Salaam Mona,

Sucks that you lost this debate.

I must say, Hebah really trumped you with her rational arguments, but I guess that’s what happens when you rely on emotions too much.

Hopefully you’ve realized where you’re wrong now.

In addition to what the above commentator has said, “choosing slavery” vs. “choosing the niqab” are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum Ms. Eltahawy. One is akin to choosing oppression, while the other is making a choice for liberation.

Your arguments against the ban are essentially flawed, and, from what I have seen, your logical reasoning is extremely weak as well. Slavery is oppressive, demeaning, physically torturous, and so on and so forth. The niqab on the other hand doesn’t harm anyone, except of course the individuals who feel highly insecure about it. Emotionally based arguments and flawed circular reasoning will not get anyone anywhere.

I sincerely hope you post the negative as well as positive comments you receive on this debate. If you choose not to do so, I will regretfully take that as a sign of weakness in conviction and credibility.

Mona Elthaway dont want to wear the niqab so trying to speak on behalf of all muslim women to support her own personal view while acting like this is the view of all women.

Then she drifted into women in saudi are forced into this etc…

Hello? we’re talking about france! she got no idea what she’s talking about

ban the burqa but lets not ban nudity as thats perfectly fine :S

After listening to your debate the other night I am finding myself coming down in favour of a ban. It occurred to me every time I hear a Muslim feminist speak about this issue they seem to favour this option and I am feel more inclined to support Muslim feminists than so-called well meaning liberals to easily deceived by softly spoken Islamists like Tariq Ramadan. I was impressed by your performance by the way and thought you exposed Ramadan for what he is. What concerns me is how excited so-called moderates get over this issue. Even if you’re in favour of allowing face-covering for reasons of personal choice, why get so worked up over it when you stay so silent on greater issues of repression like stoning? (All Tariq Ramadan can say on this issue is there should be a moritorium – that’s the face of the “moderate” Islamic scholer.) Unfortunately I am not a Muslim so my comments probably don’t mean too much as they can easily be dismissed as those of another fellow neocon (I know you are not and neither am I but like you I have had to put up with people calling me this). But as a fellow traveller of the left and a (dare I say this as a man?) feminist I offer my support.

Incidentally, I posted this on the New Statesman’s website (another left publication now being edited by a closet Islamist) …

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/04/azhar-egypt-islam-regime#reader-comments

I’ve always loathed the niqab but would always fall short of supporting a ban because I’ve always believed (and still do) in individual freedom and I’m generally against banning things per se (if only for the practical reason that these things are often easier to ban than police). But like the poster above I’m coming round to the view that a ban mighnt not be a bad thing. We hear this nonsense about woman’s modesty but it’s no accident that the increased wearing of the full face veil is coupled with the insidious rise in radicalisation across the Muslim world (and to try and pretend it’s got nothing to do with radicalisation is nonsense – you can bet those face covering probably have less than progressive views on feminism and sexual minorities). Liberal societies can’t deal in absolutes (that’s one of the things that makes them liberal) and sometimes you have to bend the rules to protect a free society. One example is Germany which is a liberal democracy but bans fascist parties in its constitution for obvious historical reasons. The niqab is now becoming like the swastika as a symbol of hatred for liberal democracy.

Well we can look at it in another way, can I go to Saudi Arabia or Libya or or or and behave like a Western woman? Drink alcohol? Wear a bikini? Smoke cigarettes publicly? Drive a car? Go to a bar alone? and so many other such behaviors that I can do in the West? No, because I will be reminded I am in a strange country and I should respect the country’s habits, beliefs, religion.

