Category Archives: Hijab

Torygraph joins anti-veil campaign

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Under the headline “The niqab is a worrying symbol of segregation” the Sunday Telegraph has an editorial supporting the prohibition of the veil in some circumstances. While it stops short of calling for complete ban, the Telegraph states that “facial communication is important in some parts of the public sphere, and … the relevant authorities should be at liberty to require it if they wish”. Like the Express, the paper thinks that Birmingham Metropolitan College capitulated to PC pressure by changing its rules to allow students to wear the niqab.

For the Sunday Telegraph the question of whether Muslim women should be allowed to cover their faces in public is apparently the issue of the week, because in addition to an editorial the paper also features a double-page spread on the niqab.

An article by the paper’s chief reporter Robert Mendick brackets the Birmingham Metropolitan College controversy with an ongoing legal dispute over whether a Muslim woman should be allowed to wear her niqab in court. According to Mendick, these are just two components of a Muslim-leftist plot: “An alliance of Islamic groups and Left-wing activists have been accused of conspiring to put pressure on institutions to overturn existing bans on the wearing of full-face coverings.”

Continue reading →

Thousands march through Montreal to protest Quebec values charter

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Montreal protest against PQ charter

Thousands jammed the streets of Montreal on Saturday afternoon to denounce Quebec’s proposed charter of values, calling on Premier Pauline Marois to put an end to “politics of division.” The protest march, billed as an inclusive, multicultural event, drew many members of the Muslim and Sikh communities in particular. Others who claimed no religious allegiance also took part.

A group from a local mosque walked with a large banner that read: “Multi-faith gathering for peace.” “This is a time for all religions to come together for what they believe in,” said Noman Safdar, a 24-year-old engineer who was helping hold up the sign. “We came here for freedom,” said Safdar, originally from Pakistan and wearing a Muslim cap. “You can’t go and impose things on people like this.”

Continue reading →

Daily Express denounces ‘cowardly surrender’ by Birmingham college after U-turn over veil ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A city college that brought in a face veil ban has come under fire after it performed an embarrassing U-turn.

Just a day after David Cameron backed Birmingham Metropolitan College for outlawing religious veils on security grounds, bosses announced they had changed their minds. Now anyone can wear a face covering if it reflects their “cultural values”, the college said yesterday. The “cowardly” climbdown came after “politically correct critics” set up an online petition against the move.

Continue reading →

Birmingham Metropolitan College drops controversial Muslim veil ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Birmingham Metropolitan College logoA college which told pupils to remove facial coverings, including religious veils, for security reasons, has now changed its policy. A city college was forced to drop its controversial ban on Muslim face veils – less than 24 hours before a mass demonstration by hundreds of students.

The astonishing U-turn by Birmingham Metropolitan College came after a protest petition attracted a staggering 8,000 signatures in just 48 hours. Hundreds of students planned to gather outside the Matthew Boulton city-centre campus at 2.30pm on Friday to voice their opposition to the policy, which was criticised by city councillors and MPs.

Continue reading →

Judge allows woman to wear full-face veil in court

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A judge has reached a compromise with a woman who refused to remove her full face veil when appearing in court.

The Muslim woman, who denied a charge of witness intimidation, had previously been told by Judge Peter Murphy that she would have to show her face to enter a plea so she could be conclusively identified.

The Londoner, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had argued that she was unable to remove the face covering – called a niqab – in the presence of men for religious reasons.

The same judge today backed down and allowed her to enter the dock to plead not guilty while wearing a niqab after a female police officer, who saw her face when she was photographed after her arrest, had a private viewing with her in a room at Blackfriars Crown Court in London. The officer then swore on oath that it was the same woman.

Judge Murphy said: “I would be satisfied for the officer giving evidence, having seen the defendant backstage so to speak in a private setting, saying she could identify her.”

The judge will give directions on Monday as to whether the woman can stand trial while wearing a veil that shows only her eyes.

Continue reading →

Ad aims to lure Quebec doctors to Ontario, targeting values charter

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Lakeridge Health adAn Ontario hospital is trying to lure Quebec-trained health care workers by tapping into the controversy surrounding Quebec’s values charter.

Lakeridge Health is planning to run the ad, which features a woman wearing a headscarf, in a McGill University student newspaper. The ad says: “We don’t care what’s on your head. We care what’s in it.”

“We thought, given the controversy that’s going on in Quebec … maybe this would be an opportunity to create some awareness of what Lakeridge Health is,” said Kevin Empey, chief executive of the Oshawa-based hospital.

Continue reading →

Nick Clegg ‘uneasy’ about ban on Muslim veils in school

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Nick Clegg has backed teachers who feel uncomfortable about pupils wearing full-face Muslim veils, but says he is “uneasy” about a college that has brought in a blanket ban.

The deputy prime minister said he could “totally understand” teachers who did not want full-face veils in the classroom as they needed to make “eye contact and face contact with pupils”. However, Clegg said these were “exceptional circumstances” and he generally supported people’s right to wear whatever religious clothing they liked.

“I’m really quite uneasy about anyone being told what they have to wear,” he said on LBC 97.3. “I think I’ve set the bar very high to justify something like that because one of the things that is great about our country is that we are diverse, we are tolerant.

“People do dress differently, people do have different faiths, people do have different convictions and that is reflected in what they wear, in how they present themselves.”

Continue reading →

Birmingham MP attacks city college veil ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Shabana MahmoodA Birmingham MP has attacked a city college’s controversial decision to ban students from wearing Muslim veils.

Shabana Mahmood, MP for Ladywood, said she was “shocked” and “deeply concerned” at the policy introduced at Birmingham Metropolitan College. She spoke after the Mail revealed students had been banned from wearing all face coverings, including the niqab – which leaves only the eyes visible. Ms Mahmood is now demanding an urgent meeting with college leaders about the decision, which has sparked a furious backlash from some Muslim girls.

“For those that chose to wear the full veil, it is an important article of faith,” Ms Mahmood said. “I would like to know how many students are affected and a full explanation as to why the compromise suggested by students at the College, that the veil is removed for security staff to check and verify identity before being put back on, was not accepted by the College.

“I am deeply concerned that other colleges may follow suit, as a result of which increasing numbers of women will be locked out of education and skills training. We must not allow this to happen.”

Continue reading →