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Looking Beyond the Veil
A Research Projectinto people’s perceptions ofthe Muslim Veil in Kirklees
May 2008
by: Peter Tarleton Khalil Ahmed Kazi Crescent Consultancy
Matthew Francis, B.A. (Hon), M.A. Academic Researcher
Table of ContentsPage No.
1. Introduction ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~22. Background ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~33. Terms of Reference ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~44. Methodology of Research ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~5
4.1 Geography ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~54.2 Kirklees District Map ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~54.3 Kirklees Statistics – Census 2001 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~64.4 Publicity ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~64.5 Questionnaires – General ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~74.6 Questionnaires – Organisations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~74.7 Public Meetings & Focus Groups ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~74.8 Telephone & Internet ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~74.9 Interviews ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 74.10 Miscellaneous ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~8
5. Findings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~95.1 Breakdown of Respondents ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~95.2 Muslim Women & the Veil ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~105.3 Muslim Men & the Veil ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~125.4 Being a Muslim in the UK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~125.5 Perceptions of Muslims & Muslim Women ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~145.6 Religious Symbols ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~165.7 Organisation Responses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~185.8 Conclusions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~19
6. Comparison to other Studies, References & Further Reading ~~~206.1 Evening Standard Survey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~206.2 BBC Survey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~206.3 European & International Dimension on the Veil ~~~~~~~~~~~~~206.4 References & Further Reading ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~21
Appendices Appendix A: Muslim Veils ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~22Appendix B: Chronology ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~23Appendix C: Questionnaire – General ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~23Appendix D: Questionnaire – Organisations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~27Appendix E: Brief for Public Meetings & Focus Groups ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~29Appendix F: Brief for Interviews ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~29Appendix G: Looking Beyond the Veil Advert ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~30Appendix H: Press Articles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~31Appendix I: Report Summary by Islamic Human Rights Commision on British Muslim Women ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~32Appendix J: The Islamic Veil across Europe, BBC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~35Appendix K: The Pew Global Attitudes Project ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~36
The issue of the veil has a high profile in political, cultural and religious contexts. By “Veil” within this research we mean the complete covering of the face except for the eyes also known as the Niqab or Burka. See Appendix A for an explanation of the various Muslim veils.
The issue was highlighted in Kirklees by the dismissal of a Muslim classroom assistant from Headfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire in 2006. She had refused to remove her veil in the classroom in the presence of a male colleague.
Later in the same year, the debate was given further impetus by the comments made by Jack Straw MP, the ex-Foreign Secretary and the current Justice Minister that the veil is a “visible statement of separation and of difference” and he asked women visiting his surgery to consider removing it.
In 2004 the French Parliament had imposed a ban on all religious symbols in State schools, which included the wearing a headscarf known as the Hijab.
Page 2
1 Introduction
“Some people I say Hello to don’t reply – and they’re not wearing a veil.”
“I want to live in a country where people can wear what they choose.”
“I wear the veil because I feel comfortable, and because it is religious.”
“The veil, it’s been blown out of all proportion. People are free to wear a cross, why not a veil. Some say it’s to do with the oppression of women, but not in my experience. Why is the veil such a big issue?”
This research project has been funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government as part of the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund and commissioned by North Kirklees Interfaith Council.
North Kirklees Interfaith Council since its inception has been working in partnership with other faith groups in creating mutual understanding and a sense of belonging within society, working towards encouraging groups and individuals to appreciate and value the diversity of cultures living around us, working towards building strong and positive links to overcome prejudice and intolerance, and creating a community with good relationships and community spirit.
North Kirklees Interfaith Council was set up 10 years ago, and has been successfully organising events and projects on a voluntary basis. The Interfaith Council has no paid staff; it is entirely run by faith communities and people who are committed to improving relations between the various faith communities of Kirklees, encouraging local involvement towards building a cohesive community by helping to overcome some of the tensions, raising awareness about cultural needs, and input into decision-making at a local and authority-wide level.
A small Steering Group was established by North Kirklees Interfaith Council to help co-ordinate the development and detailing of the project. Representation on this group includes Bishop Tony Robinson and Kaushar Tai as co-chairs of North Kirklees Interfaith Council, members of the Huddersfield Interfaith Council, individuals from organisations working with local communities and members from the Muslim community in an independent capacity. Habiban Zaman, Community Cohesion Project Officer from Kirklees Council was appointed as Project Manager to oversee the project.
Following a tendering process in December 2007 the group commissioned Crescent Consultancy a local, consultancy and training, Third Sector organisation to carry out this research project.
Crescent Consultancy personnel have a proven track record of inter-faith working in a large national public sector organisation and project management through various initiatives, namely;
. West Yorkshire Community Chaplaincy Project a Multi-Faith Resettlement Project based in Leeds
. “We Can Kick It” - drug awareness training programme in Kirklees
. Visitors Centre Project in Leeds
. Inter-Group Project in Ireland – Peace Process
. Leeds Pilot Faiths consultation exercise - Home Office Research
. The National Christian Muslim Forum - an initiative of the Archbishop of Canterbury
. Preventing Extremism Together Project - Association of West Yorkshire Authorities
The research project management team for Crescent Consultancy consisted of Peter Tarleton (lead), and Khalil Ahmed Kazi with group facilitation support from Sister Amara and Mashuda Shaikh, Chair of EKTA, Working for Women in Kirklees.
The academic lead on this research project was provided by Matthew Francis, B.A. (Hons), M.A., who has authored and co-authored a number of reports, most recently, with the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Leeds University on “The Roots, Practices and Consequences of Terrorism – A Literature Review of Research in the Arts & Humanities” for the Home Office. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Leeds.
Page 3
2 Background
The terms of reference for this project given to the Consultants were as follows:
. Explore the complexities and challenges facing women wearing the veil
. Undertake an in-depth survey of the impact of women wearing a veil in schools, how employers in the public, private, and statutory sector perceive employing women wearing a veil
. Take the views of Muslim women who don’t wear the Hijab or veil
. Take views of the white community and establish if this hinders social and community cohesion
. Identify the significance of religion and culture relating to the veil
. Identify the future direction, is there likely to be an increase in women wearing the veil
. Identify the competing views of Islam and Islamic identity
. Identify the need to challenge Islamaphobia
. Identify how the Muslim community constructs its own Islamic identity in British Society
Page 4
3 Terms of Reference
“We bend over backwards to accommodate them. White people are disadvantaged – more money is spent on their communities. They have interpreters paid for; special school meals, and their children can have more days off school than white children - Loads of extra benefits!”
“Niqab is not just a piece of material – it is religious wear – a form of worship, about how a Muslim woman conducts herself in public.”
“Tensions, which need to be addressed. The laws on terrorism are very Intrusive and counter-productive, and there is a lot of media imbalance.”
Page 5
4 Methodology of Research4.1 Geography
Kirklees is one of five Areas within the County of West Yorkshire. This was the location of our research, where two public meetings, and six focus groups were held during January, February and March 2008. One object of the work was to ensure that we received views from a range of diverse communities residing in Kirklees. The map below gives the geographical layout of Kirklees, and the subsequent table gives the population and breakdown in terms of ethnicity and religion from the 2001 Census.
4.2 The Kirklees District Map
4.3 Kirklees Statistics - Census 2001
Population, Ethnicity & ReligionTotal Number of People Males Females
388567 188832 199735Ethnic Group (all people) Value % England
& Wales Average
England & Wales
Rank/376 (proportion)
Regional Rank/21
(proportion)
White 332659 85.6% 91.3% 334 20Largest Minority Ethnic Group(s) Pakistani (26536)
Indian (15829) Black Caribbean (4203)
Place of Birth (all people) Value % England & Wales Average
England & Wales
Rank/376 (proportion)
Regional Rank/21
(proportion)
Born in UK 358220 92.2% 91.1% 287 20Born elsewhere in EU(inc Republic of Ireland)
5114 1.3% 2.3% 259 9
Born outside EU 25233 6.5% 6.6% 71 2Religion (all people) Value % England
& Wales Average
England & Wales
Rank/376 (proportion)
Regional Rank/21
(proportion)
Christian 261128 67.2% 71.7% 321 20Buddhist 397 0.1% 0.3% 334 16Hindu 1222 0.3% 1.1% 139 5Jewish 171 0.0% 0.5% 300 14Muslim 39312 10.1% 3.0% 19 2Sikh 2726 0.7% 0.6% 42 3Other 772 0.2% 0.3% 264 9No religion 54445 14.0% 14.8% 217 7Religion not stated 28394 7.3% 7.7% 216 14
Source: National Statistics Website
4.4 Publicity
To promote awareness of the research project we arranged two public meetings in the area. These were advertised in two weekly newspapers, and a monthly magazine. The newspapers were interested in the subject matter, and each did a feature article, which drew considerable public attention.
Local radio – Pennine FM, and Pulse Radio – expressed interest in promoting the research, and Pulse Radio offered an interview.
Despite this, attendance at the public meetings was modest.
Page 6
4.5 Questionnaires – General
There were two questionnaires – one for individuals, and the second for organisations.
Each one had a covering letter, explaining the research project and the design of the questionnaire. It was also made clear that, by the term ‘Veil’, we meant the complete covering of the face except for the eyes.
All responses were treated with utmost confidentiality. The last page of the questionnaire inviting interested individuals to a further interview was removed as soon as received, so that no identification was possible between respondent and questionnaire from that point.
The individual questionnaire was in three parts:
1. For Muslim Women; 2. For Muslim Men & Women; 3. For All Respondents.
The reason for the design of the questionnaire in such a way was to ensure that all aspects of the terms of reference could be covered. The total number distributed or sent out was 600 – with a response of 166 (27.6%).