Same for women who come to the West from other lands! Respect the country’s laws, religion, democracy.

hahahaha mona u should be ashamed of urself.u r jeaulos of ur fellow muslim woman for being more pious than u.its about time u start reading the QURAN.dont speak on the behalf of muslim women without knowledge.no muslim woman will ever agree with ur debate.and i dare u to challenge me.muslim women are not forced by anyone to dress how they dress,they simple follow there religion sincerely.and we dont look invisible behind the niqab rather we look modest and decent.I will keep my niqab and am sure evry woman who wears one will keep theres.islam supports niqab.whether u like it or not…..mona,u r muslim woman.and FEAR ALLAH.

Mona, I agree to what you said. Niqab is one little tiny step from making the Muslim woman invisible. And it is being advocated and propagated under pathetically wrong religious beliefs.
One more thing, 20 years ago we used to refer to the not wearing the Hijab woman as the moderate Muslim. Now, in contrast to the women in Niqab, we shifted our direction and pointed to the woman in Hijab as the moderate one.
You can see where this is going.
Niqab is taking Islam to the dark corners of intolerance.

Hello Mona,

I find your stance on the niqab to be quite a misogynist one. Here you are, debating one of many Muslim women(myself included, living in the US) who choose to wear the niqab because, as you insist, she is forced to do so out of a fear of castigation from the “right-wing” Muslims who preach fire and damnation. Well, I can tell you that women like us who wholeheartedly defend our choice to wear the niqab do so after an INTELLECTUAL and SPIRITUAL arrival at the conclusion that it is what will liberate us–freeing us from the enslavement of a society that is predisposed to judge us by our beauty or lack thereof–and essentially proclaim to the world that we are creatures of modesty, intellect, and strong-will. You will argue, well what about those women who do not have that choice, who are threatened into humiliation by the men in their lives? The answer to that is simple: the niqab is not a tool of oppression. It is only those with evil souls who would use it as such, much like a gun can be used to defend one’s property and honor, or it could be used to commit murder.

It is unfortunate that you were easily refuted by this articulate woman who clearly blew away your argument with her simple yet profound logic. Let me make something very clear to you: we are not afraid of the scorn of men. We do this for the sake of Allah and NO ONE has the right to intervene with that. We are not women who “disappear,” as you put it, into the background under the pretense of piety. Are we a society of simpletons that we are to really believe this? I do not know any woman who would be willing to and endure the ridicule, stares, and hushed whispers of the ignorant every time she goes out unless she has tremendous courage and a heart of steel.

In short, stay out of our business. You don’t like it, that is your problem. Perhaps you feel you cannot arrive at such liberation that we Niqabis feel when we step out of our door knowing that we don’t give a damn about what people think of us, because we are not doing anything for the sake of people. Perhaps it would suit you best to humble yourself and learn a thing or two before you speak out to the world about something you clearly do not comprehend.

I just want to say one thing… my wife forced me to allow her to wear the niqaab! That’s right, she told me that after we are married she would like to wear niqaab. She put the condition on me and I know many other people that have been put in the same position. So can France protect men from women who force them to allow them to wear niqaab

Also, Mona you are one of the most ignorant people in the world about Islam. Put your ego away and learn about Islam from its sources (I.E. the Qur’aan and Sunnah). Don’t think you are doing Allah a favor by being a Muslim, Allah doesn’t need you, or me, or anyone. Our good deeds does not Increase Allah’s power and kingdom and our bad deeds do not reduce it. So be humble and start following ISLAM as it was revealed to all the prophets of Allah ending with Muhammad.

you pathetic.

Hebah just defeated you.

you were very weak and start talking none sense. Even the moderator felt the same for you.
I think you need to leave muslims alone, you better solve your own issues.

Allah Akbar

Thanks for speaking up about this Mona, I’m with you all the way!

Mona,

I agree with your stance on how we should never be conditioned to follow beliefs we dont believe in, and that we should be free to express ourselves in any way we are. Here you are, a woman who proudly calls herself Muslim, and you choose to express it in your own way, and I respect that. I respect being liberal, i respect having individualistic views, I respect how you fight for women rights. But in the same way you have strong convictions, so do other women and other people, and for you to support the suppression of their beliefs, that is very ironic, you are in a way telling them that they are following an incorrect path in regards to their beliefs. Just like Tariq Ramadan refused to accept your form of expression and called u a neocon, indirectly dismissing your Islam, you are doing the same these women. And I would hope that a liberal like you could be able to see that, to recognize the concept “live, and let live”

I am amazed by the vitrol you receive, Mona.

