Exchange of the week The Koran and the veil
To The Times
Boris Johnson should not apologise for telling the truth. His analogy is unfortunate, but he is justified in reminding everyone that the Wahhabi/salafi-inspired fad of female facial masking has no Koranic legitimacy. It is, however, a nefarious component of a trendy gateway theology for religious extremism and militant Islam.
The burqa and niqab are hideous tribal ninja-like garments that are pre-islamic, non-koranic and therefore un-muslim. Although this deliberate identity-concealing contraption is banned at the Kaaba in Mecca, it is permitted in Britain, thus precipitating security risks, accelerating vitamin D deficiency, endorsing gender inequality and inhibiting cohesion.
The retrogressive Islamic clergy has succeeded in persuading ill-informed Muslims through suspect secondary sources that God wants women to cover their faces, when in reality it is a toxic patriarchy controlling women. Johnson did not go far enough. If Britain is to become a fully integrated society then it is essential that cultural practices, personal preferences and communal customs that aggravate social division should be firmly resisted. For this reason, Britain must emulate France, Belgium, Austria, Bulgaria and Denmark in banning the burqa. Dr Taj Hargey, imam, Oxford Islamic Congregation
To The Times
Further to Dr Hargey’s letter, the niqab (the veil to cover the face) was part of pre-islamic Arab culture and was permitted by the Prophet Mohammed to remain alongside new rulings on modesty and hijab. There are clear incidents from Islamic history that show the niqab was worn by women of the Prophet’s family as well as in the wider community of Medina. The Koranic verses of 33:59 and 24:30 refer to a dress code, and Koranic jurists have differed on whether these verses apply to the niqab or simply to the hijab. The general consensus in Islamic scholarship is that both the niqab and hijab are referred to by the Koran. No reputable Islamic scholar has ever questioned the legality of the niqab in Islamic jurisprudence in 1,400 years of Islamic history, although there seems to be a preponderance of self-styled leaders doing so today. Khola Hasan, scholar, Islamic Sharia Council