Image credit, Elon Tabitha, free images Unsplash.

I want to begin by qualifying the girl refused exam entry in Nigeria did not have her face covered. She was just wearing a traditional hijab and on further investigation the issue for security was around her ears being covered so they couldn’t identify her or see if she was wearing headphones or ear buds.

I would vote in favour of following France on a ban of the burqa in the UK. Regardless of what Muslim women say in defence of their right to wear whatever they like, a freedom I do believe in and support, I believe that religious expression needs to be considered in a secular society where pushing a religious uniform or narrative should be discouraged. The full face covering or the veil called the niqab, we are seeing more and more in the UK and for anyone who relies on lip reading to communicate it makes it virtually impossible to interact with someone wearing it. I visit a fast food restaurant regularly where a young woman covers her face for work and this makes it impossible for me to communicate with her and get my food ordered correctly. I cannot hear her and cannot read her lips. I also think as crime increases in the UK the veil is a facilitation of disguise.

The hijab is a different story altogether. It does not cover the face, just the ears, hair and neck, worn for modesty it can be combined with an abaya, the long often black cloak seen in the Middle East or with regular clothes like jeans.

I read the story online of a Nigerian student being refused entry to a JAMB examination hall in Nigeria which has sparked controversy and arguments about discrimination and freedom of religious expression online, all things permissible in Nigeria where approximately 50% of the population are Muslim. It appears this is simply a mistake made by over zealous examination security. It appears ears need to be visible as a way for biometrical assessment to identify students but instead of asking the young women to comply by simply exposing her ears for a moment, she was asked to remove her hijab completely, a request she felt unable to comply with and something she wasn’t required to do to be able to sit her exam to gain entrance to national universities for studies in Law, Medicine and Engineering. I have read online legit.ng this mistake is being rectified, the young woman will sit her exam and the member of staff in question will be disciplined. It hasn’t stopped the outrage on social media as people with diametrically opposed views wade in.

I am sure by joining the debate, as someone who believes in freedom of expression, freedom of speech and equality for women, my views will be challenged. It is clear like within all religions the definitions and boundaries are different for those practising and open to interpretation and judgement from within faith groups and outside.

I was raised in faith but have opted in adulthood to not conform to any religious doctrine or dogma choosing independent thinking instead.

I have been subjected to pioty, isolation, rejection and judgement like many who choose to abandon the faith or in-doctrine they had instilled in their early years. It doesn’t matter which faction or religious institution, I now see them all the same. Someone once said to me it doesn’t matter which golf club you join, they all have rules and if you don’t follow the rules the committee, the club hierarchy, the board will have you out. I now follow the Groucho Marx school of thinking on clubs, “I wouldn’t want to belong to a club that would have me as a member” the same goes for religion.

Whilst religion is not for me I am tolerant, understanding and appreciate each to their own and believe freedom of religion is a fundamental right.

However when you look back over the last 100 years or so, Muslim women were not required to cover in the same way, so wearing the burqa or the niqab is a relatively new thing.

Whilst Muslim women will argue aggressively this dress code does not represent oppression of women, in much the same way anyone coercively controlled will argue in the favour of their controller I do think there is something inherently wrong and cruel when children are forced to wear this get up, unable to play and be free to move and run along with other kids.

Religion is about discipline and following a strict regime pitched based on the wishes of the divine, except it’s open to interpretation. Personally whilst of course discipline and principle are the traits that build true character I prefer to script my own “religion” based upon my internal knowing and what is right for me as an individual.

Some of the tenants of faith I adhere to, not killing, (people or animals) not speaking about people negatively behind their backs (gossiping) but covering women from head to foot for modesty and because men cannot control their sexual urges I cannot buy into for women, however much Islamic women might disagree to the idea of subjugation, oppression or control.

Let’s not forget whilst face veiling has ancient roots, the modern, widespread adoption of the burqa and niqab is relatively recent, accelerating significantly since the late 1970s and 1980s. Which lends more to a shift in culture not religious tradition.

Women are already second class global citizens when it comes to the gender pay gap, domestic violence, sexual assault, medical research so I am for equality and women making their own choices as far as what they choose to wear however face covering in society cuts off identity, makes Islamic women invisible, limits their communication, and also creates a protection for deception and committing crime.

I have had something stolen by someone wearing an abaya and hijab and even though their face wasn’t covered it made it virtually impossible to determine who had taken my property as they disappeared into a sea of black.

So as a liberaterian and supporter of free speech, freedom of expression and freedom of religion I would welcome a ban on face covering in the UK. If you want to live with your face covered, you must choose to live somewhere where this practise is welcomed.

When I travel to Islamic countries I don’t dress the same as I would at home and if I chose to relocate to an Islamic country I would accept the societal norms for women in that place and behave accordingly. And if I didn’t wish to do that I wouldn’t choose to live there.

These are the reasons I am no longer part of organised religion but I would assert my deference and expect the same in return. Faith is a deeply personal decision. Laws are to protect the whole of society and I believe face covering in any form is fundamentally wrong.