First post in a long while here. Too many real world things on my plate right now. But found some time to get back here and find that not much has changed. Just the same old repetitive topics except nice to see the chess topics for a bit of variety and even a topic on the blue Traffie!
Firstly I would have to say that the decision by the law Lords was the right one. Simple common sense really and it is a relief that it has prevailed here. Miss Begum had attened this school fully aware of the uniform policy. She had adhered to it until when she decided to start wearing the Jilbab back in late 2002. It is important to note that almost 80% of those attending the same school are Muslims who had no problem with the policy.
Now if I recall correctly from an interview I heard from a person representing the school they denied here request to wear the jilbab on safety grounds and that the school already had a flexible policy with regards to religious and cultural sensitivities. If she wanted to, Miss Begum could have accepted this decision and found another school which would allow such a garment to be worn. There are schools in the UK which permit this I believe.
I suspect that someone got in her ear and said fight this. I suspect that that someone was either a member of Hizbut Tahrir (HT) or had contacts at HT. Certainly HT were quick to jump into the fray supporting Miss Begim with legal advise/lawyers. Quite frankly I think HT, being the parasites that they are, were steering this ship from the beginning for their own agenda.
With regards to the actual debate within Islam over what constitutes Islamic dress there are wide and differing opinions. Hence that is why you will see some Muslim women wear nothing over the head, some wear a loose scarf partially over their hair/head (granny scarf I call this), Hijab, Jilbab, up to the extreme Burqa with gloves (ala Wacko Jacko) and all. My own personal view and interpretation as a Western Aussie Muslim man on this subject is that you can wear whatever you bloody well want in so far as you fulfill your obligation of modesty. I base my opinion off in principle these Qu'ranic verses:
Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them. And God is well-acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarliy) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except before their husbands...(24:30-31)
I hope that this is the end of this story but I wouldn't be surprised if HT and others try to pressure this girl into taking this to the EU Commission for Human Rights or something absolutely ridiculous like that.
