Islam
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Yusra Dahri, London Introduction Recently, a lot of controversy arose from Ofsted’s (Amanda Spielman) fear of the hijab ‘sexualising’ young girls, aged 4 to 5, who may wear headscarves in primary school. There is no Islamic requirement for girls to wear a headscarf until they have reached full physical maturity, so it’s perfectly acceptable for…
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Maha Khan, London As soon as the term ‘competition’ is articulated, one is instantly reminded of the inferiority and superiority of those around us. We are quick to start digging around in search for our competition in every aspect of our lives, whether it be deemed healthy or not. It is fair to say that…
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Sarah Waseem, London Amanda Spielman, the Chief Inspector for Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education (UK)) inspectors will talk to primary school girls who wear the hijab to ascertain from them why they do so. The move comes after concerns that wearing the hijab could be interpreted as the sexualising of young girls. Is the…
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Munazzah Chou, London Dear OFSTED The case of your inspectors asking young primary school girls about their choice of clothing makes as much sense as CQC inspectors asking paediatric patients about their sartorial choices in clinic. Very little. The function of both organisations being the inspection and regulation of services, why one would wish to…
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Laiqa Bhatti, Surrey When Ofsted announced that their inspectors will talk to primary school girls who wear hijabs a few days back in order to tackle ‘sexualisation of children’, it raised a lot of questions and debate. In a climate where Islamophobia and related hate crimes are rising, the hijab has been the go-to issue for…
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Sarah Ward Khan, London Sometimes people stare at me in the street. I’ve come to recognise that certain look that crosses a stranger’s face of confusion and bewilderment. For I am a white woman in a headscarf – an anomaly, not fitting the mould. There is no cultural or familial pressure for me to conform,…
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Navida Sayed, London Over the last decade the hijab has become one of the most widely discussed and controversial topic not only in the West but also in Muslim societies. The covering of the head has also been debated among some Muslim scholars and they have joined in the debate on whether or not…
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Laiqa Bhatti, Surrey The hijab is a piece of cloth that covers a Muslim woman’s hair and bosom. Yet somehow it seems to become the focal point of many debates particularly when discussing Islam. Many European countries seek to, or have legislated against, the hijab or some form of it. They justify this in the…
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Mishal Aziz, Raynes Park, London Today, 16th November, marks International Tolerance Day. Tolerance means the ability to endure subjection to something without a negative reaction. In today’s world where communities are so diverse and multi-cultural, we need tolerance more than ever in order to maintain peace in society. Many non-Muslims object that the Holy Prophet…
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Iffat Mirza, Raynes Park, London In the modern world, the word Islam unfortunately, and most wrongly, carries the connotation of intolerance and violence. The truth could not be further from this unjust and ill-informed accusation. The word Islam is quite literally the Arabic word for peace and also for submission. From just this it is…
Voice of British Muslim Women 