Wearing a Hijab

The word hijab comes from the Arabic for veil and is used to describe the headscarves worn by Muslim women. These scarves come in myriad styles and colours. The type most commonly worn in the West is a square scarf that covers the head and neck but leaves the face clear.

The burka is the most concealing of all Islamic veils. It covers the entire face and body, leaving just a mesh screen to see through.

The niqab is a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear. However, it may be worn with a separate eye veil. It is worn with an accompanying headscarf.

Difference feminists would believe it is a positive thing as it allows women to impose to becoming sexual objects of desire. They would say it gives women a chance to express themselves as actual people rather than objects.

Radical Feminists would oppose the Islamic hijaab as it is necessity in Islam to wear a hijaab, it is not an option. They would not like the fact a woman can only show her hair to her husband, dad or brother. They would argue it is oppressive and doesn’t give women the freedom to show their individuality.

Hina’s View

I myself am a person that uses the hijaab in order to protect her modesty. I believe it is a vital part of Muslim woman’s clothing in today’s society as men are socialized into looking at women in a certain way, therefore when a Muslim woman covers herself it allows her not to be judged on appearance, it allows people to look at her character and charisma rather than her physical appearance. I believe 'freedom' is gained from walking down the street without being objectified or judged based on physical appearance. I strongly believe the hijaab is defiantly not a form of oppression, particularly in today’s society it has become more of an option rather than a necessity, which could be why a lot of people would argue Islam is becoming secularized. A lot of people often ask why males don’t have to wear the hijaab, I would often reply with "if you look at a banana and a cherry the banana has a thicker skin than the cherry, if you replace the banana's skin with the cherries it wouldn’t survive for very long... Likewise you cannot expect a woman to dress the same as a man and still 'survive' without being objectified. "

Zara’s View

I am also a Muslim woman, although I do not wear the hijaab myself, I believe it is a very respectable item of clothing. I do believe a woman can still be seen as respected and dignified without the hijaab in today’s society. I think some women may have the intention of wearing the hijaab, but could be withholding it for later on in life as they lack confidence or are afraid of being judged. I am a moderate Muslim this is a type of Muslim that does not take the Quran wording literally and believe I can express modesty in my own way. On the other hand the fundamentalists would believe the hijaab is a necessity. I think I could express my faith in other ways such as praying, fasting and giving charity.

Hina and Zara

SCIENTOLOGY, DOES IT COME IN PEACE?

Scientology has become increasingly popular in the last few years, but what is it really about?

After researching on the official Scientology website(1), after watching the video that says Scientology is about helping people, I have come to the conclusion that Scientology is not a religion in my own opinion, it focuses mainly on Hollywood hipsters. You don’t really have to be in a religion to follow the morals of this group, or helping people out.

You shouldn’t have to pay such an excessive amount of money to get to a higher rank, this is capitalism at its best. ‘$128,000 to reach Clear, another $33,000 to reach OT III, and an additional $100,000 to $130,000 to reach OT VIII, which is the highest level currently available.' It focuses mainly on the middle class and is out of reach to normal people, this shows that this religion is elitist. It has also not been given legal statuses as a religion in the UK because of how much you have to pay.

Where does this money even go to?

‘Ruined lives. Lost fortunes. Federal crimes. Scientology poses as a religion but really is a ruthless global scam -- and aiming for the mainstream’ - Richard Behar. I do agree that you should not have to pay for being in a religion, religion is something you put faith into, not money. Marxist would argue that this is just a way in gaining more money and is a religion for the upperclasses, you never hear stories about working class scientologists, unless they are people who have escaped the religion and have lost everything.

What is Scientology?

Most of us only think about the bad points, about it being a cult and aliens coming to Earth, but many of us don’t actually know the basics of Scientology and have many misconception. Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, Mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being(2)

In the media we're always hearing bad things about this religion, such as it being a cult more than a religion. So is there a good side to Scientology? So even though there are all these bad things about Scientology, they have still helped out a lot of people, such as going out helping soliders(Which I may add, can be done outside of any religion). In one case specifically, Scientology helped one woman overcome her sons death. (3)

“In Scientology, we have what’s called “auditing,” and that helps you to address things in your life and to strip them away,”

"Also, it helps rid the mind of painful experience completely. Through that, the people at my church literally held my hand and got me through… I will forever be indebted.”

A few famous people in Scientology

Feminism and Scientology...

So, I'm not a big fan of feminists (They'd probably hate me) However I'm sure they'd hate Scientology more. Some feminists may argue that some women following Scientolgy are opressed because of having to give birth in silence or not being able to climb the ranks of the Sea Org and have children. This can be seen as having discrimination against women.