These commenters, and others, are a much greater source of Islamophobia than right-wingers.

It’s a striking irony when Heba says that “the niqab does not make me disappear” when all you can see is her eyes peering through a slit. Mona won this argument, not Heba: Mona is quite right that asserting the hijab/niqab as the highest pinnacle of piety is misogynistic and not supported in the Quran. When Heba claims that the niqab is “a different form of empowerment” that enables her to “not be judged by her body,” she is ignoring the fact that veiling still implies that a woman’s body and face *itself* is the cause of that judgment, just as fundamentalist Christianity considers Eve (woman) as the root of all evil. (If sexuality of both sexes is the problem, then men would have to cover their faces, too.) Yes, it’s clever for Heba to indict plastic surgery and eating disorders as evidence of oppression of women, but further oppression of women by veiling is not the answer!

By the way, Heba’s naivete is exposed when she says she never met a woman who was forced to wear hijab/niqab. Her accent makes it clear that she is not originally Arab and she may well have never been to a country where the veiling is enforced. But Mona is Egyptian, and, as she says, she has lived in Saudi Arabia, where veiling is absolutely enforced.

Women like Heba who claim that the veil is a free choice are like high-class call girls (prostitutes) who claim that their job is a free choice: opposite sides of the same coin. In both cases, what the women are claiming as “choice” is actually the result of deep social conditioning. In both cases, it is a deep betrayal of the self.

Again, Mona gets it right, every time.

When a  woman is born or gets married into a family where all women cover faces, do you think there’s personal choice left for her in this matter? She silently has to accept wearing it. Rebelling would mean ruining her life and disgracing herself, her father, her entire family.   Men in such families may  feel the pressure too to cover their honorable wives and daughters because other respectable Muslim men do so in society. 

I wear niqab because I have to. I feel ashamed of the way I look when I wear niqab in public. This woman peaking out from niqab is not me. It looks ugly and  feels uncomfortable.  I don’t believe niqab is part of Islam. 

When traveling to the West, I greatly enjoy having an open face. I feel like a normal human being and dream of a day when it’s banned in my country.

I know women who cover the face willingly, they were taught to believe it’s best for a religious Muslim woman. There are many converts who also willingly wear niqab because they believe it’s an honorable practice. But even they must be realizing that burqa is uncomfortable.

If we allow niqab, a head to toe burqa then lets allow walking in public places in bikinis too. Both are extreme and improper.

Niqabi  from US wrote: the niqab is not a tool of oppression. It is only those with evil souls who would use it as such,

I cant agree with that because men in my family are good practicing Muslim men, who are generally kind to their women and other people. They are educated, amiable, respectable. They pray, fast, go to Hajj or Umrah and fear Allah. And they make their women cover the faces.

Niqabi from US wrote: We do this for the sake of Allah

I never understood this argument. Judging from the “progressive spiritually and intellectually” Muslim societies like KSA or Yemen, niqab does not do much good to Muslim women there. It rather adds to women rights problems. How can an unaesthetic, uncomfortable garment which leads to mistreatment of women and unhealthy society be pleasing to God? Does it add to your quality of life? Does it make your society better in any way?  If it does not, then why would it be pleasing to God.

Niqabi from US wrote: Perhaps you feel you cannot arrive at such liberation that we Niqabis feel when we step out of our door knowing that we don’t give a damn about what people think of u

When you go out in niqab people will still judge you by your appearance and choice of clothes anyhow. But  now they think of you, judging by your niqab, as a complete weirdo (in a Western country).

