$1.2m fund to pay Denmark’s veil fines
An Algerian businessman has said he would pay all the fines faced by women in Denmark who choose to wear full-face veils, as the Danish government on February 6 proposed a ban on full-face veils in public spaces. The measure has yet to be approved. Speaking to Anadolu Agency in front of the Danish parliament, […]
Norway to ban face veils in all schools
Norway’s ruling coalition of right-wing anti-immigration parties plans to ban the full veil in all educational institutions across the country saying it hinders communication. The authorities had promised the ban last year targeting the hijab, balaclavas, and masks. “We do not want clothes covering the face in nurseries, schools and universities,” Minister of Education and […]
The Burqa or the Bikini?
By Hanan al-Harbi As the weather warms up, many Muslim women head to the beach to cool off. While the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, expected his followers to be able to swim, many Muslim women are confronted with the question of swimwear. If one travels the shorelines of the Islamic world, […]
Czech court rejects suit over school hijab ban
A Czech court has rejected a discrimination suit filed by a Somali refugee, who was banned from wearing her hijab in a nursing school, the first case of its kind in the EU state. “The suit which the plaintiff lodged seeking an apology and 60,000 crowns ($2,350) in compensation was rejected,” Justice Daniela Cejkova said, […]
What the hijab means to me
Women from around the world share their thoughts and feelings about wearing – or not wearing – the hijab. ‘Hijab makes me feel free’ Ifat Gazia is from Kashmir and recently graduated from the University of London. After the Paris attacks of November 2015, I faced an assault-like situation on Oxford Street in London when […]
Woman Banned for Wearing Hijab
SHERWOOD, Ark. – A 20-year-old UALR student says she was the victim of discrimination at a Sherwood arcade Friday night. “A little hurt, again I wasn’t surprised.” Furdos Al-Ali has lived in Central Arkansas all her life but a typical Friday night out with friends ended with the UALR student being singled out. “We walked […]
Swiss lawmakers approve step towards face-veil ban
Switzerland’s lower house of parliament narrowly backed a ban on face veils on Tuesday, echoing moves by neighbouring France and other European nations. The plan by right-wing politician Walter Wobmann – who led a successful campaign to outlaw new minarets in 2009 – still has to pass through the upper house and the government before […]
What’s next for France after the burkini madness?
The burkini hysteria of the 2016 summer has once again turned France into the laughing stock of the Western, if not of the entire, world. It took weeks of controversy and the seizing of the country’s highest administrative authority – the Council of the State – to reaffirm the right for women to dress as […]
Turkey allows policewomen to wear headscarves
Turkey has for the first time allowed policewomen to wear headscarves while on duty as part of their uniform. Women serving in the police force “will be able to cover their heads” under their caps or berets so long as the headscarf is “the same colour as the uniform and without pattern”, said the ruling […]
Germany Mulls Banning Face Veils
Germany may soon be following the footsteps of France, Belgium and Switzerland by banning women from wearing face veils. Conservatives in the country are calling for a law that will prohibit women from wearing a face veil in certain environments. According to Lorenz Caffier, interior minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, body veils inhibit integration.