Overall, of Scientology wants to be more accepted in society, they need to be more open to people in society about the content of their religion and stop chasing people around. This can be seen in 'Scientology and me' a documentary created by the BBC. Overall it helps some people in society and offer charity to people that need it.

1. http://www.scientology.org/videos.html#/videos/category/beliefs-and-practices/what-scientologists-say-about-scientology

2. http://www.scientology.org/what-is-scientology.html

3. http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/05/kelly-preston-scientology-helped-deal-death-son-jett/

Good day to you kind sirs!

Heather and Lucy

Beaten for the Beauty.

Emma and Zohra

Fashion icons. Glamour models. ‘Sex symbols’. When it comes to Islam, all these are considered to be the opposite of what women should be.

25-year-old Shanna Bukhari was the first Muslim to enter a global beauty contest hoping to represent Britain. However, this lead to a very rough journey for the budding model. The decision to take part in this contest resulted in many death threats, verbal abuse and countless hate mail. Does she deserve this abuse just for following her dreams?

Her decision, her appearance in relation to clothing which included bikinis and short dresses led to this big controversy for Muslims who were against her ‘flaunting her body’ in front of many people. Many newspapers and magazines published this issue, one being The Sun ­– “And hidden among the hundreds of positive online messages Miss Universe GB contestant Shanna receives daily, lurk others containing abuse and labelling her “sinful.” The majority of the people involved in the abuse came from Muslims who as stated in The Guardian say that she is “denigrating the name of Islam” and also that “an Asian cannot represent the UK.”

Although it can be understandable as to why these extremists went to such levels of violation towards her, it could be argued that they became an obstacle in her career. Feminists argue that religion as a whole is oppressive and in this case, they would be opposed to restricted career opportunities for women. Is it right for a woman to be stopped from expressing herself? I mean, surely a woman has that much of a right to do what she wishes? Shanna defended herself by saying that she wanted to “represent all young women whatever background they are from” which Feminists would definitely agree with and support her in.

Z - As a Muslim myself, in some ways I do understand why Shanna received such abuse although I do believe that it was too extreme in my eyes as someone doesn’t deserve to be receiving such disturbing death threats and hate mail. In my opinion, I think it was inappropriate of her to wear revealing dresses which led the Muslims to react in such a way. In Islam, women should be dressed appropriately, covering their body and protecting their dignity to prevent them from being perceived as ‘sex symbols’. Despite saying this, I do think that Muslim women should not be restricted from pursuing careers such as modeling as long as they dress and behave modestly and always keep Islam as their main priority as going against the morals of Islam will be the wrong decision to make.

E – Because I am someone who believes religion isn’t necessary in life, I believe that Shanna had complete free will, even though she was of the Islamic faith. She has the ability to choose and do as she wishes but must deal with the consequences. As she is a Muslim woman the consequences of her choice were quite high such as the death threats and disturbing abuse. Personally, I think that many religions oppress both men and women and can stop them from achieving their personal life goals. Her choice of becoming a model within a global beauty contest meant she was judged and labelled by those of the same faith. If religion promotes social solidarity then surely people shouldn’t be restricted and judged by others.

Watch the Video...

Is Atheism a New Religion?

Atheists are people who believe that god or gods (or other supernatural beings) are man-made constructs, myths and legends or who believe that these concepts are not meaningful. It has recently been argued that Atheism is becoming a type of religion. Recently, in the last month, gatherings for non-believers have been set up. "It's a nice excuse to get together and have a bit of a community spirit but without the religion aspect," says Jess Bonham, a photographer. Similarly to other religious ceremonies, songs are sang together as a group however, in an atheist ceremony, followers sing Stevie Wonder and Queen songs, songs without a religious message or meaning.

The ‘religion’ makes people feel like they are part of a group without having to have religious rules and following religion.  Followers say "It's not a church; it's a congregation of unreligious people." The followers consist of overwhelmingly young, white middle class individuals who claim to be ‘excited to be part of something new’ This would suggest that religion hasn’t become secularised but has become De-Christianised as there are new followings like atheism and other new religions like Scientology. Due to the large number of young followers, if atheism is a religion as suggested in the title, it could be that the youth has become re-sacralised. Atheism has celebrity followers such as Ricky Gervais who have made it fashionable to be more assertive about having a lack of religious faith and to think about what it means to be an atheist. This may have made people feel more comfortable about not having any religious views, leading to the high attendance of the atheist gatherings. This is similar to scientology which has a huge list of celebrity followers which may make the religion more popular.