4.6 Questionnaires – Organisations
The organisation questionnaire was a two sides A4 page and it was targeted at the Human Resources department of organisations and businesses. The list of organisations contacted included public, private and voluntary sector bodies. 200 organisations in the area were either posted or visited asking them to complete the questionnaire with a response of 45 (22.5%)
4.7 Public Meetings & Focus Groups
The public meetings and focus groups were organised by Crecsent Consultancy to encourage people to say how they really felt on the issue on the veil. This was not always easy for people who feared saying something offensive, but mostly it was a healthy process, which allowed people’s fears and hopes to be heard by others. A copy of the questionnaire was given to each attendee prior to the meeting.
Approximately 152 people attended these 8 groups altogether.
There was an opportunity to talk about the project at two full meetings of the North Kirklees Inter Faith Council.
4.8 Interviews
As part of our agreed methodology, we conducted 20 follow-up interviews, by telephone, with volunteers who had previously completed the questionnaire. The purpose was to provide more in-depth information on some aspects of the responses we had received to several of the earlier questions. These were completed between 25 March 2008 and 12 April 2008.
4.9 Telephone & Internet
Advertisements in local papers for the two public meetings created an unanticipated demand for copies of the questionnaire to be sent out with a stamped addressed envelope. We received 33 such requests by e-mail, and 25 by telephone. Returns closed on 21 March 2008.
Page 7
Page 8
4.10 Miscellaneous
We received some miscellaneous e-mails and letters without the questionnaire, representing ‘additional’ viewpoints. These have been considered within the whole of the research.
A number of people asked for the questionnaire to be completed on-line which we had not made provision for, and would consider it appropriate for any future research.
Copies of the following documents have been included as part of the appendices at the end of this Report.
. Chronology, see Appendix B
. Questionnaire – General including Covering Letter, see Appendix C
. Questionnaire - Organisations including Covering Letter, see Appendix D
. Brief for Public Meetings & Focus Groups, see Appendix E
. Brief for Interviews, see Appendix F
. Advert, see Appendix G
. Press Articles, see Appendix H
“….. face-to-face contact is the norm, so the veil creates a problem. I have a difficulty relating to women in the veil. I look for some reaction normally – but tend to avoid eye contact with people who hide from me.”
“Lots of people feel uncomfortable about asking these questions. This survey gives them the opportunity.”
“Hijab is fine – covering the face is a great barrier. Why not men as well?”
Page 9
The questionnaires (see appendices C and D) were distributed by hand at public meetings and focus group s (for completion prior to the discussion) and randomly amongst members of the public who applied by telephone or e-mail. The organisation questionnaires were sent out by post to organisations in Kirklees. In all, a total of 600 general questionnaires were distributed of which 166 were returned, and 200 organisation questionnaires were posted with 45 being returned (although two were spoilt). We have used the term “Non-Muslim” to cover people of all other faiths, and none. The term is not intended to reflect anything negative about any of these other groups or individuals.
5.1 Breakdown of Respondents
Of the respondents, 65% were women, 18% men and 17% did not specify their gender. There was also a large proportion of respondents who were over 50 years of age although 53 respondents chose not to answer this question. The following charts show the breakdown of respondents by age, and religion.
Out of the 58 respondents who said they were Muslim; 47 were women and 11 men, however, from other responses in questionnaires it was clear that some people were Muslim but did not state so at the beginning. Whilst this does give us a somewhat one-sided understanding of the Muslim response to the issues raised, it does at least ensure that we have an excellent understanding of the views of Muslim women (traditionally seen as under represented) on this subject.
There was a good mix of respondents in terms of ethnicity. Whilst the majority were ‘White British’ this is acceptable in an area in which 86% of the population is White (according to the 2001 census).
5 Findings
Respondents by religion
35%
31%
10%
24%
Muslim Christian None Not answered
Age of respondents
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Under 20 20 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 50 Over 50
Ethnicity of respondents
British61%
Bangladeshi1%
White & Black African 1%
African 1%
Any other Asian background 1% Any other mixed
background 1%
Not answered 4%
Pakistani
14%
Indian16%
5.2 Muslim Women & the Veil
Out of the Muslim women answering the survey only a small number stated that they wore the veil at all times:
A number of reasons (Q1.5) were given as to why women did not wear the veil already. A number of respondents stated that wearing the veil was part of a spiritual journey, and would be undertaken when they were more religious:
“Would consider wearing it to make myself feel good / proud when I am ready to be a much better Muslim”
However, some respondents stated that they did not believe it to be a religious necessity:
“I believe that wearing the hijab is sufficient and that is fulfilling my religious obligation”
“Islamically I don’t feel women need to wear a veil”
“It is not Islamic, in my opinion, it is nowhere in the Qur’an, I would challenge anyone who said it is. It is causing division within the wider community; it causes racial tensions; it is not necessary on any level.”
This was in contrast to some focus groups where a common theme coming out of several groups (especially from elderly Asian women) was that wearing the veil is not a matter of culture; it is a faith issue - about self-respect and modesty. That said other focus groups of women could not agree about whether it was a religious issue or not, and felt that they needed the opinion of a scholar. What they did feel was that there had been an increase in women wearing the veil and many felt it was a political statement rather a statement of belief. Also the feeling was that over the last few years there had been an increase in this type of dress and to the extent that many felt a need to wear it to prove a point: “we are here to stay like it or lump it”.
Although a minority of women wore the veil, there were a lot of responses about what difficulties were faced by Muslim women wearing the veil (Q1.3)
A number of respondents replied that “People look at you differently” and others voiced opinions like: “People can’t relate to them and are suspicious of them because they don’t know what they look like.”
Page 10
Do you wear the veil?
All the time
Some of the time
Only on certainoccasionsNever
14%
5%
16%
65%
Clearly some women’s experiences differed greatly as the following suggests: “I do not feel there are difficulties for Muslim women wearing the veil in the work environment or in public” which was in stark contrast to the majority of responses, this one being at the other end of the spectrum: “In my experience the difficulties women face wearing a veil is feeling wary about going out on their own. Because of name calling (verbal abuse), even from your own cultural/religious people which for me was a real let down. Women wearing the veil are put down, looked down upon from people in society and made to feel very isolated.”
A number of women who wore a veil stated that they had been called “ninja” when out and about. Following on from this point, it is also worth noting that 86% of the women who answered the question about whether a support network for Muslim women should be established indicated that they would welcome this development.
Coming out of two focus groups (with 41 women contributing in total) was a list of comments about the advantages and disadvantages of wearing a veil. These comments enrich the statistical data we have received, fleshing out further some interesting arguments surrounding the veil. They are recorded here as received from the facilitators.
Advantages of Wearing the Veil Disadvantages of Wearing the Veil(Comments in red were given as counter-arguments)
Feeling good Have to try harder to make friendsSelf respect - How can you determine self respect? Can’t go into all professionsBad hair day Might face racismFashion - It’s not supposed to be about fashion Can’t be recognised - Maybe that what you
wantNot feeling like a sex symbol - Might want to look sexy
Makes women too anonymous
Identity - Security Issues Stereotyped - That’s not our faultCan’t tell if you are old of young Don’t get enough Vit DMen find women mysterious - do they? And is this what women want?
Marks you out as different
Feel closer to god how can you judge who is closer to god?
Driving does it restrict your vision
Feeling modest around men - is this a good thing? As you may get undermined this way.
Selective of whom they show their face to
Pious- Piety has nothing to do with clothing Open to abuseMeeting your religious beliefs - is it compulsory? Sign of oppression - We need to teach
people that it is not soCultural expectations Portrays weaker imageFeeling powerful - how? Makes people feel that you are controlled
by men - That’s their problemAnonymous hidden Could cause depression - No proof of that Feeling good Could become isolated
Causes a division because people don’t understand
Page 11
Page 12
5.3 Muslim Men & the Veil
A number of Muslim men stated that it was a religious requirement that women wear the veil: “It is a religious law from the Qur’an Holy Book and narrations of the prophet. It is not cultural”; “It is the right of Muslim women to chose to wear them. Besides it fulfils their religious requirements”; “It is a religious symbol and requirement for Muslim women to wear a veil, therefore, it is very important for every Muslim women.”
However, some other men suggested that it was a personal choice, and not a religious requirement: “It is very much a personal issue and akin to the exertion of identity by punks.”; “For women within Islam it is a matter of privacy for them. Within British society women have a choice whether or not they wish to wear the veil. It is surprising the number of women who choose to wear it.”; “It doesn’t need to be important. Muslims need to educate our own communities on the right way to do things, not stamp there feet & say it’s our religion.”
We asked all respondents why they thought women wore the veil, and in the context of the above comments have shown below the breakdown of responses from Muslim men.
Where people selected the ‘Other reasons’ option we asked them to state what they thought these reasons were. These were the reasons given by the Muslim men who selected this option: “Political statement”; “That’s how they want to be”; “You can’t generalise, but you must consider social conformity as one factor”
However, it is worth remembering that there were a low number of respondents who identified themselves as Muslim men, and as such it is difficult to extrapolate the above findings to the wider Muslim male community
5.4 Being a Muslim in the UK
We received some really interesting comments about how Muslim men and women saw the advantages and disadvantages of being a Muslim in the UK (Q2.5 & 2.6). We will deal with that later, but first there is a chart showing how the respondents viewed themselves in relation to their British and Muslim identities:
Muslim men on why women wear the veil
58%
21%
21%
Religious reasons
Cultural reasons
Other reasons
Contrary to perhaps common expectations the most popular response was “British Muslim” and indeed the majority of the respondents identified with a notion of Britishness, as opposed to seeing themselves purely as Muslim.
