Arranged marriages - Essay Example

(p.1176) In the world after 9/11, wearing a hijab can also be seen as a political sign. (Afshar, Aitken & Franks, 2005) Klausen (2005) has mentioned a case of Baroness Uddin, a member of the House of Lords, who admits wearing hijab for political reasons. (Klausen, 2005, p.185) Unfortunately, it has become a target of non-Muslims’ atrocities around the world, especially after the 9/11 attacks. Discrimination against hijab was also prevalent in the UK prior to 9/11, although it might not be to a great extent at that time.

Geldart (1999) mentioned that in 1993, a head teacher in West Sussex pressurized a girl to remove her hijab. (Geldart, 1999) Currently, a debate is also going on in European countries about banning hijab to some extent. Fekete (2004) points out that European Nations “should not use state power to force on any individual a dress code, whether culturally or religiously determined”. (p.26) Beckman (2007) points out that if a hijab-wearing woman is asked to remove her hijab, it would bring her enormous embarrassment and a feeling of disrespect.

(Beckman, 2007) As it will be seen in this research, hijab-wearing women are not willing to give away their right at any cost, and a ban can be harmful for the nations themselves. UK is a home to a majority of Muslims but it is a land where Muslim women face many tribulations and hurdles from other non-Muslim groups just because they cover their face. These atrocities vary in intensity and nature. While many people abuse verbally and psychologically, some may even go to the extent of physical torture.

In one incident, comedian Shazia Mirza was “physically attacked by young men in a British Muslim audience in London’s Brick Lane.” (Tarlo, 2007, p.146) The recent attack on the veiling of Muslim women was made by ex-Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in the year 2006 when he criticised women who wear veils.