This evening I was listening to an extremely articulate, highly intelligent, well-educated young Muslim woman explaining why it was hip to wear head-scarves. It was all very good up until she ducked the question of coercion.
Around the world and in Britain as well there are a number of women who would rather not wear a head-scarf but feel coerced into having to. In many countries they are physically whipped if they do not conform.
Where is the solidarity?
It is all very well pushing the limits by wearing a nice ‘hip’ headscarf but where is the choice? Is this a human rights issue? Are women being forced to comply?
Most people are “coerced” in their dress choice whether they be hippies or orthodox Jews. We wish to conform to the norms of the group within which we live. Even the punks of the 70s who thought they were unique were simply conforming to their peer group culture. Where is your evidence to support the assertion in your 2nd paragraph? The common belief, by those who don’t understand, that most Muslim women are forced by men to cover their heads has no foundation. It’s a cultural choice by most women similar to British women who wore headscarves in the 50s. In some counties like Saudi Arabia there are dress rules which are stringent and enforced by the State but they apply to men and women. It’s no different from the Russian government banning transgenders from holding driving licences but who is screaming about that in the West?