Rightly we pride ourselves on our tolerance, whether Rockers, Goths, Punk, hoodies or religious extremists. If a woman wishes to wear a burqa, foregoe her individual freedoms and is happy for her male escort to provide any necessary assurance and to vouch for her then fine, no problem.
If on the otherhand she does want to enjoy the freedoms our society offers all women and to go about on her own, in her own right but still wear a burqa that provides her with a cloak of complete anonymity then we have a cake and eat it type of problem.
It is not a matter of facial recognition at high security risk locations, airport lounges but a simple matter of the assumptions we all hold on how we move about in this society of ours. When you enter a public space, you, knowingly or not, monitor your surroundings and the people present within it. If it has more hoodies than you are comfortable with you may well choose to withdraw or you will enter cautiously with a safe retreat in mind. That public space maybe anything, a bus, pub, restaurant, shop, a park or its bench. You are always alert to your surroundings and aware of the feel of the people you will be mixing with.
In big spaces with large congregations of people we are accustomed to tolerating a wide band of oddities, people we are unsure about when can choose to skirt by them of make sure we are in the thick of people we are comfortable with. People who conduct themselves within the norms of the society you are in.
As the spaces get smaller and the density of people gets less so the criteria for feeling comfortable increases. We need a face we can recognise again, we need to be able to form a view whether someone is relaxed, fearful, calm or kicking off, the sex of a person and whether the person is of the type and nature that the clothes worn suggests. We do a lot of visual inspection as the price we pay to move freely and comfortably around in those non-private spaces.
This is the contract we all subscribe to, so we can enjoy the freedoms that our society offers us. That is why hoodies seem threatening, so difficult to assess their facial state of emotions and that is why the burqa is an confrontational assault on our tolerance. It goes against the grain of our culture. Not rascists, not religious bigottism, just simply challenges the basis on which we are free to move around. Whether born here, recently arrived, new convert or centuries old custom, all are welcomed, but just live within the norms of the communities you choose to move around in.
So certainly not outlawed but it is unreasonable to wear a burqa and still expect the full rights and privileges of those who do conform to the norms of society. Therefore in all those small shops, restaurants, pubs do not be surprised if your custom is declined nor no one choose to join you in a bus of train whilst you go about arrogantly wearing your burqa in defiance of the society you live within. It is not for you to decide to bend your country and society to suit the personal whims no matter what religious, cultural or racial justification you call on.
In big spaces with large congregations of people we are accustomed to tolerating a wide band of oddities, people we are unsure about when can choose to skirt by them of make sure we are in the thick of people we are comfortable with. People who conduct themselves within the norms of the society you are in.
As the spaces get smaller and the density of people gets less so the criteria for feeling comfortable increases. We need a face we can recognise again, we need to be able to form a view whether someone is relaxed, fearful, calm or kicking off, the sex of a person and whether the person is of the type and nature that the clothes worn suggests. We do a lot of visual inspection as the price we pay to move freely and comfortably around in those non-private spaces.
This is the contract we all subscribe to, so we can enjoy the freedoms that our society offers us. That is why hoodies seem threatening, so difficult to assess their facial state of emotions and that is why the burqa is an confrontational assault on our tolerance. It goes against the grain of our culture. Not rascists, not religious bigottism, just simply challenges the basis on which we are free to move around. Whether born here, recently arrived, new convert or centuries old custom, all are welcomed, but just live within the norms of the communities you choose to move around in.
So certainly not outlawed but it is unreasonable to wear a burqa and still expect the full rights and privileges of those who do conform to the norms of society. Therefore in all those small shops, restaurants, pubs do not be surprised if your custom is declined nor no one choose to join you in a bus of train whilst you go about arrogantly wearing your burqa in defiance of the society you live within. It is not for you to decide to bend your country and society to suit the personal whims no matter what religious, cultural or racial justification you call on.
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