These statistics are backed up by the comments that we received about the advantages and disadvantages of being a Muslim in the UK, where the majority of respondents stated that there were numerous advantages, chief amongst them the right to practise their religion. Some respondents even pointed out that they had more freedom to practise Islam in this country than in some ‘Islamic’ countries.
Negative comments about being a Muslim in the UK polarised around the perceptions of Islam and Muslims post 9/11 and 7/7. In particular the media and its portrayal of Muslims was singled out as the biggest disadvantage of living in the UK, with many Muslims citing the negative stereotypes publicised by the media.
A couple of the comments about the media were: “Easy targets for wrong doings. Newspapers and media are always quick to jump at issue’s that are ‘Muslim’”; “To be labelled as ‘Terrorist’ and such things like that. British media portray “Islam” in a negative way.”
59 Muslims answered the question about whether or not they had experienced Islamophobia, of these 51% said that they hadn’t. Despite this 95% of Muslim respondents still identified themselves as a part of British Society. Of those Muslims that had experienced Islamophobia, the following quotes are some of the examples:
“Jibes made about terrorism, Sept 11th.”; “Singled out for thorough searching when travelling by plane. Being ignored or made to wait longer in queues. Being held responsible for the acts of others.”; “Football - when picking a football team my friend was chosen last although he was considered a better player”
Specifically some women described their experiences of Islamophobia:
“1) Spat on for wearing the hijab; 2) Comments like ‘you white paki!’ (from an english man); Comments like ‘you look like a witch in that….’”
“People look at my wearing of the headscarf as a suggestion that I don’t speak English. Had an incident in a large supermarket where a woman said something to her daughter, suggesting I was uneducated and didn’t think I understood.”
“verbal abuse - judging me for the actions of other ‘so-called Muslims’ ie a collective judgement; people making judgements about my status (submissive/oppressed etc… little do they know)!!”
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Which of the following best describes how you identify yourself?
8
26
23
5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Muslim British Muslim Muslim British British
5.5 Perceptions of Muslims & Muslim Women
Some of these latter responses about women’s experience of Islamaphobia could be explained by the following chart (Q3.4) which was open for completion by all the respondents.
Both within the Muslim and wider community the feeling is that there is a negative image of Muslim women (particularly those wearing the veil) within society. Coming out of the questionnaires and focus groups, from non-Muslim respondents, that women with their face covered were intimidating, not least because people couldn’t be sure if it was a woman or a man. A number of people alluded to an incident where a man robbed a store whilst wearing a Niqab. These views were repeated in some additional correspondence that was received following publicity about this research, as was the link between the wearing of Niqab and hoodies. The reasoning about this link being that if hoodies as a style of clothing were being discouraged due to the difficulty of identifying the wearer, then so should the Niqab.
Despite these negative associations regarding the veil, most non-Muslim respondents (including those who didn’t state their religion) agreed with their Muslim counterparts that Muslims do play a positive role in British Society:
Unsurprisingly there were more negative responses to this question from the non-Muslim respondents. However, a number of non-Muslim responses pointed out that Muslim communities contributed to British society in the same way that other communities did – there were positive and negative examples to be found in all sections of society.
Page 14
In society, do you feel there is a positive or negative image ofMuslim women, particularly those wearing the veil?
Very negative
Occasionally negativeNeutral
Occasionally positive
Very positive
95
38
13
3 3
30
15
7
0 1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Muslim respondentsAll respondents
Do you feel Muslims play a positive role in British Society?
Yes, absolutelyYes, most of the time
Don't knowNo, not really
No, not at all
Muslim respondents
Non-muslims0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Muslim respondentsNon-muslims
The following charts show the responses to questions about how people felt that Muslims were treated and understood by society in general, and by particular service providers. We have drawn out the Muslim responses to show how specifically they felt about these issues.
Perhaps not surprisingly there was a difference in opinion as to whether Muslims were advantaged or disadvantaged, divided between whether there respondent was Muslim or non-Muslim.
Interestingly, whilst Muslims felt that their needs were not as well understood as their non-Muslim neighbours felt they might be, the proportion of Muslims feeling that their needs were not understood at all was not significantly different to the overall response. This was not the case when this question was asked about Muslim women wearing the veil. In these questions the negative responses (Muslims feeling the needs of women were not being met) was significantly higher than the perception of the wider community.
It is important to note that these questions dealt with perception rather than hard facts about these service providers. In a debate which is often driven by perception these questions provide a picture of the views of Muslims and non-Muslims alike about how Muslims and Muslim women specifically are perceived to be treated. This is as important to note as is data about how these service providers actually do treat Muslims and women wearing the veil.
Page 15
Do you think as a society we favour or disadvantage Muslim people?
(All respondents)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Education Work place Provision ofservices
Street Social circles
NeitherDisadvantageFavour
Do you think as a society we favour or disadvantage Muslim people?
(Muslim respondents)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Education Work place Provision of services Street Social circles
Neither
DisadvantageFavour
Do you feel that service providers understand the needs of Muslimcommunities? (All respondents)
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Schools/Colleges (students)
Schools/Colleges (employees)
NHS (patients)
NHS (employees)
Local Authority (residents)
Local Authority (employees)
Public Sector (clients)
Public Sector (employees)
Private Sector (users)
Private Sector (employees)
1 - Understand very well
2
3
4
5 - Do not understand at all
Do you feel that service providers understand the needs of Muslimcommunities?
1 - Understand very well
2
3
4
5 - Do not understand at all
(Muslim respondents)
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Schools/Colleges (students)
Schools/Colleges (employees)
NHS (patients)
NHS (employees)
Local Authority (residents)
Local Authority (employees)
Public Sector (clients)
Public Sector (employees)
Private Sector (users)
Private Sector (employees)
5.6 Religious Symbols
We asked participants whether, firstly, they thought that the issue of the veil was divisive, one of personal choice, irrelevant or that they didn’t know. We then gave them the same set of options but asking whether how they felt the community perceived this issue.
For both non-Muslim and Muslim respondents the response was less negative from a personal perspective than from how they saw the community’s perception. The following graph shows these responses:
We also asked participants if they felt that the veil hindered community and social cohesion:
Page 16
Is the issue of the veil:
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Divisive Personal Choice Irrelevant Don't know
All - personal feelingAll - community thinksMuslim - personal feelingMuslim - community thinks
Do you think the veil hinders community relations and social cohesion?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Non-Muslim respondents Muslim respondents
Don't knowNoYes
Here the division between Muslim and non-Muslim respondents is quite significant. People in the focus groups backed this up by saying that the veil did not fit in with Western culture. That it provided a physical barrier between communities, that it was an issue which caused confusion (as to whether it really was a religious requirement or not). One interviewee stated that “It brings the Muslim community into disrepute. Sets Muslims aside from the indigenous population. I find it a separatist signal – us and them. Like the upper-class looking down on the ‘great unwashed’. The veil and its accoutrements don’t give Muslim women the respect they deserve.”
Another non-Muslim interviewee commented that “It is important – and I would not seek to ban it.1. It is very difficult to acknowledge people who are wearing the Niqab. I find that off-putting. 2. There is a security issue. Recently a jewellers was robbed by a 6-foot person wearing a niqab. People have to remove crash-helmets when entering a bank or Post Office.” This interviewee was very open to further discussion about the veil, to increase understanding, but even with someone whose views could be seen as quite open his concerns echoed those of many non-Muslims.
Many comments specifically focussed on the difficulties of communication when the face cannot be seen. Several respondents were deaf, and stated that it was impossible to lip-read in these circumstances. Jack Straw’s comments about the veil attracted much media attention at the time. We asked people about how they perceived his comments about the veil (as a “visible statement of separation and of difference”).
This is a breakdown of the answers:
The split between Muslim and non-Muslim responses on this is issue is significant and this difference was carried on when respondents were asked about whether they felt all religious people should be allowed to wear their symbols, and also how they felt about the ban on religious symbols from public spaces in France. Over 50% of non-Muslim respondents were either indifferent to the ban in France, or felt it was a good idea.
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How did you perceive Jack Straw's comments?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
A sensible idea It doesn't bother meeither way
Offensive Don't know
MuslimNon-Muslim
Should people of all religions be allowed to wear their religious symbols?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Muslim Non-Muslim
Don't knowNot at allYes, but not in some situationsYes, in all situations
How did you feel about the banning of religious symbols from publicspaces in France?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Muslim Non-Muslim
Don't knowA terrible ideaIt doesn't bother me either wayA sensible idea
“Yes – there is a misconception between Hijab and Niqab. The Niqab is unsuitable for certain situations – it alienates you from the rest of society.”
“Religion gives a framework for reflection and direction – should I be doing more?”
5.7 Organisation Responses
What was immediately apparent from reading the returns from the organisation questionnaires was that most organisations do not have formal policies in relation to ‘Muslim issues’ (only five organisations did). If an issue arose regarding Islamic practice that impacted on the organisation very few had formal channels through which to seek advice – many commented that they would ask Muslim friends, employees, go on the internet or just that they didn’t know what they would do.
However, in contrast to this, most respondents (79%) felt that they were familiar with the requirements for Muslims in the work place. Employers also felt comfortable with the performance of Muslim employees:
Only one respondent stated that they felt concerned about extremism or radicalisation in relation to their Muslim employees. Just over half of the organisations said they would welcome further ‘Muslim Awareness’ events for employers, and given the uncertainty about who to contact for further information about any Muslim-related issues that may arise it seems that the provision of support for organisations could be a useful resource.
