Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

The burqa row

The burqa row has taken strange turns. If a woman finds the burqa uncomfortable or unacceptable, she should not be compelled to wear it. Similarly if a woman finds it agreeable, it is unfair to ask her to discard it. Muslim women should be given the freedom to make their own choice in the matter.

Some may feel disturbed on seeing a woman wearing skimpy clothes while others may find women covered from head to toe offensive. But no one has a right to impose his or her whims and value-based judgments on others.

P. Sunayana,
Coimbatore

I am amused by the raging controversy surrounding the burqa. In many Muslim countries, the burqa is compulsory. Even non-Muslim women are required to follow a dress code.

It is only logical that western societies based on their custom and tradition demand that women wear no veil. It is time logic and reason were driven home where they are found missing.

Thushar Thomas,
Bangalore

Covering almost the entire body is not peculiar to Muslim women. Christian nuns wear niqab-like dresses. Their faces and forearms alone are visible. When men wear suits, they cover their whole body except their hands and faces.

Capt. Ameer Ali,
Chennai

Though wearing the burqa is a matter of individual choice based on one's perspective of the Koran, its non-suitability to certain professions cannot be brushed aside. The emancipation of women including Muslims through economic independence requires them to adapt to the requirements of their jobs and work environs. Ritualistic application of religious tenets bereft of contextual interpretation, as in the case of wearing a burqa, will only aid in perpetuating gender inequality.

Kasim Sait,
Chennai

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