thatbags, to go back to the wearing of a simple scarf in French schools, I meant it is forbidden to wear all scarves, EVEN IF they are brightly coloured, not just black. I think if I had been a student when the rule became law, I would have set up a movement asking other French girls to turn up to school wearing a scarf- to support them. For the Muslim girls, often very hard-working and successful in school- to be turned away, whilst other students wearing skimpy clothing, rebelious, rude and not working- must have seemed the embodiement of racism and rejection.
As said, I really feel uncomfortable when I meet women wearing the full burka, and to some extent the hijab- and would prefer them not to wear it, even if by choice- but not sure a ban would be helpful. But I do hate how racism can hide in quite a nasty way behind such issues.
Thatbags, you state Islam is more a culture- but we must not forget there are as many ways to be a Muslim as there are of beign a Christian. At my last school we had a couple of families that belonged to a Christian brethren- girls had to wear long skirts and socks, long sleeves and a scarf- and were forced to leave school at the earliest opportunity and not allowed to stay on in the 6th form either- despite one of them being desperate to.
I have many friends and family who are Muslims- none of them wear a scarf or any head covering- apart from one cousin in her 50s who has recently done the Hadj (pilgrimage to Mecca) and now wears a sylish pill-box with side veil- or any kind of 'muslim' clothing. They are good practising muslims to dress moderately, that is all.
Some of my Muslim 6th Formers told me often they were so glad their modest clothing and religion protected them - they were dismayed by the sheer explotation, as they saw it, of their English friends who felt compelled by peers, youth magazine, etc, of dressing like 'tarts' showing everything they'd got, and sexually exploited by the boys, etc.
Complex- it definitely is.