I don’t believe that  niqabis by choice are spiritually liberated. Instead they have an unhealthy fixation on their body, appearance, on their face, sexuality. It’s almost mentally unhealthy and abnormal  to feel a need to cover the face in front of strange people, men in order to be interact with them or be in their presence. Some of these women even feel the urge to cover their hands and eyes as well.

Niqabi from US wrote: I do not know any woman who would be willing to and endure the ridicule, stares, and hushed whispers of the ignorant every time she goes out unless she has tremendous courage and a heart of steel.

I also suspect many of niqabis by choice have a tendency to self-masochism.

^^ WOW. Really? I don’t have the time to sit here and pick apart everything you said. LOL @ self-masochism (btw the “self” here was redundant).. yeah that’s right, I’m a masochist.. you know me so well! /s

Suffice it to say, you are very sadly misinformed my friend. Any credibility you imagined by claiming to be a niqabi went down the drain when you started assuming things and making gross generalizations about the psyche of countless other women you do not know.

Wait…Muslims aren’t allowed to perform magic tricks?? Do the Salafis know that we all know that it isn’t actually magic?

[...] few days ago I was stuck in the airport and luckily caught Mona Eltahawy debating blogger Hebah Ahmed on Elliot Spitzer’s show on CNN “In the Arena… about the ban on face veils in France, piety, feminism and xenophobia. It is worth a watch because [...]

Food for thought and further exploration for niqabi/hijabi sisters:

http://www.bigsister.org.uk/viewDetail.php?id=19

Besides, Mona, thank you so much for your fighting. I admire your courage and intellect. You are a role model. I hope more women “wake up” and find their voices.

Maybe you can’t understand the decisions that every woman makes, maybe you can’t understand why a young, confident western woman would choose to wear the niqaab. Well I don’t understand many of the things you do and say, I don’t understand why you as a muslim choose to dress the way you do, i dont understand your point of view or what exactly your aims are.

But if you claim to be a feminist, and a muslim one at that then you should support every womans right to choose what she wants to wear be it a bikini or a burqa – so you are a shame not only to muslims but to feminists everywhere.

You most certaintly want to be free to dress imodestly, you want to be free to reveal yourself – thats your right in a so-called free society to choose but its also my right to cover should i so wish to.

Speak on behalf of yourself not Islam, because you certainly do not represent islam not even in the slighest.

Asalaamu alaykum,

The umm-ul-mu’meen wore the niqaab, how dare you call our niqaabi sisters ‘invisible’. Remember that the Hadith is revelation too.

Asalaamu alaykum.

To June:
hahahaha.
Hebah is actually from Egypt.
Nice try though. AND purely Arab
Oh, and I don’t think it’s for you to call Hebah a prositute.
Allah (Or God just incase you don’t know who Allah is) is the one to judge, therefore, don’t judge

Mona,

I like how you went berserk on that Tariq guy lol. I’m very torn up about this issue – I just can’t help but laugh at the unbelievable ludicrousness of just how out of proportion this thing has turned into. The religious and sartorial choices of a very small portion of the Muslim female population is up for debate and the whole world is in flames about it. I’m so sure that millions of people engaged in this debate right now have never ever been hurt, affected, angered, weakened, strengthened or touched in any way by a niqab or a woman wearing one, and yet it’s somehow become this big deal; it’s being used as a political tool for leverage in France, it’s stirring up all these sentiments, and it’s creating explosive debates just like this one you had. I’m not trying to undermine the fundamental point of discussion because it is very important indeed, but the way in which it has come about just makes me laugh a little.

