anything that would be considered offensive to local culture even when the mercury hits crazy levels,out of respect to local sensibilities...as the saying goes,"when in Rome..."...there is "apparently" no strict dress code here but there are enough episodes of women(mostly non-white ofcourse) being randomly picked out in/outside malls & either given a lecture on "decent" dressing or actually being taken to the cop station until someone comes & bails them out. so if there is no official law,there should be & it should be on paper...in english so the people it's actually intended for can understand it...
I am not sure whether the actions by west can be reciprocated as is mentioned. The fate of the 'issue of visa' for those countries can be a reminder as to how far it can go here.