Does the veil empower women?

My dear Friends

On Thursday night I went to a debate in the Cambridge Graduate Union. the debate was entitled:This house believes the veil empowers women.' It was a heated debate.

The first to propose the motion was Lauren Davidson, a third -year Theology student and outgoing President of the Union. Her arguments were quite intellectual and she made a case for the veil empowering women and allowing them to express their identity.First to oppose was Houriya Ahmed, Member of Sisters against Violent Extremists, a fellow at the Centre for Social Cohesion, and a writer. She asked the first speaker to try on the black veil which covers the whole face apart from the eyes, to see if she was expressing her identity. She then went on to say at length how our identity is formed rather by how we live and think, not by the veil. She is herself a Muslim.

The best speaker of the evening was the second to propose the motion, Krista Bremer. She is a Californian -born essayist and writer, who has written in support of a women's choice to wear the veil. She spoke very movingly about her daughter who said to her mother she wanted to wear the veil. Her father, Krista's husband, is a Libyan Muslim.She talked about the support she gave her daughter and about how her teenage daughter was criticised in the society where they lived.

Dr Taj Hargey was the second to oppose the motion. He is chairman of the Muslim Education Centre of Oxford and a writer. He is also an Immam. He strongly said that wearing the veil is an outdated custom of pre-Islamic times, more connected to the Jewish and Christian religions. He is also said it was a sign of oppression and tyranny among Muslim men who beat their wives.

Thirdly, for the motion,there was Nagihan Haliloglu, a Muslim academic, who specialises in gender issues in Islam. She spoke at length about how the veil is part of the identity of a Muslim woman and an important religious symbol connected to consecration. She denied that it was connected to oppression.

Finally against the motion, there was David Aaronovitch, a senior leader writer for The Times and columnist and broadcaster. This was a very undistinguished speech, in which he spent the whole time character assassinating the other speakers, especially Krista Bremer (with the Libyan husband). It provoked a lot of emotion from the young Muslim women behind me and I had to comfort them by saying he was out of line and playing to the gallery. Unfortunately he was a good enough 'actor' to draw a lot of laughter and applause.

I haven't yet got the results of the debate, although I suspect the motion was defeated. I voted in favour, partly because I believe that headcovering can show a respect for God and partly to be in solidarity with my Muslim women friends.It was interesting to see quite a group of young Jewish students there,all with their skullcaps.

I would welcome any views, in the form of comments.

Shalom from

Sister Gila