Veils and Threats

I've spent a lot of time recently thinking about the issues raised in October and November regarding the veils and headgear worn by some Muslim women. There's been a great deal of discussion in the media with a relatively small number of people suggesting full veils should be banned and a rather larger number arguing that their use is not necessarily appropriate in, for example, schools.

My thinking on this matter has led me to the opinion that if women choose to hide their hair or face then this is entirely their own business. This is a free country and I would not wish to constrain their rights if at all possible.

The caveat, "if at all possible", turns out to be fairly significant because there are a large number of situations when it simply isn't appropriate for people to hide their faces. These include, but probably aren't limited to, the following:
- Schools - children need to see their teachers' faces and staff need easily to be able identify their colleagues.
- Banks - most banks require wearers of motorcycle helmets to remove their headgear before entering the branch; veils would perform a similarly disguise identity.
- Airports, ports and international stations - anywhere that immigration, passport control or customs people need to be able to identify travelers.
- Courts and police stations - it is often essential to be able to see people's faces to facilitate identity checking and questioning.
- Place of Work - face-to-face communication is a requirement of almost all jobs so wearing a veil in an office, shop or factory is clearly inappropriate.

Essentially, wearing items which disguise your appearance would be inappropriate whenever facial identification or communication is necessary. In practice, this turns out to be almost all public places so, whilst I have no objection to veils in principle, in practice they should be worn only in the home or for weddings.

Jesus and Mo, Part II

Ok, I know I said not 20 minutes ago that a particular cartoon was my favourite, but this one so neatly summarises the problems with irrational belief systems that I just had to post a link.

Jesus and Mo

My brother pointed me towards a comic website called Jesus and Mo, a satirical strip featuring Jesus, Mohammad and an atheist barmaid. There are some great cartoons on this site, all of them attacking the central beliefs of the world's two largest organised religions. One of my favourite strips so far (I'm working through the back catalogue) is this one about Allah's failure to intervene in important earthly affairs...

Irrepressible.Info

I don't normally have time for Amnesty International; they come across as arrogant and, to a certain extent, other-worldly but I think in general their aims are good. One thing I spotted on the BBC website was a link to this site and I've added my name to the list (for all the good it will do).

Northern Line

The Northern Line, being the one I use most frequently, is my least favourite Underground line. This morning things were worse than normal because a signal failure at Charing Cross (while I was sitting on the train waiting to leave Charing Cross) prevented further travel on the line and I was forced to divert onto the Bakerloo and then Victoria lines to get past the signal. These lines, already crowded, were horribly busy; standing room only.

Things are looking up, thought, with new air-conditioned trains on the way: link. Not on the Northern Line, of course. That would be too much to ask.