Page 18
What is your general feeling of the work performance of Muslim employees?
21%
74%
5%
Hard workingSame as other employeesUnreliable
5.8 Conclusions
The perception of Muslims and their contribution to society is generally positive, however the issue of the veil has brought about confusion in the wider community (and to a lesser extent amongst Muslims). This point was noted by many interview respondents who commented that they were glad this research was being done to address the issue. Public versus private displays of religiosity is not a new issue in this country, but in this case there is clearly a need and a desire for clarity and debate to help people make an informed decision.
This need for information was also apparent in the responses received from organisations in that, whilst many felt comfortable that they were aware of the issues involved, many did not know who to turn to should there be problems. This same lack of central resource was pointed out by Muslim women, those who responded to the question about whether a support network would be helpful to aid them when they faced difficulties were overwhelmingly positive about the idea.
One area where it was difficult to draw more conclusions was on the thoughts of Muslim men. This is not a failing of this report given the success in managing to canvass the views of Muslim women on this issue, arguably more important given that the veil is a topic that concerns them more directly. However, should further research be undertaken it would be a good opportunity to find out how to engage with the male members of the Muslim community, and to elicit their views on this subject.
It is also worth pointing out that the findings were broadly in line with common perceptions of how the people of Kirklees would be seen to respond to this issue. There were some responses expressing opinions at the two extremes of, “Muslims should integrate or go home’’ from white English respondents and “the UK has nothing positive to offer Muslims” from a few Muslim respondents. However, the majority of responses were gentler in their differences and suggestive rather of a community that has been locally galvanised and even agitated by the issue of the veil.
Events such as the dismissal of a worker for wearing the veil can, if it receives enough media attention, be a focus for division in a community. In the case of the above research it seems to be the case that this division could be greatly healed by the empowering of people to make informed decisions based on fact, rather than being led by media or popular perceptions and assumptions.
Likewise a public event can also close these gaps. At one public meeting it was commented on how much the Muslim community had helped in the case of a high-profile disappearance of a schoolgirl, both in practical help and through fund-raising. Providing the opportunity for communities to work together helps break down the barriers that exist due to fear (of difference, or of causing offence, as some participants noted) and of ignorance.
Page 19
“We’re an international problem, us Muslims, aren’t we?”
“I can do what I want in Britain. I have rights here. I can wear the veil – I can pray.”
“Sometimes young ones wear it (the veil) to antagonise ‘us’ – making a point. I find them intimidating.”
“Wearing the Hijab is an obligation, but the Niqab is a choice.”
In this section we have provided a snapshot of results from two surveys carried out in the UK. Whilst these surveys were not exclusively relating to the veil, the findings relevant to our research have been reproduced here for comparison purposes.
We have also included as Appendix I the report summary of research conducted by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) entitled “Hijab, Meaning, Identity, Otherization and Politics: British Muslim Women” the focus of which was almost exclusively upon the Hijab, rather than the veil.
6.1 Evening Standard Survey
This survey published in November 2007 of more than 700 “influentials” - a category including business leaders, innovators, politicians and other prominent individuals – was carried out for the Evening Standard by opinion pollsters YouGovStone.
The relevant findings from this survey were:
. Nearly 90 per cent of respondents say that Muslim teachers should not be allowed to wear a veil when teaching.
. And 84 per cent say that Muslim pupils should not be allowed to wear a veil at school.
. Views on the wearing of the Niqab or any other full-face covering in public are still firmly against, with 58 per cent describing it as either entirely or somewhat unacceptable.
. Four out of 10 of those questioned, however, do not oppose the Niqab.
6.2 BBC Survey
ICM surveyed 1,004 people for the BBC and the findings were published in November 2006.
The relevant findings from this survey were:
. One in three people would support a ban on the Muslim face-covering veil in public places
. Asked if the veil should be prohibited in airports and at passport control, six out of 10 agreed
. Some 33% of respondents said they would approve of a ban and 56% said they would not. Just under one in 10 said they did not know.
. Asked if they would support prohibition in specific circumstances, 61% said they would approve a ban in airports and at passport control, 53% in courtrooms and 53% in schools.
. Some 41% said they would support a workplace ban - but 56% said they would oppose such a move for public transport.
6.3 European & International Dimension on the Veil
In the appendices, we have reproduced two articles one from the BBC website which outlines the position of the veil across Europe (see Appendix J) and an abstract from the Pew Global Attitudes Project relating to the head scarves (see Appendix K) which was a series of worldwide public opinion surveys in which 150,000 interviews in 54 countries have been conducted as part of the project’s work. Both these pieces will serve to provide a global perspective on the subject.
6 Comparison to other Studies, References & Further Reading
Page 20
6.4 References & Further Reading
During the course of this research project the researchers came across a range of news stories relating to the veil. We have produced a list of these articles for reference purposes and further reading. To access the full article make a search on the internet by typing the title and date. Crescent Consultancy and North Kirklees Interfaith Council not responsible for the content of external internet sites and we do not necessarily represent or endorse the views expressed in the articles.
. Going under cover: the Jewish women who are taking the veil 07/03/2008
. Veil row magistrate reprimanded 08/01/2008
. Ku Klux Klan Burka and Niqabs? December 2007
. Schools allowed to ban face veils 20/03/2007
. Schoolgirl loses veil legal case 21/02/2007
. School sacks woman after veil row 24/11/2006
. The Islamic veil across Europe 17/11/2006
. Lawyers can wear veils in court 10/11/2006
. In quotes: Jack Straw on the veil 06/10/2006
. Row over face veil halts tribunal 08/11/2006
. My years in a habit taught me the paradox of veiling 26/10/2006
. French scarf ban comes into force 02/09/2004
. Headscarves in the headlines 10/02/2004
Page 21
“To some, wearing the veil means they are ‘close to God’, but that is also a judgment which may not be appropriate.”
“As a group I feel Muslims are victimised by the media.”
“The society should be equal for everyone!”
“This is not an Islamic necessity. It’s quite a negative statement in my view.”
Appendix A
Muslim Veils
Hijab
The word Hijab comes from the Arabic for veil and is used to describe the headscarves worn by Muslim women.
These scarves, regarded by many Muslims as a symbol of both religion and womanhood, come in a myriad of styles and colours.
The type most commonly worn in the West is a square scarf that covers the head and neck but leaves the face clear.
Niqab & Burka
The Niqab is a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear. However, it may be worn with a separate eye veil.
The Niqab attracted the attention of cabinet minister Jack Straw, who said he would prefer that Muslim women did not cover their faces. It is worn with an accompanying headscarf.
The Burka is the most concealing of all Islamic veils. It covers the entire face and body, leaving just a mesh screen to see through.
Al-Amira & Shayla
The Al-Amira is a two-piece veil. It consists of a close fitting cap, usually made from cotton or polyester, and an accompanying tube-like scarf.
The Shayla is a long, rectangular scarf popular in the Gulf region. It is wrapped around the head and tucked or pinned in place at the shoulders.
Khimar & Chador
The Khimar is a long, cape-like veil that hangs down to just above the waist. It covers the hair, neck and shoulders completely, but leaves the face clear.
The Chador, worn by many Iranian women when outside the house, is a full-body cloak. It is often accompanied by a smaller headscarf underneath.
Source: BBC Website
Page 22
Appendix BC
HR
ON
OLO
GY
11 D
ecem
ber 2
007
......
Mee
ting
with
NK
IFC
Pro
ject
Man
ager
21 D
ecem
ber 2
007
......
Mee
ting
with
NK
IFC
Pro
ject
Man
ager
17 J
anua
ry 2
008 .
......
... P
rogr
ess
Rep
ort t
o N
KIF
C
25 J
anua
ry 2
008 .
......
... F
ocus
Gro
up -
Wom
en C
hapl
ains
30 J
anua
ry 2
008 .
......
... F
ocus
Gro
up -
New
Mus
lim L
earn
ing
Gro
up
31 J
anua
ry 2
008 .
......
... F
ocus
Gro
up -
‘Eve
rybo
dy C
ount
s’ P
rogr
amm
e
05 F
ebru
ary
2008
.....
... M
eetin
g w
ith N
KIF
C P
roje
ct M
anag
er
28 F
ebru
ary
2008
....
... F
ocus
Gro
up
05 M
arch
200
8 ....
......
... F
ocus
Gro
up
07 M
arch
200
8 ....
......
... M
eetin
g w
ith N
KIF
C S
teer
ing
Gro
up
11 M
arch
200
8 ...
......
.... P
ublic
Mee
ting
– O
ptio
ns C
entr
e, D
ewsb
ury
12 M
arch
200
8 ....
......
... P
rogr
ess
Rep
ort t
o fu
ll m
eetin
g of
NK
IFC
18 M
arch
200
8 ....
......
... P
ublic
Mee
ting
– H
udaw
i Cen
tre,
Hud
ders
field
19 M
arch
200
8 ...
......
... F
ocus
Gro
up -
Thor
nhill
Par
ents
’ For
um
21 M
arch
200
8 ....
......
... F
inal
Ret
urn
Dat
e of
Que
stio
nnai
res
24 A
pril
2008
.....
......
.... P
rese
ntat
ion
of D
raft
Rep
ort t
o St
eerin
g G
roup
12 M
ay 2
008.
......
......
.... P
rese
ntat
ion
of N
KIF
C
Page 23
Appendix C
Pag
e 1
North
Kirk
lees I
nter
faith
Cou
ncil
Cr
escen
t Con
sulta
ncy
P.O.
