Syria to Sydney.. Peshawar to Paris.

For days I've been reading around what's happened in Paris, trying to wrap my head around what's gone on, and trying to think of how to respond. 

Unfortunately, this seems to be becoming a common occurrence. From seeing and hearing about the terrible news in Syria, Pakistan, Australia and now Paris, the words 'Muslim extremists' seem to have been heard so often, that they've become almost arbitrary. 

Now in terms of Charlie Hebdo in particular, I want to start by saying I am ALL for freedom of expression. When you start limiting what can and can't be said, you're going down a very slippery slope! 

However, when some people in France are stopped from wearing what they want to (i.e. the hijab and/or the veil) then does freedom of expression no longer matter? Is it exclusive to certain groups? If so, how is that fair? 

Secondly, once again, the media coverage between these sorts of events is unbelievably disproportionate. It seems that they don't even attempt to be discreet or covert in their attitude that some lives (western lives in particular), are more valuable than others.

Penultimately, what baffles me each time these sorts of events occur, is why hardly anyone seems to be interested in uncovering why these keep re-occurring. 

I don't claim to have the answers, but if we pulled together and stopped creating situations in which terrorism thrives, maybe these events would become few and far between as opposed to increasingly frequent.

Finally, to those spreading hatred. And I mean on both sides, those who are approving of the Charlie Hedbo attack, and those who got the 'Kill all Muslims' Hashtag trending, you are part of the problem. When in fact we should be striving towards a solution.

The Veil - Freedom? or Oppression?

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you'll no doubt have heard, seen, or read something or other about the Niqab or the veil.

Now when I first heard that this was something that was being discussed in parliament, I couldn't help but laugh. I honestly thought it had to be a joke. My first thought was seriously? Surely this country has bigger problems. Surely our government have more important things to tackle, instead of debating about the way a certain group of people should or shouldn't dress.

Having said that, I can completely understand why certain members of the public might be unnerved by women who choose to wear the veil. If it's something you don't know a lot about, or something you've never come across, it can seem somewhat 'alien' and even perhaps frightening.

However, if you take the time out to look into what the veil is and the reason that some Muslim women choose to wear it, the last thing it is, is frightening. In fact, all this news coverage and debate is doing the complete opposite of what the veil aims to do, it is drawing unnecessary attention to these women, who are trying to mind their own business and go about their daily lives.

A lot of the arguments about why the veil should be banned, link back to the story about a Muslim woman who allegedly refused to lift her veil in court. Whether this is or isn't true, I definitely understand that the face veil has to be lifted in court, in front of a jury for it to be a fair trial. 

What baffles me however, is that I know several women who wear the Niqab and have done for years, and I know that if they were ever to find themselves in a similar situation, they would have no problem at all lifting their veil. The same applies at airports, or any other situation where it is necessary for whatever reason, for someone to confirm their identity. Therefore, for this one isolated incident to spark a debate about potentially banning the veil, is to me, quite ludicrous.

Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of women in this country do not wear the veil because they have been forced to wear it by an oppressive, tyrannous male family member. In fact, they feel empowered by this piece of clothing. The idea that they are choosing what can and cannot be seen by other people is for them, freedom. Therefore, the people that think they are liberating these women by dictating to them how to dress (oh the irony), are in fact doing the exact opposite of what they are condemning, and are in fact taking on the role of the oppressors. 

I can't discuss the topic of the veil, without making mention of Rachid Nekkaz, a businessman who has paid 699 Niqab fines since the ban was implemented in France. (Faith in humanity restored!)

Finally, I'll leave you with this video that makes for quite an interesting watch:

:-) x