Talking about women’s clothing

The Berlin Wall fell twenty years ago, this year.
Could anyone watching with hope then have forecast the political scenario today?
That a French President can find nothing better to do but talk about a piece of cloth, worn by women.
In the middle of unjust wars, an unjust European structure, and an unjust economy with millions being thrown on the scrapheap, bankrupt bankers gorging themselves on our money, while half the workforce has to take a pay cut or forego a pay rise or else lose their job…..
In the year where the world is meant to (but will not) take bold decision on climate change at Copenhagen….

Of course, it is a great diversion from these issues.
There is underlying prejudice too. So a commission will look into this matter…..again.
The debate about the veil has been raging for over a decade and why?

What about this side of the Channel?
Walk around Tower Hamlets….. what is the big deal? Many wear burqas, some even the veil. But then, others wear jeans and T-shirts.

Would I prefer women wearing the veil or not? No.
Why not? Because I feel it is an intrepretation which is not relevant today, but then I am not an expert.
Is it any of my business to decide what women wear? No.
Do I favour equality between the sexes? Yes.
Does the veil automatically mean women’s subjugation? No, because there is something called free will and I would suggest a lot of women in Tower Hamlets are strong willed enough to decide what they want.

For many Guardianistas, who feel they must ’save people who may not know they are being subjugated’ (as missionaries did in colonial times), let’s remove some stereotypes.
The women in Whitechapel who may wear religious inspired clothing don’t look down-trodden. They don’t look like they are trembling with fear.
It’s a matter of choice.
For some, no doubt, it is an attempt of social conformity and naturally there may be some who could be morally blackmailed into a change of fashion.
Nevertheless, this non-issue has become one, primarily because of the prejudices of some of the wider public.
If we really want to ‘emancipate these women’, why not focus on family poverty, the lack of investment in the community, on better education facilities and decent jobs at the end of it?
And getting out of wars which don’t concern us – the wider backdrop to this.
Let’s leave women’s choice of clothing to women. There are a lot more pressing issues which we have not solved.