Voice of British Muslim Women

A Response to Julia Hartley-Brewer’s Comments on Talk TV

Iffat Mirza Rashid, Bentley

It is reasonable for any civilised society to expect the journalists and spokespeople of their country and media to report with integrity and truth. When claims are made, that there is some sort of evidence to back any claims made, and indeed, for balanced discussion to be held – that is to say, in the spirit of freedom of speech and conscience, these are basic expectations and tenets.

Having said this, am I at all surprised that Julia Hartley-Brewer has once again come after Muslim women, on her show on Talk TV in August, with only baseless claims and presumptions? Absolutely not. Speaking with former government advisor Claire Pearsall, she sought to brand the burqa as the epitome of female oppression, saying she ‘can’t think of anything more misogynistic and hateful of women than making them wear an item of clothing that means they have no face, no identity, you can’t even see them’. She went on to say that there is no such thing as a woman choosing to wear the burqa, and that in her day it was called ‘grooming’.

I would sincerely like to review any evidence that she must make any such claims, and as a public, we have not only the right, but the moral duty to question such ‘journalism’. It is an unscientific claim; there is no research to back this up.  If Julia Hartley-Brewer truly wishes to protect freedom of speech, a cover she so desperately attempts to hide behind, she would surely understand that evidence and research is necessary in order to uphold the integrity of free speech. Or perhaps this is it – that she is more concerned with some grave misunderstanding of free speech than with integrity.

In reality, there are studies to show that increased modesty opens up other societal barriers that women face in the professional world. Women, from all backgrounds, have campaigned for women’s safe spaces. One study published in the journal of Medical Principles and Practice showed that veiled women are less likely to feel objectified, and another study from the University of Durham showed further when girls do not feel as objectified, they excel in ar eas of life such as sport more.

Julia Hartley-Brewers obsession with considering the Muslim woman silent is nothing more than a projection of her own misogynistic expectations. In an interview with Mustafa Barghouti, earlier in 2024, she patronisingly shouted at him ‘maybe you’re not used to women talking, I don’t know!’. The interview in August with Clare Pearsall revealed it all, when Julia Hartley Brewer states ‘they can’t speak properly, you can’t hear them properly’. It seems that the issue is ultimately not that she cannot hear us Muslim women properly, but instead has no desire to listen to us. It is an insult to the educated and integrated Muslim women of the UK and West that they are all being defined as ‘browbeaten’.

I am currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Cambridge. English is my most proficient language. I have lived in the UK my whole life. This is all whilst observing modest dress and the hijab. My research engages with feminist theories that emerge from across the world and their applications. I am perfectly integrated into British society. I can categorically, with evidence, state that the Islamic injunction to dress modestly (and, no, that does not mean having to necessarily cover the entire face), has no basis in misogyny. However, it seems that Julia Hartley-Brewer does not have any wish to actually engage with Muslim women. If she so sincerely wishes for our ‘liberation’, it would be fair to expect her to actually speak to us once in a while.

It is not the religion of Islam which has silenced Muslim women, but journalists, spokespeople, and politicians who consider their voices more important which has consistently shunned Muslim women. I am speaking loud and clear, whether or not I am heard. To accuse us of being ‘browbeaten’ and ‘groomed’, firstly, is a serious allegation which requires evidence, but secondly is only contributing to stereotypes that not just Muslim women, but all women are devoid of agency. 

Muslim women, as part of their faith, desire to dress modestly and this is not unique to Islam and can be found across world religions. Rather, in every religion, those who are particularly religious and have strong faith have tended to adhere to the concept of modesty in dress. Muslim women continue to be the target of criticism when it comes to modesty. Perhaps the criticism has nothing to do with modesty and everything to do with a woman’s decision to remain steadfast in her faith? Perhaps the issue is with religion altogether, in which case I would be very curious to hear more about her defence of freedom of conscience. I do not hear her accusations extending to Christian nuns or Orthodox Jewish women. Thus, it is fair to assume her issue is with Muslim women in particular. The Islamic injunction for modesty (which, by the way, is applicable to men and women alike), protects society from social ills such as infidelities. It protects families and indeed future generations.

Whilst Julia Hartley Brewer ‘can’t think of anything more misogynistic and hateful of women’ than the burqa, I cannot think of anything more liberating than the burqa from the male gaze. It is a symbol that rejects societal pressures of attracting male attention, it is a huge reversal of impossible and unnatural beauty expectations, and it is a statement of my agency as a woman that can freely integrate, and achieve educational and professional accolades, all without conforming to the now common expectations of womanhood. I could call Julia Hartley-Brewer Islamophobic, or I could simply call her wrong. Both would be accurate.