veil of fear?

this portion written in autumn, 2006 and posted on blogger

HEADDRESS NIQAB

~on the surface~
veil of fear … i watched a documentary of this title … and, honestly? not sure what to think. on the surface, sure, the issue of this veil controversy seems simple. but … dig deeper. if you’re a canadian – then, it ain’t so simple. a canadian will think mosaic, not melting pot. do we have a right to dictate the dress of civilians in our society? why do we? what about freedom of religion? freedom of expression? does dress constitute expression? does a veil – really known as a niqab – pose any threat? or intimation of violence? ie – as in the black trenchcoat and t-shirts with violent messages.

so … let’s talk about this niqab. jack straw wants us to believe that a niqab presents a barrier to communication. really? so … i’m guessing jack doesn’t do the teleconference thing? or the email thing? riiiiight …. how does he reconcile all the communicating he doubtless does in the course of his day via telephone, email, memo? i can’t imagine that he refuses to engage in these means of communication on the grounds that they preclude him from observing facial gestures. so … what gives? perhaps an inability, or unwillingness, to assimilate a foreign custom? a sort of hiding behind one’s own veil of fear, in rejecting the validity of niqab? one wonders.

i think of france – where legal restrictions curb religious expression with respect to dress. and i wonder. i understand the sentiment. but – does it go too far? i think of the usa. known as a melting pot. meaning, from a cultural perspective, dilution of cultures of origin by the american culture. i think of canada. what makes canada, canada? does the term mosaic have anything to do with it? i think so.

this portion is newly written – never posted
~the veil~
the veil. ahhh the veil. it beckons me to ask myself of the eroticism of hair. because, really, that’s what lies at the core of the issue, when you peel all the layers away. do you think of hair as erotic? i have to say that i do. having long hair, myself, i have witnessed first hand the subtle eroticism of manipulating said long hair, by, say, untying it (ie letting the hair down).

i feel the subtle perception difference of others if i am wearing a head-scarf, have hair tied, or have hair loose. the manner in which i dress my hair speaks volumes of the erotic message i want to send out. modesty requires some sort of hair restraint. while, letting the hair loose seems to subtly provocative. that’s my personal view on hair. in fact, for the sake of modesty i usually have my hair restrained for much of my everyday life.

so … i can see the logic or reasoning that would lead one to want to wear a veil (tho, understand me, i have not said that i would or do wear one myself). but, what of the full facial covering? perhaps that’s extreme? the waters here seem quite muddied …. i wish i knew.