Liberals can also be fundamentalists

Liberals can also be fundamentalists

Using terror to reverse the French hijab ban is unforgivable. But the
ban was also an act of fanaticism

Yasmin Ataullah
Friday September 3, 2004
The Guardian

When my family moved to Surrey in the mid-1980s, it was a shock: I was
born in south London and had spent my early childhood seeing black,
white and brown faces together. Suddenly, we became a conspicuous
minority. We were one of the first Asian families to live in Carshalton
Beeches, and I was one of only five ethnic minority pupils at school. I found
it hard to fit in, though I had no experience of racism, and got on
well with my peers.
At 13, I told my parents that I had decided to wear the hijab. They are
both deeply spiritual, practising Muslims, but with a concerned "don't
be foolish", my devout father forbade it. He felt I had had enough
difficulty in fitting in at school without singling myself out.

So, instead, I spent the next decade immersing myself in English
society, trying to fit in, to find a sense of belonging. I do not believe
that being English and being Muslim are mutually exclusive; I felt and
still feel as English as my non-Muslim friends.

Thus I cannot understand the intolerance that is becoming more
pervasive and which, just across the Channel, has led to the banning of the
hijab in schools. Muslims worldwide have united in expressing their
disgust with the kidnapping in Iraq of two French journalists by a group that
set the overturning of the hijab ban as a condition for their release.
There can be little doubt that this group, under the guise of an
Islamic label, will disrupt everything that the Muslim community has
achieved, and further tarnish the image of Islam. European Muslims are
determined that if the French ban is ever repealed, then it will have been as a
result of debate, peaceful campaigning and an appreciation of the
significance of this issue not just for Muslims, but for the societies they
belong to.
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Maybe my father was right - wearing the hijab might not have helped me
fit in at school. But it might have played a part in the development of
a cohesive society which embraces diversity. A multicultural school
that respects a range of multi-faith children is the perfect arena for
young people to learn about the values of an inclusive society; to
understand the importance of respecting others' beliefs.

The French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy wrote an article in the
Sunday Times headlined "Off with their headscarves". He spoke of the veil as
a "symbol of hatred" and associated it with fanati cism and
fundamentalism. He does not understand. Wearing the hijab is a personal part of my
religious practice; it is not a reflection of my views about Britain,
but of my heart and soul. If forced to wear the hijab, the woman's
intentions would not be true, rendering the practice meaningless. Choice is
the essence of the act - it is an act of faith; it is about being an
independent woman responsible for her actions and conduct; it is a
reflection of a woman's modesty.

Following Islam amounts to having faith in something that cannot be
qualified in scientific terms; and, like many Muslims, I have a passion
for this belief. Being passionate about something you believe in does
not, in turn, make you a fanatic; nor does it make you a terrorist.

I was once a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur. Walking up to White Hart
Lane in a sea of white shirts was amazing; the individuals in the crowd
identified with one another, because we shared a passion, because we
had faith in something.

I always knew that I would wear the hijab one day, and I have now done
so for a year. No one ever attempted to make me wear it, or even asked
me to consider it. I have always been accepted for who I am by my
Muslim peers. I am often asked what made me decide to wear it, particularly
in an atmosphere of increasing Islamophobia. The answer is that I feel
more confident in my hijab, projecting myself as a progressive Muslim
woman who has the courage to be true to my faith as I live and work in
Britain. This pride, together with my ability to carry out my work or to
interact socially, gives me strength in my abilities as a young woman,
knowing that I am being accepted for who I am, for what I do, and not
for what I look like.

And, just as I felt an affinity with my fellow Tottenham fans, I now
feel an affinity with Muslims in London. My friends can vouch for the
fact that I remain independent and stubborn, anything but oppressed. I
merely exercise my rights in a free society by choosing to wear the hijab.

The secularist arguments behind the hijab ban in France amount to
nothing more than a denial of freedoms of expression and choice. Those who
look upon the hijab with disdain will now feel at liberty to abuse those
who wear it, given that the state legitimises their feelings. This
state oppression will alienate the Muslim population in France. It will
result in Muslim women being stigmatised. Secular fundamentalism is as
abhorrent as religious extremism.

The vile attempt to blackmail France into submission by threatening the
lives of hostages horrifies me. Terror must never be allowed to take
the place of debate. But equally, secularism must never become more
important than freedom.

· Yasmin Ataullah is a press officer for the Muslim Association of
Britain