But, as much as I enjoy dealing with conflict, I don’t think this niqab debate is being dealt with in the right way. Emotions aside for one second: why the hell does Sarkozy or any politician give a hoot about a niqab? Says a lot about his administration and their policies. This issue is taking up valuable airtime for a reason. I’m against the niqab but I’m also against the 1000 tonnes of baggage and bad sentiment that this banning debate has dragged into the world. I fear for the future and the growing tensions that are deepening the divide between Muslims and the nations they live in. Politics is just absolutely the wrong forum for this discussion – I can already feel a lot of resentment building up amongst the Muslim community (whether we like the niqab or not) about the fact that we are always being singled out and chastised – which will always lead to the feeling of wanting to rebel and lash out. I’m also worried that while a lot of people have good intentions in trying to get rid of the niqab, it might actually have the opposite effect.

I remember my Islamic religion class at school and how my teacher used to tell us that when as a Muslim you are met with a hostile attitude you should fight stronger for your rights rather than feel defeated. I know that many people with the same upbringing would do this by for example, purposefully wearing the niqab as a sign of solidarity for their religion, or God forbid, purposefully forcing their wife or daughter or sister to do so.

I guess I’m rambling, but my point is I think the after effects of this debate will be visible and the reason for that is simply that it’s being attacked from all the wrong angles. This is not something that can be eradicated with one fell swoop of legislation. Education, education, education is always the key and even though this will take a lot longer, at least in this way it can be a permanent change for the better. To be honest with you before a couple of years ago I never thought about the niqab – I knew it existed, I learned about it in school, but never thought to form an opinion on it. Now that it’s come to light, I think about it and yes I am against it on principle – it seems nonsensical to cover your face from men like they are the predators and we are the prey, all in the name of religion, preserving modesty, preventing sexual depravity – as my brother used to say, for people who are supposedly very chaste, they sure think a whole lot about sex (referring to the religious dudes who decide these things).

I wonder if female circumcision will ever be as big a deal as the niqab.

As-salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh,

Dear Mona,
I’ve written an open letter to you regarding your stance on the niqaab ban.

You can view it here at my personal blog:
http://muslimmouse.blogspot.com/2011/04/open-letter-to-mona-el-tahawy.html

And here, where it’s been cross-posted:
http://islamicawakening.com/viewarticle.php?articleID=1504&

It’s also been published on FaceBook as a note.

Please do take the time to read it and let me know what your thoughts are. I am both sad and curious about why you’re so determined to force munaqqabaat to take off their niqaabs!

Sincerely,
Zainab bint Younus

MONA- KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO!!! THANKS FOR HAVING THE COURAGE TO STAND UP.

[...] waiting for the videos to load, I decided to read the comments section. The third commentator epitomizes the fact that for [...]

The women who wear the niqab feel that they are morally superior to the rest of the world just because they cover themselves up. In a western context, wearing the niqab amounts to the opposite of modesty because the women deliberately draw attention to themselves. I have seen beautiful young women walk up the street dressed in tiny bikinis in the US and no one noticed them. Had they been wearing the niqab, they would have certainly received much more attention. In a western context, wearing the niqab is part attention-seeking (look at me, I am so pious, so special, so individualistic so the ideal future wife for you son, brother, whatever) and part trying to appease men, please them and raise their own marriage prospects because Muslim men in the West tend to spend their 20s sleeping with Western women and when the fear of sexually transmitted diseases hits home, they become all pious and want to marry a virgin covered in niqab. Their obsessive control of women’s sexuality is a result of their own limitless exploration of Western sexual liberties. Their suspicion of other men is based on self-knowledge, they’ve been there and done it with their best friend’s girlfriend etc. But the poor women believe every word men say to them about religion even when they say stupid things like that god likes you women to look like bandits.

Yet another example of politicians taking advantage of widespread islamophobia as a distraction from dealing with more pressing matters. Is it really necessary to stir up all this emotion for only about 2000 women who choose to dress a certain way. This is just a disgusting political ploy by Sarkozy. This is an example of how democracy has become more of a game than a fight for freedom.
Politicians have been toying with people for centuries and “democracy” takes this to a whole another level. I wish I could see the democracy that was spoon fed to me since grade school before I lose total faith in politics for good.