Box
111
Batle
y W
est Y
orks
hire
W
F17 6
WU
cres
cent
cons
ulta
ncy@
cons
ulta
nt.co
m
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
__
Lo
okin
g Be
yond
the V
eil
Re
: Que
stio
nnair
e: M
uslim
Wom
en w
earin
g th
e Veil
& R
elate
d Iss
ues
Cres
cent
Cons
ultan
cy h
as b
een
comm
ission
ed to
car
ry ou
t res
earch
on
beha
lf of
North
Kirk
lees
Inter
faith
Coun
cil a
bout
peop
le's
perce
ption
s of
Musli
m wo
men
wear
ing a
veil
, and
relat
ed is
sues
. By
"VEI
L" w
e mea
n the
comp
lete c
over
ing of
the f
ace e
xcep
t for t
he ey
es.
As p
art o
f this
rese
arch
we
have
pre
pare
d the
atta
ched
Que
stion
naire
, whic
h ha
s bee
n div
ided
into
three
secti
ons.
If y
ou id
entify
your
self a
s a M
uslim
wom
an, p
lease
comp
lete S
ectio
ns 1,
2 an
d 3.
If you
iden
tify yo
urse
lf as a
Mus
lim m
an pl
ease
comp
lete S
ectio
ns 2
and 3
. If
you
are
not a
Mus
lim p
lease
com
plete
Secti
on 3
. How
ever
, if t
here
is a
que
stion
in o
ne o
f the
oth
er se
ction
s tha
t you
stro
ngly
wish
to an
swer
, plea
se fe
el fre
e to d
o so.
Pl
ease
conta
ct us
if yo
u ha
ve a
ny q
uesti
ons r
elatin
g to
the Q
uesti
onna
ire o
r the
reas
ons a
s to
how
or w
hy th
ese s
ectio
ns ha
ve be
en di
vided
in th
is wa
y.
All a
nswe
rs to
this
ques
tionn
aire w
ill re
main
conf
iden
tial, a
s you
are n
ot re
quire
d to
pro
vide
any o
f you
r per
sona
l det
ails.
Plea
se re
ply in
the s
tampe
d add
ress
ed en
velop
e atta
ched
bef
ore 2
1 Mar
ch 20
08
If you
requ
ire an
elec
tronic
copy
of th
is Qu
estio
nnair
e plea
se co
ntact
us by
. Th
ank-y
ou
Your
s sinc
erely
, Cr
esce
nt C
onsu
ltanc
y
1.6
Do
you
feel
that
ther
e ar
e ad
equa
te st
ructu
res f
or M
uslim
Wom
en to
dea
l with
any
pro
blem
s
when
they
aris
e? Y
es
No
Plea
se st
ate
your
reas
ons
1.
7 To
ena
ble th
e iss
ues a
bove
to b
e ad
dres
sed
(Q 1
.6) w
ould
you
welco
me
the
esta
blish
men
t of
a lo
cal S
uppo
rt Ne
twor
k for
Mus
lim w
omen
? Y
ES
NO
Sect
ion
2 T
o be
com
plet
ed b
y Mus
lim M
en &
Wom
en
2.1
Do yo
u ide
ntify
your
self a
s a p
art o
f a w
ider B
ritish
socie
ty?
YES
NO
2.
2 W
hich
of th
e fo
llowi
ng b
est d
escr
ibes h
ow yo
u ide
ntify
your
self:
M
uslim
Br
itish
Mus
lim
Mus
lim B
ritish
Br
itish
2.3
Do yo
u fe
el yo
u ar
e we
lcom
ed a
s a m
embe
r of B
ritish
socie
ty?
Ye
s, co
mple
tely
Only
in so
me
area
s, su
ch a
s…
Not a
t all
2.
4 Ha
ve yo
u ex
perie
nced
Islam
opho
bia?
YES
NO
If
yes,
pleas
e de
scrib
e th
e th
ree
wors
t (or
mos
t com
mon
) ins
tanc
es:
2.5
Wha
t do
you
think
are
the
adva
ntag
es o
f bein
g a
Mus
lim in
Brit
ain?
Pag
e 2
Page 24
Pag
e 3
Look
ing
Beyo
nd th
e Ve
il
Ques
tionn
aire
M
uslim
Wom
en w
earin
g th
e Ve
il &
Rela
ted
Issu
es
Se
x:
Mal
e
Fem
ale
Age:
Na
tiona
lity:
Re
ligio
n (e
.g. M
uslim
, Chr
istia
n, N
one,
etc
.):
Whe
re y
ou a
re p
rese
nted
with
a n
umbe
r of o
ptio
ns p
leas
e tic
k th
e op
tion
that
you
feel
bes
t an
swer
s th
e qu
estio
n.
Sect
ion
1
To b
e co
mpl
eted
by
Mus
lim W
omen
1.
1 Do
you
wea
r the
vei
l?
Al
l the
tim
e So
me
of th
e tim
e O
nly
on c
erta
in o
ccas
ions
Ne
ver
1.2
If yo
u we
ar th
e ve
il, fo
r wha
t rea
sons
?
Relig
ious
reas
on
Cultu
ral r
easo
n O
ther
s, p
leas
e st
ate…
1.3
In y
our e
xper
ienc
e wh
at a
re th
e di
fficu
lties
for M
uslim
wom
en w
earin
g th
e ve
il?
1.4
If yo
u we
ar a
vei
l, wo
uld
you
ever
con
sider
rem
ovin
g it?
To m
ake
colle
ague
s at
wor
k fe
el m
ore
com
forta
ble?
So
that
you
feel
mor
e co
mfo
rtabl
e at
wor
k?
Beca
use
empl
oyer
s de
man
d it?
Ne
ver
1.5
If y
ou c
urre
ntly
don’
t wea
r a v
eil w
ould
you
eve
r con
sider
wea
ring
one?
YES
NO
Pl
ease
sta
te y
our r
easo
ns
2.6
Wha
t do
you
think
are
the
disad
vant
ages
of b
eing
a M
uslim
in B
ritain
?
Sect
ion
3
To b
e com
plet
ed b
y All R
espo
nden
ts
3.1
Do yo
u fe
el M
uslim
s play
a p
ositiv
e ro
le in
Britis
h So
ciety?
Yes,
abso
lutely
Ye
s, m
ost o
f the
time
Don’t
know
No
, not
reall
y No
, not
at a
ll
Pl
ease
give
exa
mple
s if y
ou ca
n 3.
2 Ho
w im
porta
nt d
o yo
u fe
el th
e iss
ue o
f the
veil i
s?
Very
impo
rtant
Qu
ite im
porta
nt
Not s
ure
Not r
eally
impo
rtant
No
t at a
ll im
porta
nt
W
hy?
3.3
Do yo
u th
ink M
uslim
wom
en a
re fo
rced
to w
ear t
he ve
il? Y
ES
NO
3.4
In s
ociet
y, do
you
feel
ther
e is
a po
sitive
or n
egat
ive im
age
of M
uslim
wom
en, p
artic
ularly
th
ose
wear
ing th
e ve
il?
Very
neg
ative
Oc
casio
nally
neg
ative
Ne
utra
l Oc
casio
nally
pos
itive
Very
pos
itive
Page 25
Pag
e 5
Pag
e 4
3.5
D
o yo
u fe
el th
e ve
il hin
ders
com
mun
ity re
latio
ns a
nd s
ocia
l coh
esio
n?
Ye
s No
Do
n't k
now
3.
6
Do
you
thin
k th
e iss
ue o
f the
vei
l is:
Di
visive
Pe
rson
al c
hoice
Irr
elev
ant
Don't
kno
w
3.
7
Do y
ou th
ink
the
com
mun
ity p
erce
ives
the
issue
of t
he v
eil a
s:
Di
visive
Pe
rson
al c
hoice
Irr
elev
ant
Don't
kno
w
3.8
W
hy d
o yo
u th
ink
wom
en w
ear t
he v
eil?
Re
ligio
us re
ason
s Cu
ltura
l rea
sons
O
ther
reas
ons,
ple
ase
stat
e:
3.
9 Ho
w to
lera
nt d
o yo
u th
ink
peop
le a
re a
bout
relig
ion
in (p
leas
e cir
cle a
nswe
r whe
re 1
is “v
ery
to
lera
nt” a
nd 5
is “c
ompl
etel
y in
tole
rant
”) Ki
rkle
es
1 2
3 4
5 Re
st o
f UK
1 2
3 4
5 Eu
rope
1
2 3
4 5
3.10
Do
you
thin
k as
a s
ocie
ty w
e fa
vour
or d
isadv
anta
ge M
uslim
peo
ple?
(Ple
ase
circle
) In
edu
catio
n Fa
vour
Di
sadv
anta
ge
Neith
er
In th
e wo
rk p
lace
Fa
vour
Di
sadv
anta
ge
Neith
er
In th
e pr
ovisi
on o
f ser
vices
(GPs
etc
.) Fa
vour
Di
sadv
anta
ge
Neith
er
In th
e st
reet
Fa
vour
Di
sadv
anta
ge
Neith
er
In s
ocia
l circ
les
Favo
ur
Disa
dvan
tage
Ne
ither
3.11
Do
you
feel
that
ser
vice
prov
ider
s un
ders
tand
the
need
s of
Mus
lim c
omm
unitie
s? (P
leas
e cir
cle th
e an
swer
you
feel
mos
t app
ropr
iate
, whe
re 1
is ‘t
hey
unde
rsta
nd v
ery
well’
and
5 is
‘they
do
not u
nder
stan
d at
all’)
Sc
hool
s/Co
llege
s (to
ward
s students
) 1
2 3
45
Scho
ols/
Colle
ges
(towa
rds em
ployees)
1
2 3
45
NHS
(hos
pita
ls et
c.) (
towa
rds patients)
1
2 3
45
NHS
(hos
pita
ls et
c.) (
towa
rds em
ployees)
1
2 3
45
Loca
l Aut
horit
y (to
ward
s resid
ents
) 1
2 3
45
Loca
l Aut
horit
y (to
ward
s em
ployees)
1
2 3
45
Publ
ic Se
ctor
(Job
Cen
tre P
lus
etc.
