Category Archives: Freedom of Religion

There are plenty of muslim men who live in the west and oppose the European niqab ban. But when it comes to upholding the right of women to oppose the burqa, they tend to become uncharacteristically silent or they talk about their new-found appreciation of Damian Green and ‘Britishness’. Authentic voices of muslim women who live in muslim countries and oppose the niqab where it is compulsory by law are even fewer. One of them is Saudiwoman and this is her comment on the burkha ban:

****

Covering the face has been a highly emotional and politicized issue in the Muslim community for the past two decades. I have written about it before and called it the sixth pillar of Islam. It has become a false banner for Islamic piety. Islam is now reduced to a dress code. It does not matter if you lie, steal or slander your friends and neighbors, if you cover your face you are perceived by society as an untouchable religious God fearing person.

This is a cross-post from the Pakistan Tribune.

It was bad enough that they could not unequivocally condemn the brutal massacre of nearly 100 Ahmadis in Lahore. Yet the temerity of the leaders of 13 religious and political organisations to label the attack a conspiracy aimed at repealing the discriminatory laws against Ahmadis is nothing short of morally repugnant. If ever these so-called religious leaders had any semblance of moral authority, they have ensured that none remains. In essence, what these people are saying is that the Ahmadis deserve no sympathy from their compatriots simply because their views on faith do not conform to the specifics that these so-called clerics deem within the ambit of the religion. Who appointed them the arbiters of God’s mercy? Who told them that they could create a poisonous environment where Ahmadis are barely considered human? Who told them that they could prevent the rest of us from weeping for their tragedy?