@Fatma
This issue with the burqas and women’s right is a very important matter. I agree with Fatma that this isn’t the platform but I also have a very different opinion on the subject. I think that Sarkozy and the French government have very different political agendas and don’t care about women’s rights at all. It is sad to see such an important issue being decided by a bunch of greedy politicians.

My take on women’s rights is not that of the conventional feminist. I think that Burqa’s empower women and liberates them from the social culture that is the real source of enslavement and oppression. It allows women to be more than a sexual object and even if it is a bit awkward and draws stares in some countries, it doesn’t degrade women.

Feminists, such, as Mona serve a very important role and are necessary to remind us of the value of women. At the same time, I don’t think a person such as Mona should represent Muslims as she obviously disagrees with the traditional teachings of Islam and therefore a majority of Muslims. Islam is a complete way of life and one thing I find is missing amongst feminists is that sense of a “complete way of life.”
Feminists fight for the right of a woman to work but are disappointed when they choose not to. Isn’t it hypocritical to fight for more choices for women but when they don’t fit the image feminists try to mold women into, it’s disappointing. Mona is guilty of this sort of hypocrisy for trying to force her image of women and islam on other muslim women.

Dear Sister Mona,
Being a Muslim you are my sister and I don’t think there is any other religion in the world who makes this relationship automatically. Furthermore, I must say you should Revise ‘Holy Quran’(The Only Holy Book with its original form) with translation and Explanation with reference to the context.

Last but not the least Go and visit those peoples who has just converted to Islam, I hope and pray that you will find your answer. I am sharing a poem for you,which i think makes your mind little bit clear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA7i_kQ1rTY

May Allah keeps His Blessings on you and bring you back on the right path. Ameen

Mona
I thought the most revealing bit of this exchange was when Tariq Ramadan said you were supporting a neo-con agenda. I am not sure of the correct words.

What is so important to point out is that this is a (of course baseless) slur. He is shaming you in public, for the purpose of discrediting you. He is painting you as a turncoat against your community. He is thrusting you out of the Muslim community, in essence, as a penalty for a number of things: you disobey and challenge (his) male authority, you challenge the roles of men and women as they are traditionally defined, and you do it in a public way.

I think he is using the old tactics against women – and you, as a woman – of dishonor and shame in the new context of political rebellion and feminist struggle. So in that sense he is the demonstration of what you are fighting against. He is attempting to control you through these tactics. He is regressing to the worst of tradition.

You made the point that his slurs against you were exactly what happens to women who stand up against tradition. But in the heat of the argument these points were overshadowed by a he-said, she-said.

I would suggest, as you 2 will be arguing in public for awhile, that you plan your comments to assume this kind of attack, so your first comments will lay the base for discrediting them when they occur. Include from the beginning stories of ‘what happens to women when they stand up’ and fold any slurs into that, as the interview progresses. Take control of this narrative, from the start. It may enable you to stay calm, which will help put across these important points.

Good job, you are a hero.

Dear Mona,

Thank you for speaking out and for your incredible courage and bravery. It is not easy to present a view when it goes against the dominant pack or ideology. But it is indeed your right and duty to speak up for the millions of Muslim girls and young women who are unable to share their honest opinions.

Myself? I disagree with you. I am for women having to wear the full niqab in public … but with a catch. Every Muslim man in the world will have to wear one as well.

Can you imagine such a society? It would be great! Millions of men completely covered in black sheets. Billions of faceless bodies moving through the streets in submission to Allah. Muslim men would finally be able to experience full piety and modesty for themselves. Why should women only get to experience such a grand act of devotion to God? Men will finally be able to join women on such an awesome lifelong spiritual journey.

In short, men wearing the niqab in public will help men become better Muslims. With their faces and their eyes covered, they will be less likely to leer at young women (as it can often be hard to see clearly when the cloth falls on your eyes), and this will help both men and women avoid situations that could lead to extra-marital sexual relations (there is nothing remotely attractive about looking like a garbage bag with no head).