) (to
ward
s clients
) 1
2 3
45
Publ
ic Se
ctor
(Job
Cen
tre P
lus
etc.
) (to
ward
s em
ployees)
1
2 3
45
Priva
te S
ecto
r (B.
T., E
lect
ricity
etc
.) (to
ward
s users)
1
2 3
45
Priva
te S
ecto
r (B.
T., E
lect
ricity
etc
.) (to
ward
s em
ployees)
1
2 3
45
3.12
Do
you
feel
that
serv
ice p
rovid
ers u
nder
stand
the
need
s of M
uslim
wom
en w
earin
g th
e ve
il?
(Plea
se c
ircle
the
answ
er y
ou fe
el m
ost a
ppro
priat
e, w
here
1 is
‘the
y un
ders
tand
ver
y we
ll’ an
d 5
is ‘th
ey d
o no
t und
ersta
nd a
t all’)
Scho
ols/C
olleg
es (t
owar
ds students)
1
2 3
45
Scho
ols/C
olleg
es (t
owar
ds emplo
yees
) 1
2 3
45
NHS
(hos
pitals
etc.
) (to
ward
s patien
ts)
1 2
34
5 NH
S (h
ospit
als e
tc.) (
towa
rds e
mplo
yees
) 1
2 3
45
Loca
l Aut
horit
y (to
ward
s reside
nts)
1
2 3
45
Loca
l Aut
horit
y (to
ward
s emplo
yees
) 1
2 3
45
Publi
c Sec
tor (
Job
Cent
re P
lus e
tc.) (
towa
rds c
lients)
1
2 3
45
Publi
c Sec
tor (
Job
Cent
re P
lus e
tc.) (
towa
rds e
mplo
yees
) 1
2 3
45
Priva
te S
ecto
r (B.
T., E
lectri
city e
tc.) (
towa
rds u
sers)
1 2
34
5 Pr
ivate
Sec
tor (
B.T.
, Elec
tricit
y etc.
) (to
ward
s emplo
yees)
1 2
34
5 3.
13
Shou
ld pe
ople
of a
ll reli
gions
be
allow
ed to
wea
r the
ir re
ligiou
s sym
bols?
Yes,
in all
situ
ation
s Ye
s, bu
t not
in so
me
situa
tions
No
t at a
ll Do
n't kn
ow
3.14
Ho
w did
you
feel
abou
t the
ban
ning
of a
ll reli
gious
sym
bols
from
pub
lic p
laces
in F
ranc
e?
A
sens
ible
idea
It do
esn’t
bot
her m
e eit
her w
ay
A te
rrible
idea
Do
n't kn
ow
3.15
Ja
ck S
traw
MP
said
rega
rding
the
veil t
hat it
is a
“visi
ble s
tate
men
t of s
epar
atio
n an
d of
di
ffere
nce"
how
did
you
perc
eive
his co
mm
ents?
A se
nsibl
e ide
a It
does
n’t b
othe
r me
eithe
r way
Of
fens
ive
Don't
know
Pl
ease
com
plet
e thi
s inf
orm
atio
n fo
r mon
itorin
g pu
rpos
es.
Ethn
ic Or
igin
ASIA
N OR
AS
IAN
BRIT
ISH
BLAC
K OR
BL
ACK
BRIT
ISH
CHIN
ESE
OR
OTHE
RS
MIXE
D W
HITE
India
n
Carib
bean
Ch
inese
W
hite
and
Blac
k Ca
ribbe
an
Britis
h
Pa
kista
ni
Afric
an
Any o
ther
W
hite
and
Bl
ack A
frica
n
Irish
Bang
lades
hi
Any o
ther
blac
k ba
ckgr
ound
Whit
e an
d
Asian
An
y oth
er w
hite
ba
ckgr
ound
An
y oth
er A
sian
back
grou
nd
An
y oth
er m
ixed
ba
ckgr
ound
Than
k you
for c
ompl
etin
g th
is Qu
estio
nnair
e. Pl
ease
turn
ove
r…
We
hope
to c
ondu
ct a
lim
ited
num
ber o
f fol
low-
up in
terv
iews
to fl
esh
out t
he re
spon
ses
we
rece
ive to
the
ques
tionn
aire.
Plea
se in
dica
te Y
ES o
n th
e sh
eet o
verle
af if
you
wou
ld b
e wi
lling
to b
e co
ntac
ted
abou
t th
is wi
thin
the
nex
t fe
w we
eks.
Your
ans
wers
to
this
ques
tionn
aire
will
rem
ain
conf
iden
tial.
Plea
se
retu
rn
the
shee
t to
geth
er
with
th
e qu
estio
nnair
e in
the
env
elope
pro
vided
. If,
howe
ver,
you
are
unco
mfo
rtabl
e ab
out
this,
pl
ease
e-m
ail u
s you
r det
ails a
nd w
e will
cont
act y
ou.
Plea
se re
turn
all c
ompl
eted
Que
stio
nnair
es, in
the s
tam
ped
addr
esse
d en
velo
pe p
rovid
ed, t
o:
Cres
cent
Con
sulta
ncy
P.O
. Box
111,
Batle
y, W
est Y
orks
hire
, WF1
7 6W
U
alter
nativ
ely em
ail to
: cre
scen
tcon
sulta
ncy@
cons
ulta
nt.co
m
Pag
e 6
Pag
e 7
Page 26
Look
ing
Bey
ond
the
Veil
Q
uest
ionn
aire
M
uslim
Wom
en w
earin
g th
e Ve
il &
Rel
ated
Issu
es
YE
S, I
wou
ld b
e w
illin
g fo
r you
to c
onta
ct m
e fo
r a
mor
e in
-dep
th in
terv
iew
on
thes
e is
sues
H
ere
are
my
cont
act d
etai
ls
Nam
e
Add
ress
Tele
phon
e
E-m
ail
Si
gned
...
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
Page 27
Appendix D
Pag
e 8
North
Kirk
lees
Inte
rfaith
Cou
ncil
Cr
escen
t Con
sulta
ncy
P.O.
Box
111
Batle
y W
est Y
orks
hire
W
F17 6
WU
cres
cent
cons
ulta
ncy@
cons
ulta
nt.co
m
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
__
Lo
okin
g Be
yond
the
Veil
Re
: Que
stio
nnai
re: M
uslim
Wom
en w
earin
g th
e Veil
& R
elat
ed Is
sues
Cr
esce
nt C
onsu
ltanc
y has
bee
n co
mm
ission
ed to
carry
out
rese
arch
on
beha
lf of N
orth
Kirk
lees
Inte
rfaith
Cou
ncil a
bout
the
perc
eptio
ns o
f the
priv
ate,
pub
lic a
nd v
olunt
ary
secto
r org
anisa
tions
to
Mus
lim w
omen
wea
ring
a ve
il and
relat
ed is
sues
. By
"VEI
L" w
e m
ean
the
com
plete
cov
ering
of
the
face
exc
ept f
or th
e ey
es.
As p
art o
f this
rese
arch
we
have
pre
pare
d th
e at
tach
ed Q
uesti
onna
ire, w
hich
has
been
divi
ded
into
four
secti
ons.
Se
ction
4 is
inte
nded
to b
e co
mple
ted
by a
n or
gani
satio
n on
ly. I
t is
advis
able
that
a m
embe
r of
the
Hum
an R
ecou
rses
team
or s
omeo
ne re
spon
sible
for p
erso
nnel
issue
s in
the
orga
nisat
ion
com
plete
s this
form
. W
e en
close
the
othe
r 3 S
ectio
ns w
hich
are
direc
ted
towa
rds
indivi
dual
resp
onde
nts.
You
may
als
o co
mple
te t
hese
sec
tions
if y
ou s
o wi
sh.
Inf
orm
ation
abo
ut t
hem
is a
ttach
ed in
the
ac
com
pany
ing le
tter.
Plea
se d
o co
ntac
t us i
f you
hav
e an
y que
stion
s rela
ting
to th
e Qu
estio
nnair
e.
All a
nswe
rs to
this
que
stio
nnai
re w
ill r
emai
n co
nfid
entia
l, as
you
are
not
re
quire
d to
pro
vide
any o
f you
r org
anis
atio
n or
per
sona
l det
ails
. Pl
ease
reply
in th
e sta
mpe
d ad
dres
sed
enve
lope
atta
ched
bef
ore 2
1 Ma
rch
2008
If
you
requ
ire a
n ele
ctron
ic co
py o
f this
Que
stion
naire
plea
se co
ntac
t us b
y em
ail.
