By Nadeya Hussain –
The religious garment known as a Niqab is a face veil worn by Muslims, and has been the subject of many controversies, debates, and legislation bans over the last few decades.
It was in 2010 that the French government banned the Niqab, and any form of face veil in public spaces, as French government officials declared that “the Republic is lived with uncovered faces”.
Interestingly, the last 18 months has seen the world wearing masks that covered half of their faces, and have received fines or otherwise been ostracised if they failed to wear one without valid exemption.
There is, however, a defining difference between a Niqab and a mask. In Islam, the Niqab is a religious garment covering the nose and mouth for religious purposes.
Similarly, a mask also covers the nose and mouth, however, it is used for health and safety.
Despite being used for completely different purposes, Niqabs and face masks cover the same area. But why does one produce more stigmatised fear and terror than the other?
Personal Expression vs Representation
Throughout history, people have been restricted from expressing themselves because of the stigma and distorted media representation.
Prior to now, there was a lot of fear surrounding terrorism and religious clothing. This discomfort has led to many people avoiding religious wear in public.
Policies and online representations may seem harmless, but these regulation policies fail to recognise consequences such as Islamophobia, which can lead to hate crimes, especially against women who wear the Niqab.
But discrimination comes in many forms, and the more subtle ones might not even be noticed.
For example, in France, if you’re caught not wearing a mask, you would have to pay a fine of $165; however, if you’re caught wearing a Niqab, a fine of $180 will apply.
Read More: The Intersectionality of LGBTQ+ and Religion
Acceptance
However, on a more positive aspect, many have claimed that since the pandemic and the growth of masks in public, wearing the Niqab has become easier since it is more accepted due to its normality of covering the nose and mouth.
The likelihood of others judging or showing discrimination is reduced as they themselves must cover their mouths and noses in accordance with the law.
One Muslim woman who wears a Niqab told me the following about wearing one in public:
“I feel more comfortable wearing a Niqab, I feel like I have fewer eyes on me compared to before.
“It’s normal now to have your face covered. We can only hope that the lack of judgement stays now that masks aren’t mandatory.”
With all these factors in mind, we as a community should strive to embrace diversity, embrace different cultures, and strive to get rid of prejudice and judgement.
Human Rights Act 1998
What you may not be aware of is that the Human Rights Act 1998 protects us all.
As stated in Article 9 of the Human Rights Act, freedom of religion and belief is one of the protected rights.
It protects your right to hold both religious and non-religious beliefs. As such, if you are the victim of an act of racism or religious hatred, you are well within your rights to report it to the authorities.
To seek useful information regarding discrimination, there are websites such as “The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)” that can advise you also. (www.equalityhumanrights.com.)