It is true, we live in a beauty and sexuality obsessed world. Especially if you watch those idiots in the West (ps- thanks for creating Facebook, now it is even easier to find and kill the non-believers). But it makes sense that a woman should have to cover her face and body.

That being said, we also live in a violent and patriarchal obsessed world, so perhaps it would help if men (the creatures who by majority inflict such violence and brutality) would cover up their eyes and mouths as well. It’s a simple premise. See no evil, speak no evil = do no evil.

Of course, there will be issues. While men may find it hard to work, travel or even hold a decent conversation in the niqab (who enjoys talking to two eyes and a black sheet?), at least they will finally achieve what they so desperately want for Muslim women.

Closeness to God.

——————
“There is no compulsion in the religion.” Quran Surah al-Baqarat verse 256

[...] debate, along with other recent debates in which Eltahawy appeared, has engendered debate in the blogosphere, much of which focuses [...]

I think those who say that we think we’re the height of piety say this because of their guilt which stems from their lack of commitment to the teachings of Islam. I wear the niqaab but i don’t think i am pious or that i am better then anyone else – but I do think that the niqaab is the best dress for a muslim women to wear in imitation of the mothers of the believers but just because one wears the niqaab it doesn’t make us perfect!

I think it really says alot that mona has yet to respond to the muslim women who are clearly proving her wrong in regards to her claims that we are forced and invisable. It appears that she only cares about liberating the niqaabis (from what i don’t really know) when it gets her some airtime – but when it comes to really interacting with her opposition she is no where to be seen.

[...] the US and Western countries to “take the side of the people of Egypt.” And weeks later, Mona debated other women around France’s recent ban on the niqab and burqa in public spaces—a debate [...]

We’re having a big debate in Australia about Muslim Immigration/niqab etc etc. You should tour Australia just to provide a stimulus for argument and debate. We have a national TV program called QANDA (Question ans Answer) I want you to appear on this program.

Well Done, Mona. You’re absolutely right, she started wearing the face shield, and STOPPED WORKING – Nobody is going to work full time with one of these women in western society, putting on the niqab separates the wearer from everyone else – it’s destructive to our society, it reinforces the foundation of sharia – no matter what you think of Sarkozy, the niqab ban is a good thing for western democracy. Well done

What I don’t understand is what does it matter to another individual the way somebody dresses? If I don’t like people in let’s say, spandex shorts, am I going to make a law based on that? No! I wear my clothes, you wear yours. It’s funny how on one side the world is trying to achieve liberalism, yet on the other side they are defeating the whole purpose of it. If a woman wears a bikini, a niqab, a pair of jeans with a t-shirt, a mini skirt, a sari, a salwar kameez suit, an african outfit, a sikh turban.. it does NOT matter to me. I wear what I want, and they all can wear what they want. There is something really messed up with this world…

May Allah (SWT) guide people to the straight path. Inshallah and Ameen!

Hi Mona,

I’m honestly curious… would you advocate a ban of christian religious attire? Would you support a ban on religious Jews growing their hair out into dreadlocks? Would you criticize the cabala bracelet Madonna sports on her wrist?… Are these not all examples of people’s enslavement to a religious creed?… Or is the niqab the only one? Would you rally in favor of a ban on the many, many other religious symbols that people choose to carry on their faces, chests, or tattoo on their backs?

I am an atheist… I don’t believe in any of these religions. But i certainly would never go around demanding that churches, mosques and temples be torn down just because they all perpetuate something I personally believe to misguided and outright silly.

Why wouldn’t you do the same? And just let people be? Believe what they want, and do what they want, as long as they keep it to themselves?

I do agree with you. There are thousands of women out there who are forced to wear the niqab. But there are thousands more who do it out of their own accord. What about their freedom?

