Cover up? Hijabs in Irish Schools

This has been a hot topic this week, among the chattering classes and the earnest pundits. News stories abound: Principal calls for guidelines on wearing of hijab in schools and Muslim Headscarf Row Hits Irish Schools to name but two. Joe Duffy has spoken, Morning Ireland has opinionated. And the debate has of course polarized.

If you object to the wearing of the hijab or  khimār  you are a racist. If you accept it you are a woman hater. The truth as ever lies somewhere in the middle.

I have little objection to Islamic women wearing the Hijab outside of working or school environments.

Personally I think it’s a pity; I think it is a symbol of repression of women and I resent its presence in a country that has famously had to fight for basic women’s rights perhaps harder than in any other developed European modern country. I see it as a step back.

Personally I despise the weakness of women who adopt it and who effectively opt out of the difficulties of life. Yes, a man might look at you. Yes, it’s easy to hide behind a scarf or a veil. Yes you’re less likely to have to face issues of sexuality and gender politics – but it’s hardly living is it?

And personally I am impatient of the hypocrisy that calls it “freedom” – if the Hijab makes you so free how come you can’t let other Islamic girls choose not to wear it? And as for the hypocrisy that says it is not part of the repression of women – it’s entire validity in Islam is based on a passage of the Koran Qur’an 24:31 and it’s primary function if to instruct women not to “inflame” men. It strikes against the fundamental principle of Irish and European laws governing sexual assault – that principle that makes men responsible for their own actions, and rejects the plea that a women “led him on” by provocative dress. A principle that women had to fight damn hard for.

And the argument that it’s cultural and therefore by default, must be accepted is belied by the Islamic world’s lack of reciprocal respect for Western Culture: -   the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for example, who insisted the grieving mother of Simon Cumbers wear a full burka type covering before allowing her (finally) to see her son’s body. Western female visitors to fundementalist Islamic countries are not offered the choice of wearing their own culturally acceptable clothes

But, having said all that, if some woman is silly enough to buy into the propaganda and make herself a scapegoat for men’s irresponsibility, then fine. On her own time, she is entitled to do as she pleases, it is actually a free country. I can’t have my own way about it.

But in work, and in school, I don’t believe that anyone should flout the rules. I have many Hindu friends who can’t send their kids to school in a sari. Mind you they don’t think they should. I have Jewish friends whose children somehow manage to get through school life with a skull cap. I have Atheist friends and Pagan friends whose children attend primarily Catholic schools without taking offence at either the dress code or the underlying ethos. Their attitude is, if their children wish to take advantage of the Irish school system, they conform to that system.
And therein lies the rub Ladies and Gentlemen – we can’t all have our own way. I haveto put up with grown women wearing the Hijab, despite my dislike of all it represents. I accept their right to do so. But in return the Islamic community has to  accept that they can’t always have their own way either. If they wish to attend a mainstream Irish school they have to bow to the primary culture. Just as if anyone wants to live in Ireland they have to bow to the host culture. Luckily for us all the host culture is a democracy – not a theocracy. Democracies let everyone have their own culture as much as possible. But there is a compromise that has to be made

 - our culture has to have the same consideration as everyone else’s. Bummer, eh? 

Disclaimer: I equally dislike allreligions’ strictures against women from the Catholic Church to the Budhist I am an equal opportunity refuter of inequality!