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Face Veils are Intrinsically Dehumanizing

Reader comment on item: Burqas and Niqabs in the Classroom?
in response to reader comment: face veils are for modesty and protection.

Submitted by Paul Newcombe (Australia), Nov 1, 2007 at 05:29

The human face is the primary source of a person's outward human identity. The veil which completely covers the face of women erases their human identity from the public and is therefore dehumanizing. Women must always retain their humanity instead of being reduced to an object which has no distinguishing features from the next fully-veiled muslim woman walking along the footpath.

Toleration must have reasonable boundaries. The face-veil has a deeply dehumanizing impact upon the women who wear it (often by compulsion) and thus should not be tolerated in a free society which cherishes every individuals uniqueness and human attributes.

Wearing a head-scarf maintains appropriate modesty while allowing the woman to maintain her human identity. Therefore the head-scarf should be encouraged, for Islamic women who wish to maintain a modest appearance. The full face-veil, however, should be resisted by all who appose the intrinsic dehumanization of women.

Paul

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Reader comments (13) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
face veils are not Islamic, should be banned in public [214 words]A. WhealeyDec 12, 2005 22:0929843
face veils are for modesty and protection. [197 words]maryam kim martinJan 19, 2006 02:5929843
Are you Muslim? [103 words]AliayahJun 6, 2006 10:3229843
america the free [85 words]ummzazaAug 8, 2006 15:0529843
Niqab and Islamic Indentity [49 words]ZahraSep 10, 2006 10:5029843
Niqab [477 words]Against NiqabOct 4, 2006 11:4429843
Face Veils are Intrinsically Dehumanizing [148 words]Paul NewcombeNov 1, 2007 05:2929843
Why do you care? [203 words]SammyNov 14, 2007 22:5129843
2Militant Islam Forces Me To Care [1097 words]Paul NewcombeNov 16, 2007 04:0629843
why not [20 words]danNov 19, 2007 10:2429843
1Against nikab?? [258 words]Aeishah Griffiths-WilliamsonApr 1, 2008 14:4029843
hey who are you please [18 words]osmanJan 26, 2010 15:2429843
Garments meant to hide [68 words]Ed BrophyDec 9, 2005 16:5029714

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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