Than
k-yo
u Yo
urs s
incer
ely,
Cres
cent
Con
sulta
ncy
Pag
e 1
Pag
e 1
Pag
e 2
Look
ing
Beyo
nd th
e Ve
il
Ques
tionn
aire
M
uslim
Wom
en w
earin
g th
e Ve
il &
Rela
ted
Issu
es
Th
is Q
uest
ionn
aire
is in
tend
ed to
be
com
plet
ed b
y an
org
anis
atio
n on
ly. I
t is
advi
sabl
e th
at a
mem
ber
of t
he H
uman
Rec
ours
es t
eam
or
som
eone
res
pons
ible
for
per
sonn
el
issu
es in
the
orga
nisa
tion
com
plet
es th
is fo
rm.
Whe
re y
ou a
re p
rese
nted
with
a n
umbe
r of
opt
ions
ple
ase
tick
the
optio
n th
at y
ou fe
el b
est
answ
ers
the
ques
tion.
4.
1 W
hich
Sec
tor O
rgan
isatio
n ar
e yo
u?
PUBL
IC
PRIV
ATE
VO
LUNT
ARY
4.2
Wha
t is
your
pos
ition
in th
e or
ganis
atio
n?
4.3
Whe
re is
you
r org
anisa
tion
base
d?
4.
4 Do
es y
our o
rgan
isatio
n pr
ovid
e se
rvice
s to
the
resid
ents
of K
irkle
es?
YES
NO
4.
5 Pl
ease
sta
te y
our t
otal
num
ber o
f em
ploy
ees
4.
6 Pl
ease
sta
te y
our t
otal
num
ber o
f Mus
lim e
mpl
oyee
s
4.7
D
oes
your
org
anisa
tion
empl
oy a
ny M
uslim
s wo
men
who
wea
r the
vei
l?
YE
S
NO
If
yes,
ple
ase
stat
e ho
w m
any
4.
8
Wou
ld yo
u em
ploy
Mus
lim w
omen
wea
ring
a ve
il to
work
for y
our o
rgan
isatio
n?
YES
NO
4.
9
If a
cur
rent
Mus
lim w
oman
em
ploy
ee a
t you
r org
anisa
tion
decid
ed to
sta
rt we
aring
the
vei
l, ho
w wo
uld
you
resp
ond?
Co
ntin
ue a
s no
rmal
Di
scip
line
them
W
e do
n't h
ave
a po
licy
I don
't kno
w
4.
10
If yo
u re
quire
d inf
orm
atio
n on
Mus
lim re
late
d iss
ues
what
wou
ld yo
u do
? 4.
11
Does
you
r org
anisa
tion
have
any
spe
cific
polic
ies
in re
latio
n to
Mus
lim is
sues
?
YE
S
NO
If
yes,
pleas
e sta
te
4.12
W
ould
you
welco
me
Mus
lim A
ware
ness
eve
nts f
or E
mplo
yers
? Y
ES
NO
4.
13
Does
your
org
anisa
tion’s
Dive
rsity
or R
ace
Relat
ions p
olicy
cove
r Isla
mop
hobia
?
YES
NO
4.14
W
ould
you
be in
tere
sted
in se
eking
ass
istan
ce fr
om a
genc
ies, w
hich
spec
ialise
in th
is
s
pher
e of
wor
k?
YES
NO
4.
15
How
man
y com
plaint
s of I
slam
opho
bia o
r reli
gious
har
assm
ent h
ave
been
rece
ived
from
M
uslim
em
ploye
es/se
rvice
use
rs in
your
org
anisa
tion
since
7/7
? 4.
16
Wha
t is yo
ur g
ener
al fe
eling
of t
he w
ork p
erfo
rman
ce o
f Mus
lim e
mplo
yees
?
Ha
rd w
orkin
g Sa
me
as o
ther
em
ploye
es
Unre
liable
4.17
Do
you
have
any
conc
erns
or a
nxiet
ies a
bout
Extr
emism
ism o
r Rad
icalis
ation
in re
lation
to
your
Mus
lim e
mplo
yees
?
YES
N
O
If ye
s, ple
ase
state
your
conc
erns
4.18
A
re yo
u fa
milia
r with
the
requ
irem
ents
for M
uslim
s in
the
work
place
? Y
ES
NO
If
yes,
pleas
e sta
te w
hich
of th
e fo
llowi
ng?
Appe
aran
ce
& Dr
ess
Pray
er
Fasti
ng
Diet
ary
Requ
irem
ents
Leav
e So
cial
inter
actio
n
Th
ank
you
for c
ompl
etin
g th
is Q
uest
ionn
aire
.
Plea
se re
turn
all c
ompl
eted
Que
stio
nnai
res,
in th
e st
ampe
d ad
dres
sed
enve
lope
pro
vide
d, to
:
Cres
cent
Con
sulta
ncy
P.O
. Box
111
, Bat
ley,
Wes
t Yor
kshi
re, W
F17
6WU
alte
rnat
ivel
y em
ail t
o: c
resc
entc
onsu
ltanc
y@co
nsul
tant
.com
Page 28
Page 29
Appendix E
Appendix F
This
Pap
er is
a C
resc
ent C
onsu
ltanc
y Pr
oduc
t – w
ww.c
resc
entc
onsu
ltanc
y.or
g.uk
LOOK
ING
BEYO
ND T
HE V
EIL
Br
ief f
or In
terv
iew
s Se
x:
Mal
e
Fem
ale
Age:
Na
tiona
lity:
Re
ligio
n (e
.g. C
hris
tian,
Mus
lim, N
one,
etc
.):
Q
uest
ions
for D
iscu
ssio
n
1. W
e un
ders
tand
tha
t th
e re
ason
s fo
r w
earin
g th
e ve
il ar
e ba
sed
on r
elig
ious
gr
ound
s, b
ut a
lso,
for s
ome
resp
onde
nts,
on
a cu
ltura
l and
pol
itica
l bas
is. W
hy
do y
ou th
ink
wom
en w
ear t
he v
eil?
2.
How
impo
rtant
do
you
feel
is th
is is
sue
of th
e ve
il –
and
why
? So
me
resp
onde
nts
gave
the
sam
e an
swer
s, b
ut w
ith d
iffer
ing
reas
ons.
Can
you
hel
p to
exp
lain
this
?
3. D
o yo
u th
ink
it wo
uld
help
a b
ette
r co
mm
unity
und
erst
andi
ng if
the
re w
ere
a cl
ear p
ositi
on o
n th
e pl
ace
of th
e Ve
il w
ithin
Isla
m?
4.
Mos
tly r
espo
nden
ts fe
el th
at p
ublic
and
util
ity s
ervi
ces
mee
t the
ir ne
eds,
but
a
smal
l gr
oup
of p
eopl
e fe
el t
hat
they
are
‘no
t un
ders
tood
at
all’
by t
hese
or
gani
zatio
ns. H
ow d
o yo
u fe
el th
ese
serv
ices
wor
k to
be
incl
usiv
e, b
oth
with
in
thei
r org
anis
atio
n, A
ND in
thei
r con
tact
with
the
gene
ral p
ublic
?
5. H
ow d
o yo
u th
ink
this
res
earc
h w
ill im
pact
on
the
publ
ic?
Som
e (v
ery
few)
re
spon
dent
s su
gges
ted
that
by
aski
ng th
ese
ques
tions
we
mak
e ‘th
e pr
oble
m’
wor
se –
WHA
T DO
YO
U TH
INK?
M
uslim
Spe
cific
Que
stio
n
6. T
he a
dvan
tage
s an
d di
sadv
anta
ges
of b
eing
a M
uslim
in B
ritai
n -
can
you
plea
se
expa
nd o
n yo
ur o
rigin
al r
eply
to th
e qu
estio
nnai
re, t
o sa
y ho
w y
ou fe
el a
bout
th
ese
aspe
cts
of y
our l
ife?
This
Pap
er is
a C
resc
ent C
onsu
ltanc
y Pr
oduc
t – w
ww
.cre
scen
tcon
sulta
ncy.
org.
uk
LOO
KING
BEY
OND
THE
VEI
L
Brie
f for
Pub
lic M
eetin
gs &
Foc
us G
roup
s
The
sess
ion
shou
ld c
omm
ence
by
com
plet
ing
the
Que
stio
nnai
re, i
t is
impo
rtant
that
th
e Q
uest
ionn
aire
is n
ot le
ft til
l the
end
bec
ause
this
wou
ld d
ilute
the
orig
inal
thou
ghts
of
indi
vidu
als
follo
win
g gr
oup
wor
k.
The
faci
litat
or s
houl
d co
mm
ence
the
disc
ussi
on b
y in
trodu
cing
the
proj
ect a
s ou
tline
d in
the
intro
duct
ion
lette
r. It
shou
ld a
lso
be m
entio
ned
that
a Q
uest
ionn
aire
has
bee
n se
nt o
ut to
org
anis
atio
ns fo
r the
ir fe
edba
ck. T
he fi
ndin
gs w
ill b
e co
llate
d by
a
rese
arch
er a
nd th
en p
rese
nted
in th
e fo
rm o
f a fi
nal r
epor
t, w
hich
will
incl
ude.
1. O
verv
iew
of P
roje
ct
2. M
etho
dolo
gy o
f Res
earc
h 3.
Pro
cess
ed D
ata/
findi
ngs
4. R
efer
ence
to o
ther
sim
ilar r
esea
rch
Th
e ne
ed fo
r suc
h re
sear
ch a
rose
follo
win
g th
e di
smis
sal o
f a s
choo
l tea
cher
in
Dew
sbur
y w
ho re
fuse
d to
rem
ove
her v
eil i
n th
e cl
assr
oom
. Th
ere
shou
ld a
lso
be re
fere
nce
mad
e to
the
Jack
Stra
w M
P co
mm
ents
rela
ting
to th
e ve
il an
d ba
n by
the
Fren
ch G
over
nmen
t of a
ll re
ligio
us s
ymbo
ls, i
nclu
ding
the
veil
from
al
l pub
lic p
lace
s.
