To veil or unveil

To veil or unveil? 

This is the undesired, awkward and challenging question going on in the minds of many Muslim women in several parts of Europe. This follows the political support that France garnered recently, for the law banning the wearing of the full-face veils (niqab) by the Muslim women of France. It seems that the wearing of the veils have also been seriously questioned at one time or another in the nations of Belgium, Spain, Italy, Britain, Turkey, Switzerland, Russia, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark and Austria. Additionally, there has been news that full-face veils had already been banned in some places in these nations. Reasons, like oppressing women, female inequality, obstacle in unifying the nation and the feared security threat has been given.

I am reluctant to debate the issue strongly here, less I hurt my Muslim friends. I, for one think that the situation in the ancient times and now is different. In those times, women seldom moved out of their community sphere and more or less were confined to their abodes. The men ventured out to get the bread on the table for the family and for other national commitments. As such, the reasons put forward by the anti-niqab proponents were not noticed in those olden times. 

Nowadays, Muslim women are out in the open, in urban areas, sharing the burden of getting an income for a decent living, and meet up with people of other religions and cultures. Things become uncomfortable and uneasy for the persons who had to deal with the women with the full-face veils. Being the ever social, human beings they are, or in the line of official duty, they may want to know to whom they are talking to, as women wearing the niqab all look the same. And there is the main predicament. 

I hope and I am sure all of you do also, that this issue will be ironed out amicably, with some give and take on both parties, without hurting each other too much so that we all can live on this earth harmoniously.