This is a cross post by Faisal of the Spittoon
Take a look at the video of the fascinating discussion on the banning of the niqab which saw the Mona Eltahawy, the British-Egyptian feminist take on Tariq Ramadan’s dishonest dissembling.
The debate was electric, not least because this is probably one of the only times you will ever hear the “Muslim right wing” as a stakeholder in the niqab debate identified on British TV.
Kirsty Wark: But the question, surely, is not whether there are feminist reasons for wearing the veil or not. It is ‘why is wearing the veil becoming more prevalent rather than less prevalanet’?
Mona Eltahawy: I think it has become more prevalent because the space has been left completely uncontested to the Muslim right wing which does not respect anyone’s rights whatsoever except for this one right to cover a woman’s face. No one has pushed back against the Muslim right wing. I detest the political right wing but I equally detest the Muslim right wing and I will not sacrifice women. Integration has largely failed across Europe even in the UK, with multiculturalism. But we’re not going to sacrifice women for it.
