By MarocPost.net
October 22, 2006 12:00 AM

The veil issue is creating a huge controversy not only in the Arab world but every where else too, especially in Europe. Arab and Muslim streets are more and more filled with women with head scarf and religious outfits; this phenomenon is now widespread throughout the Muslim world and in lesser extent Europe and Asia. 

What is the meaning of wearing a veil? Why is this decision to wear extra clothing stirring so many debates and igniting harsh criticism? Why are women targeted in this debate?

Personally I believe that this idea is misunderstood rather than hated or totally rejected, if you ask those who are against the head scarf in the west for the real reasons they believe that a woman should not choose to cover herself, they would say that the scarf is a symbol of religion and government institutions which are built on secularism, do not have to accommodate such expression especially that, to them, the veiled woman is imposing her religion on the social settings she is in such as schools “in France and Turkey” or to consult her representative in the UK. In the Muslim world and especially in the Arab countries the criticism is not as strong and there is no law that forbids the veils “except in Turkey’s Universities” but there is some resentment from the so-called moderate or pro-western Arabs, this resentment is seen as more of an ideological battle between the old (left or right) and new wave of Arab identity (islamization of the political and social surface) As per the Arab governments they see the scarf as a symbol of political movement and more this movement shows its force, more intimidating it becomes which is a losing proposition for the Arab system as it is now. The reason why this show of force represents a threat to the left and right alike is because the principals on which the Islamic Parties promote their ideologies are sacred and any attack on them will be seen as an attack on the religion. However to do politics parties need to have that ability, to attack and criticize. This is why non-religious parties do what ever possible to avoid the spread of headscarf not for religious but for political reasons. 

Who is right and who is wrong is to be debated for the next decades but the elephant in the room in this case is not to safe-guard the public institution from the “islamization” in the west or the political threat expressed on the Arab street by a simple veil, the real issue in my opinion is the very concept of democracy, freedom and human rights. I put my personally belief aside and I speak from a logical point of view, the scarf is a religious symbol and it shows a certain ideology that could be understood as a political movement but it is also and foremost a CHOICE! A choice not on others but a choice oneself, when did we lose our freedom to choose what to wear? Women throughout the world wear short skirts and shorts but no one sees that as an attack on his/her space and no one should. However the veiled woman should also feel this freedom to cover herself if she wishes to, it is her body and to ask her to uncover it IS an attack on her rights. She buys her clothes based on her personal fashion statement, her choice of colors and her conviction that certain parts of her body are not to be displayed in public. Taking off women’s clothes by passing laws is a step backward not forward, a woman “Muslim or non Muslim” needs to be empowered with her freedom to choose her destiny her career and her outfits too! It seems confusing to on one hand promote women’s freedom and equality in every aspect of her life (schooling, career, health, marriage) BUT not in her wardrobe!
To be fair and balanced we must look at other religious outfits and compare them to the veil. Take the nuns for example they worship, work and mingle with people wearing their religious outfit. Hasidic are also covered but they do not ignite such criticism from anyone. Why is the Muslim woman suddenly under the microscope? Why is her choice seen as a threat? Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan was head of State of a country that was building the nuclear bomb, she was veiled. Many Muslim Women with strong education background decide to embrace this life style out of real conviction and true dedication to her religion, far from belonging to a certain political movement or to antagonize the west, perhaps Islam as an idea or even an expression is feared and misunderstood or perhaps there is a general Islamophobia in the west and any symbol that represents Islam is seen as a threat to the less religious west and the secular parties in the Muslim world. If the west goes as far as restricting women’s freedom to quell this phenomenon than the veil has become a major nuisance to them and if the secular parties in the Muslim world attempt to pass laws to restrict the veil usage than they must feel threatened by it
In conclusion, the veil is a very personal choice and no one else should have a saying, not the political parties and not the western governments. Many western governments expressed respect and acceptance to the veil, this shows that the perception of the threat the veil represents is not real; take the US as an example, women could go to school, public institutions and work with her veil and the society accepts her because America is a true melting pot, Italy is another example of a society and a government that sees the veil as a strictly personal CHOICE. 
Morocco is not exempt from this debate since it is a major Muslim country with strong ties to the west and a huge Diaspora in Europe. More and more Moroccan women wear the veil, they do so for different reasons and so far no one subjected them to criticism nor to laws that restrict them, but we must stay vigilant to make sure the freedom to wear the veil is not taken away from our mothers, wives, daughters and sisters and especially for political reasons or to win an election, the political parties need to find a way to be effective and attractive without igniting this fake issue. A Moroccan woman is allowed by Muslim values, by law and by her RIGHTS to wear the veil and be a productive citizen wearing the veil. Not wearing a veil is also a right of CHOICE, choosing not to wear a veil is not immoral and no one should suggest that we should veil all our women, if we learned one thing from Afghanistan is that we can not subject women to such harsh laws. Ultimately a woman must make her own choice without any interventions or manipulations on whether veil or no veil

By:Zak__________
marocpost.net