Note
: By
the
veil
we
mea
n th
e co
mpl
ete
cove
ring
of th
e fa
ce e
xcep
t the
eye
s Th
e fo
llow
ing
ques
tions
nee
d to
be
pose
d in
ord
er to
gen
erat
e a
disc
ussi
on.
1.
Why
do
you
thin
k w
omen
wea
r the
vei
l?
2. D
o yo
u th
ink
wom
en s
houl
d w
ear t
he v
eil?
3.
Is
the
wea
ring
of th
e ve
il co
mpa
tible
with
Brit
ish
soci
ety?
4.
Wha
t are
the
adva
ntag
es &
dis
adva
ntag
es o
f wea
ring
a ve
il?
5. D
o yo
u th
ink
the
veil
hind
ers
com
mun
ity c
ohes
ion?
Fo
llow
ing
thes
e qu
estio
ns y
ou s
houl
d po
se th
e qu
estio
ns in
the
Que
stio
nnai
re a
s ap
prop
riate
in o
rder
to g
ener
ate
a di
scus
sion
on
the
subj
ect.
Plea
se in
clud
e in
you
r fee
dbac
k re
port.
1. D
ate
/ Tim
e / V
enue
of F
ocus
Gro
up
2. N
umbe
r of p
artic
ipan
ts a
nd ty
pe o
f gro
up, i
.e. M
uslim
wom
en, i
nter
-faith
etc
3.
Ove
rvie
w o
f dis
cuss
ions
4.
Quo
tes
from
par
ticip
ants
5.
Pho
togr
aphs
, if p
ossi
ble
with
con
sent
from
par
ticip
ants
Page 30
Appendix G
Page 31
Appendix H
Lifting the veilMar 6 2008 by Katie Campling, Huddersfield Daily Examiner
KIRKLEES people are to be surveyed on how they feel about Muslim women wearing veils.
Crescent Consultancy, based in Batley, have been commissioned by North Kirklees Interfaith Council to research why the veil is worn by some Muslim women and how it affects their integration into society.
The study will also look at people’s feelings about the veil being worn.
Peter Tarleton, of Crescent Consultancy, said the research aimed to help educate organisations about the needs of faith communities and to help integrate Muslims into British society.
It is also hoped the research will promote positive images of Muslim women and help build trust and tolerance within communities.
People can have their say on the veil at two focus group meetings in Kirklees in the coming weeks.
The first will be held at Dewsbury Options Centre on George Street on March 11. The second will take place at the Hudawi Cultural Centre on Great Northern Street in Huddersfield on March 18, from 6pm.
People who cannot make the meetings can fill in questionnaires, which have also been sent to businesses and service organisations.
The results are to be analysed by Matt Francis, a researcher at Leeds University and will be given to North Kirklees Interfaith Council by the end of April.
Khalil Kazi, also of Crescent Consultancy, said the survey was commissioned, following a series of high-profile stories about Muslim women over the past few years.
“The council wanted to do research into the wearing of the veil and the implications for services and their users.”
The study is being paid for with a grant from the Government’s department of Local Government and Communities.
There is a distinction between the hijab (literally “covering up” in Arabic) and the niqab (meaning “full veil”).
Hijab is a common sight among Muslim women, a scarf that covers their hair and neck.
Niqab consists of covering up completely, including gloves and a veil for the face - leaving just a slit for the eyes, or covering them too with transparent material.
One of the recent stories which drew attention to the veil concerned teaching assistant Aishah Azmi, 24, of Thornhill Leeds, who was suspended after refusing to remove her veil while teaching at Headfield C of E Junior School in Dewsbury.
Pupils had claimed it was difficult to understand her. She said she would have removed the veil but not if a male member of staff was present.
She was sacked in November 2006 after an employment tribunal in Leeds dismissed three claims of discrimination and harassment.
But she was found to have been victimised and was given £1,000 for ‘injury to her feelings’.
In March last year, she appealed to the Employment Appeals Tribunal in London. But the appeal was dismissed.
Other high-profile stories included former Home Secretary Jack Straw saying in October, 2006, that he preferred women to remove their veils when attending surgeries in his constituency and the introduction of new Government guidelines in March 2007, which give headteachers the right to ban the Muslim veil or other religious dress from classrooms.
In September, 2004, France introduced a ban on religious symbols, including the headscarf, in schools.
For a copy of the questionnaire, contact Crescent Consultancy on 07815686065, email [email protected] or write to Crescent Consultancy, PO Box 111, Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17 6WU.
Researchers host veil debate7 March 2008 by Georgina Morris, Dewsbury Reporter
IS there a positive or negative image of Muslim women who wear the veil? Does the veil hinder community relations? Does the community see it as divisive?
These are just some of the questions being asked as part of research into perceptions of the Muslim veil that has been commissioned by the North Kirklees Interfaith Council.
Tonight (Tuesday March 11) they will host a focus group open to anyone from Dewsbury and the surrounding area who wants to share their views.
Habiban Zaman, who is managing the project for NKIC, said the research was about building trust and understanding at a time when more Muslim women were choosing to wear the veil.
She said: “At the debates they will be looking at whether women identify themselves as Muslim women and the problems they face and also whether they are welcomed and accepted with the wider community. They will explore the complexities and challenges of women wearing the veil and take in the views of women who don’t.”
The group will be at the Options Community Centre, George Street, tonight at 6pm. For a copy of the questionnaire phone Crescent Consultancy on 07815 686065 or email [email protected]
Page 32
Appendix I
Pag
e 1
Pag
e 2
Page 33
Pag
e 3
Pag
e 4
Page 34
Pag
e 5
Page 35
Appendix J
The Islamic veil across Europe Countries across the continent have wrestled with an issue that takes in religious freedom, fe-male equality, secular traditions and even fears of terrorism.
FRANCE
A ban on Muslim headscarves and other “conspicuous” religious symbols at state schools was introduced in 2004.
The measure received overwhelming political and public support in a country where the separation of state and religion is enshrined in law.
However, headscarves can be worn in Muslim schools, and at university level, where the law on religious signs does not apply.
TURKEY
For the past 80 years Turks have lived in a secular state founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who rejected headscarves as backward-looking in his campaign to secularise Turkish society.
Even so, it is estimated that as many as 65% of Turkish women cover their heads with a scarf.
Nonetheless, scarves are banned in civic spaces, including schools, universities - state or private - and official buildings.
In November 2005 the European Court of Human Rights ruled the ban was legitimate.
BRITAIN
There is no ban on Islamic dress in the UK.
However, schools are allowed to forge their own dress code.
The courts were forced to rule when a schoolgirl complained that her school sent her home for wearing a jilbab, which covers the entire body, except for hands, feet, face, and head.
The courts said the school made sufficient concessions by allowing the Islamic trousers and tunic.
GERMANY
In September 2003 the federal Constitutional Court ruled in favour of a teacher who wanted to wear an Islamic scarf to school.
However, it said states could change their laws locally if they wanted to.
At least four German states have gone on to ban teachers from wearing headscarves and in the state of Hesse the ban applies to all civil servants.
RUSSIA
Russia’s Supreme Court has overturned a 1997 interior ministry ruling which forbade women from wearing headscarves in passport photos.
ITALY
In September 2004 local politicians in the north of Italy resurrected old laws against the wearing of masks, to ban women from wearing the all-over burqa.
In July 05 the Italian parliament approved anti-terrorist laws which make hiding one’s features from the public - including through wearing the burqa - an offence.
The government has said it will put forward draft new legislation to ban the Islamic veil that covers the face.
BELGIUM
The city of Maaseik, on the Dutch border, has banned the niqab, which covers the whole body except for the eyes.
NETHERLANDS
The Dutch cabinet has backed a proposal by the country’s immigration minister to ban Muslim women from wearing the burqa in public places.
The cabinet said burqas disturb public order, citizens and safety.
Critics of the proposed ban say it would violate civil rights.
An estimated 5% of people living in the Netherlands are Muslims. But there are just a few dozen women in the Netherlands who choose to wear the burqa, a traditional Islamic form of dress.
Page 36
Appendix K
The Pew Global Attitudes Project
Abstract from Summary of Findings
Ban Muslim Head Scarves?
On another controversial issue, the prohibition on wearing head scarves by Muslim women in public places including schools, attitudes are uniformly negative in the Muslim world but differ sharply among non-Muslim countries.
Majorities in the U.S., Canada and Great Britain, as well as pluralities in Spain, Russia and Poland, view such prohibitions as a bad idea. However, in France, where a ban on wearing head scarves and other "conspicuous" religious symbols in secular schools went into effect last year, a large majority (78%) favors such prohibitions. They are joined in this view by smaller majorities in Germany (54%), the Netherlands (51%) and by nearly two-thirds of the Indian public (66%).
In Turkey, where a longstanding ban on head scarves in schools and public buildings has come under increasing attack from Muslim activists, 64% of the public calls such a ban a bad idea compared with 29% who view it as a good idea. Lebanon weighs in against head scarf bans by 59% opposed to 29% in favor, while even larger majorities in Jordan (97%), Indonesia (95%), Morocco (90%) and Pakistan (77%) call them a bad idea.
Source: The Pew Global Attitudes Project - http://pewglobal.org/
P.O. Box 111BatleyWest YorkshireWF17 6WUUnited Kingdom
P.O. Box 111BatleyWest YorkshireWF17 6WUUnited Kingdom
rescentConsultancy
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