[...] e altri recenti incontri in cui è apparsa la Eltahawy hanno animato le discussioni anche nella blogosfera, molte [...]

[...] link: Mona Eltahawy Blog » Archives » France Niqab Ban on CNN and BBC … This entry was posted in Hajj & Ummrah and tagged family, generally-kind, good-practicing, [...]

Poor Eltahawy!

You say Quran doesn’t require Niqab, which I agree. But your fanatical hate of any pious Muslim or proper Islamic practices is a trend. Why do you associate yourself to Islam in the first place?

BTW, this invisible woman debating with you, nailed you in the head! Have fun poor visible sole!

The argument that the niqab liberates women from objectification is complete bull until all those hot Muslim men do the same thing. All religion is evil. Thank you.

Mona- I find the face coverings abhorrent. I would like them outlawed. However, possibly the strongest arguments at this time concern underage girls wearing them, as they sometimes do.

Also, what of the security argument? I think it is basic for the face to be seen anywhere in public for security purposes.

It is astounding to me how people use religion as a cover to pressure their govt to allow them to do something that works against civil society, as we know it. No group should be allowed this privilege.Why in the world should they ?That a free society allows ‘religious freedom’ seems to be enabling people to twist logical thought for their own benefit. Niqabs are a security problem, and of course, are an outrage that certain men are perpetrating upon their own women. Its a joke really.Religion is manmade, and what some consider a sacred thing is really a bunch of manmade laws by the makers of ur religion. If they conflict with our laws, then they should be outlawed.

BTW Mona- u were great in ur debate against Tariq.And when u spoke to the niqabed one- I dont know why spitzer took the approach that he did.Its just bizarre.

This was great that guy tariq is a taqqia artist, you did very well in both the debates. The burkha needs to be banned everywhere.

[...] هذا الحوار- بالإضافة إلى حوارات أخرى ظهرت فيها منى مؤخراً – جدلاً في مجتمع المدونين تركز [...]

Assalam alaikum,dear Mona,Peace and cool to you sister,you were really trying hard in yr arguments sis,but you should realise that not all niqabis are tortured souls,who are told that they will burn in hell if they show their skin,we are not forced,in fact my husband was initially against my taking the niqab,but agreed when I told him my reasons.I agree totally with sister Heba’s comments,especially her ending ones. Feel real sorry for those women,who are enslaved and become puppets to men’s fantasies,in the name of fashion,and think themselves liberated but are in fact enslaved themselves.And no neither do we love to torture ourselves,but in fact feel liberated by the veil,Mona do try wearing the hijab at least,maybe you will understand….

You are right when you say that Muslim women are coerced or forced to wear the niqab, and their social life/instincts are curbed in the name of Islam. This is done absolutely blatantly in Islamic countries of the Middle East, and definitely done tacitly in Muslim ghettos in Britain, France, the Netherlands, etc. A lot of Muslim women suffer in silence, and have no choice vis-a-vis their dressing or other basic freedoms that many non-Muslim women take for granted.

That said, the fact that there are a tiny, miniscule percentage of Muslim women like Heba, that carry their niqabs on their sleeves, a blanket ban does come across as an infringement on their freedom of religion/expression.

You could have perhaps dis-agreed with a blanket ban, but understood that the practical problems in reaching out to Muslim women in Islamic ghettos, in order for them to actually choose for themselves on their dressing, would be much more. The French decision was a practical one considering the context in which the adherents of the Islamic fundamentalists operate.

Mona

You have said that Sarkozy is a racist, twice in a CNN interview. I do not like Sarkozy, but I am not beeing as clumpsy as you.

You have also said that he broke the law when sending home the Roma-people couple of years ago. Read the 3-month rule. It is very clear text, the ROma-community were offenders not Sarkozy.

Apologize to both EU and Sarkozy on CNN, or cya in court.

Each of us has its own lives and ethnicity. So i guess when living in different country its good to know what is “legal” in that place.