Islam
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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…
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Sameea Jonnud, Aldershot, UK In a recent example of interfaith dialogue, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, worldwide leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community met with Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury on 10th October 2017 where he spoke about the need for tolerance in society and for mutual respect to be displayed by all people and…
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Sameea Jonnud, Aldershot, UK The concept of loyalty and obedience is one that is of the utmost importance to followers of Islam; Muslims follow the teachings of God but also show loyalty to their nation. While there are times when Muslims have been disloyal to their nation, as illustrated by terrorist attacks and occasions of…
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Sameea Jonnud, Aldershot, UK One of the questions that most often get asked of Muslim women is why they wear the headscarf; those who disagree with it claim it is forced on women and unnecessary in the modern world. Another is why in Islam women can’t shake the hand of men in greeting; here accusations…