 

As stated by BBC news “The Sunday Assembly certainly did better business than at the evangelical St Jude and St Paul's Church next door, where about 30 believers gathered to sing gospel songs and listen to Bible readings in comparison to a congregation of over 300 in the atheist gathering. But Bishop Harrison, a Christian preacher for 30 years, says he does not see his new neighbours as a threat, confidently predicting that their spiritual journey will eventually lead them to God.”



Atheists are becoming more vocal

Feminists and Marxists would be in favour of Atheism as they believe that other religions oppress women and benefit the capitalists however Atheism  does not have ‘rules’ or beliefs and it could be argued that followers have more free will. Functionalists on the other hand may favour religion as they believe it answers important questions, for instance life after death. Substantive definitions of religion would also denyAtheism as there is no belief in God or the supernatural.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21319945

Charlie and Leah

FEMALE BISHOPS – MOVING WITH THE TIMES?

“Women bishops are unbiblical” 

The above quote by Zoe Ham (BBC News) is an extremely controversial and as an individual against the movement, has raised again the question to whether female bishops should be allowed.  She stated "I am happy that the legislation in its form today has been rejected". This view has always been maintained by many in the Church of England since the rule of Henry VIII in the mid-16^th century up to the reign of Elizabeth I in 1558.

Some views for the movement however have come across strong in parliament and the church. The Archbishop of Canterbury (left) for example is for the movement and expressed disappointment with the decision against women bishops. The outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury quotes “Of course I hoped and prayed that this particular business would be at another stage before I left, and... it is a personal sadness, a deep personal sadness that that is not the case”.

Another movement in society, feminists, also feel strongly about female bishops in the church. Feminists would say that the decision to vote against female bishops is discrimination and promotes inequality in society with one woman quoting the vote as “absurd”.  Although advances in the church may be slow, in 1992 women were in fact allowed to become vicars in the Church of England which liberal feminists would see as a march of progress in our society. However some feminists such as Susie Leafe argue that women bishops would not be allowed quoting:

 “This kind of equality allows us truly to celebrate diversity - to acknowledge, for example, that men and women are different and that those differences are good and a matter of divine design, not merely a social construct. The Bible teaches men and women are equal but not interchangeable. They complement one another because they are different and should be valued accordingly”.

In conclusion, this subject matter raises the question on whether society is in fact moving with the times or whether we are stuck in a state of limbo in terms of religious movement. Are we ever to achieve equality in the church? And will women ever be bishops in the Church of England?

Ryan and Judith

Do we really have a right to express our religion?

“It is insulting, humiliating and degrading. My Christian faith isn’t something that you put on and then take off to go to work,” says Mrs. Chaplin, who felt pressured to move job as being in the NHS did not allow her to wear her cross. (The Telegraph, Sept 2012).

Everyone should have the opportunity and feel free to express their religion without feeling oppressed in the public eye or in the workplace.   The idea that British citizens are not free to express their faith in the workplace is an extraordinary and oppressive interpretation of the law.

Not only are people being oppressed in the workplace, but in everyday life, as France have introduced a new law banning Muslim women from wearing the veil (religious face covering) in public.

"My life has become a living hell since April. I have been verbally and physically abused. I no longer have access to public services. Every day I have to fight for my basic rights." Ms Ahmas feels like a prisoner ever since the new French law came into place banning the veil. (BBC)
This law was put into place in April 2011, and since then there have been many controversies.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13031397

Security reasons were cited as one of the government's motivations for the ban. The inability to see one's face in public, according to some lawmakers, compromises security and is a just reason for outlawing a religious practice that is sacred to many Muslims. In the equality argument difference Feminists would argue that women should in fact have the right to express themselves, however other feminists would argue that a headscarf ban is necessary to protect girls from an overly oppressive religious regime.

Although there is a security risk, the proportion of women who wear the veil who commit crimes is minute. People should have the right to express their religion and themselves, whether it be with wearing a cross or wearing a veil, simply because it defines who they are. They should be able to do this without feeling threatened by abuse and by being punished.

This isn’t the first time religion has been under threat. During a more tolerant period towards religion from 1941 until the late 1950s in the Soviet Union, the church grew in stature and membership. This provoked concern by the Soviet government which decided in the late 1950s to undertake a new campaign to suppress religion in order to achieve the atheist society that communism intended. In 1964 the government changed and the anti-religious campaign was questioned as it wasn’t producing the desired results and it was greatly reduced in intensity in the following years.

 We both believe that religion is a part of an individual and they should be able to express it how they wish. Britain wants to be diverse and is becoming more multi-cultural, we need to become more accepting of different religious beliefs.

Zawn & Maria