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One Reporter's Opinion: Muslim Women Veiled and Marked George Putnam It is this reporter's opinion, m'lady, that if you seek employment in Europe, don't wear your Muslim veil (the "niqab"). Perhaps more than any other symbol, the veil sets Muslims apart and, worn by a minority of Muslim women in Europe, it is an easy target for stereotyping. Worse, the veil is an obstruction to employment.
Reporter Elizabeth Bryant of the Washington Times tells of a young woman applying for work in the French city of Lyon. Before looking at her resume, the interviewer asked the woman to remove her headscarf. When she refused, she was immediately dismissed.
The Muslim veil is drawing growing criticism in much of Europe. It has been banned from public schools in France and Belgium. And the face-concealing veil has been outlawed in several European towns.
A series of incidents pitting Europe's Muslim population against the Christian majorities bring into sharp focus:
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Frank Fregosi, a specialist on Islam, says there is a fear and tension in parts of the population that does not bode well with the future. There are countless examples of ugly confrontations.
In Brussels a 40-year-old woman shares the foreboding. "I haven't had problems until now, but things are changing," she says. She was recently converted to Islam and adopted the veil. "People's looks are increasingly hostile." More than any other symbol, the veil sets women apart.
Veiled women tell of the niqab being a barrier to employment. A survey by the Pew Research Center finds hostility against Muslims - 39 percent in France, 42 percent in Britain, and 51 percent in Germany.
The mayor of a city in Belgium has outlawed the wearing of the face-concealing niqab in public, and a number of Belgian public schools have banned the students from wearing any kind of veil to class. The mayor explains his action: "We have many old people and they are afraid when they see women wearing the veil. It is important in our town and in our Western culture that people see each other face to face."
European politicians critical of the veil cite the importance of integrating various ethnic groups. That was the message behind French legislation banning the headscarf and other religious symbols in public schools. The controversy is increasing. Even in multicultural Britain, the niqab has brought ferocious debate that has grown ugly and rancorous.
Perhaps Khadija Khali, a practicing Muslim and head of a French Muslim group, best summarizes the growing controversy. Says Khali, "If you're in Europe, you need to live according to European customs. Either you adapt, or if you insist upon wearing Middle Eastern clothing, you leave." Khali has gone to Mecca five times. Mrs. Khali does not wear a niqab. Increasingly, her friends are agreeing to remove the Muslim veil in order to eliminate this barrier to employment.
But the controversy over the Muslim veil has only begun. America is only now learning of this heated debate. 9/11 was the wake-up call; before that fateful day, most Americans thought veiled women appeared only on the movie screen. Baghdad, Afghanistan and the rest were only distant exotic faraway lands in a Rudolph Valentino movie. We were scarcely aware of Muslim women and their limiting veils and the hell they were going through just by simply appearing in public.
We had our heads in the desert sands, but now we are aware and learning more every day thanks to the brave reporters and correspondents who are lifting the veil and opening our eyes to the plight of Muslim women.
References:
"Muslim veils prompt bans across Europe" by Elizabeth Bryant
"British race relations watchdog warns Muslim veil debate could trigger riots" by Trevor Phillips
Editor's note:
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