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British Muslims for Secular Democracy (bmsd) position paper on the wearing of the Burka and Niqab in Europe

09/10/2009

British Muslims for Secular Democracy is encouraged by reports that Sheikh Tantawi, the leading religious figure at Al-Azhar University in Egypt, has declared the Niqab (face-veil covering the entire face) to be incompatible with Islamic teachings.  Upon a recent visit to a secondary school in Cairo, Sheikh Tantawi spotted a pupil wearing a face-veil and remarked, "The Niqab is a tradition, it has no connection with religion," before asking her to remove it.  This viewpoint reflects the sentiments of the vast majority of moderate Muslims across the world.  bmsd is particularly pleased since it also reinforces our stance that the Niqab is a cultural practice - aimed at physically suppressing and segregating women from the rest of society - which should not be labelled as mandatory in Islam.  Face-coverings are not only a barrier to integration and communication, but also a major security risk at places like airports, banks and children's nurseries.

While bmsd supports the right of men and women to dress how they choose on civil libertarian grounds, we recognise that even in liberal democracies, certain personal choices must be curtailed in the wider interests of society e.g. prohibitions on public nudity or hate speech.  Covering oneself beyond recognition in the afore-mentioned settings is one more example which bmsd opposes.

Dr Shaaz Mahboob of bmsd said: "It is indeed ironic that whenever certain
Muslim scholars - who are deemed to be authorities on Islamic theology -
express an opinion that is in line with rigid and rather intolerant interpretations of Islamic teachings, they are repeatedly cited in discussion forums by hard-line organisations.  However, when the same scholars appear to deviate from ultra-conservative views on a particular issue, their opinion is not only ignored but also referred to as "merely their personal opinion". This seems to have happened in this case: a leading cleric has expressed a flexible viewpoint on women's freedom, which has been unanimously ignored by so-called representative hard-line Muslim organisations and Mosques alike."

To read BMSD's position paper on this issue, please visit:

http://www.bmsd.org.uk/articles.asp?id=34

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Notes to the editors:  

  1. bmsd is made up of a group of Muslim democrats of diverse ethnic and social backgrounds, who support a clear separation between religion and the State.  
  2. bmsd’s mission statement:   “To promote civic engagement, social inclusion, responsible citizenship and good governance particularly within constituent Muslim communities of Britain; in order to build an understanding of the shared values between all citizens to enable them to live in an inclusive, pluralist, secular and confident Britain.”   
  3. bmsd claims no mandate or false representative status. Our primary concern is democratic engagement not detailed theological analysis or debate. The level and depth of commitment to the doctrinal core and orthodoxy of the faith varies among Muslims as much as it does in members of other faith groups. bmsd founders wish to create a platform for alternative, diverse Muslim views, essential for a progressive, multi-layered, democratic identity that is not in conflict with itself or fellow citizens.  
  4. For details please visit http://www.bmsd.org.uk  
  5. For any further queries, please contact:  Dr Shaaz Mahboob on  shaaz@bmsd.org.uk or 07961365751 or Tehmina Kazi on 0207 631 4175