Foreign Office staff invited to wear a hijab for the day
MANDARINS at the Foreign Office have been accused of promoting the ‘ institutional oppression of women’ by inviting staff to wear hijabs for the day. The department gave away taxpayer-funded headscarves at a walk-in event to mark World Hijab Day, saying they symbolised ‘liberation, respect and security’.
The event was held as women in ultraconservative Iran burned their headscarves in protest at being forced to wear them or face arrest and prison.
Many Muslim women across the world have shunned the hijab – which covers the hair and neck but not the face – as an antiquated, oppressive, religious tool.
The event was last Thursday, just days before Britain marked the 100th anniversary of women being given the vote.
Maajid Nawaz, who heads the counterextremism think-tank the Quilliam Foundation, criticised the department for ‘supporting World Hijab Day and the institutional oppression of women through modesty culture, while brave Iranian women risk all to remove hijab tyranny’.
Anti- hijab activist Masih Alinejad added: ‘We are fighting against the most visible symbol of oppression. These women are saying “it is enough – it is the 21st century and we want to be our true selves”.’
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: ‘I’d like to know whose bright idea this was. It is ridiculous, a complete waste of taxpayers’ money and not the business of a Government department.
‘I can’t see the Foreign Office promoting Christianity or the handing out of crosses.’
An internal email to Foreign Office staff said the event was taking place on February 1 between midday and 2pm inside the department’s headquarters at Whitehall.
It read: ‘Would you like to try on a hijab or learn why Muslim women wear the headscarf? Come along to our walk- in event. Free scarves for all those that choose to wear it for the day or part of the day.
‘Muslim women, along with followers of many other religions, choose to wear the hijab. Many find liberation, respect and security through wearing it. #StrongInHijab. Join us for #WorldHijabDay.’ Posters for the event featuring Foreign Office branding were circulated, and the event was also marked in Scottish Parliament, with SNP politician Maree Todd trying on a headscarf.
In mainstream Muslim teaching, the hijab is commonly worn by girls after they hit puberty.
But critics have claimed the garment is a symbol of male oppression, citing rules in hardline Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia. Videos showing women burning the hijab have been posted on social media in solidarity with protests against the headscarf in Iran. They were posted online with the hashtag #NoHijabDay, a response to World Hijab Day.
Last Friday, Iranian media reported that Tehran police had arrested 29 women for appearing in public without a headscarf.
The Islamic dress code, in place since the 1979 revolution, says the veil is obligatory for any female above 13 in Iran, and states they should cover themselves from head to toe while disavowing any figurehugging dress.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘This was an internal event for staff in London who wished to gain a better understanding of the different cultural and social issues they may face when working overseas.’ The incident follows another row over the hijab, after a primary school headmistress was subjected to vile abuse for trying to ban the veil. Neena Lall set uniform policies which ‘promote cohesion’ at St Stephen’s, in Newham, a secular east London. state school However, the head was compared to Hitler in a video circulated online after she said girls under eight should not have to wear the veil in class. Following a backlash from local councillors, the policy was reversed. The Foreign Office employs about 4,200 staff in the UK, according to its latest equality and diversity report. Of those, around 43 per cent – or 1,800 – are women.
‘Visible symbol of oppression’