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  • EU Headscarf Ban Ruling Sparks Faith Group Backlash

    EU Headscarf Ban Ruling Sparks Faith Group Backlash

    Companies may ban staff from wearing Islamic headscarves and other visible religious symbols under certain conditions, the European Union’s top court ruled on Tuesday, setting off a storm of complaint from rights groups and religious leaders.

    In its first ruling on an issue that has become highly charged across Europe, the Court of Justice (ECJ) found a Belgian firm which had a rule that employees who dealt with customers should not wear visible religious or political symbols may not have discriminated against a Muslim receptionist it dismissed for wearing a headscarf.

    The judgment on that and a French case came on the eve of a Dutch election in which Muslim immigration is a key issue and weeks before a similarly charged presidential vote in France, where headscarves are banned in public service jobs.

    French conservative candidate Francois Fillon hailed the ECJ ruling as “an immense relief” to companies and workers that would contribute to “social peace”.

    But a group backing the fired employees said the ruling may shut many Muslim women out of the workforce. European rabbis said the Court had added to rising incidences of hate crime to send a message that “faith communities are no longer welcome”.

    The judges in Luxembourg concluded the dismissals of the two women may, depending on the view of national courts, have breached EU laws against religious discrimination.

    They determined that the case of the French engineer Asma Bougnaoui, fired by software company Micropole after a customer complaint, may well have been discriminatory.

    Reactions, however, focused on the findings that services firm G4S in Belgium was entitled to dismiss receptionist Samira Achbita in 2006 if, in pursuit of legitimate business interests, it fairly applied a broad dress code for all customer-facing staff to project an image of political and religious neutrality.

    “BACKDOOR TO PREJUDICE”

    The Open Society Justice Initiative, a group backed by the philanthropist George Soros, said the ruling “weakens the guarantee of equality” offered by EU laws: “In places where national law is weak, this ruling will exclude many Muslim women from the workplace,” policy office Maryam Hmadoun said.

    Amnesty International welcomed the ruling on the French case that “employers are not at liberty to pander to the prejudices of their clients”. But, it said, bans on religious symbols to show neutrality opened “a backdoor to precisely such prejudice”.

    The president of the Conference of European Rabbis, Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, complained: “This decision sends a signal to all religious groups in Europe”. National court cases across Europe have included questions on the wearing of Christian crosses, Sikh turbans and Jewish skullcaps.

    In the Belgian case, the ECJ said: “An internal rule of an undertaking which prohibits the visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign does not constitute direct discrimination.”

    It was for Belgian judges to determine whether Achbita may have been a victim of indirect discrimination if the rule put people of a particular faith at a disadvantage.

    But the rule could still be justified if it was “genuinely pursued in a consistent and systematic manner” to project an “image of neutrality”.

     

    Source: Today

  • Firms Can Ban Wearing Of Religious Symbols: EU Court

    Firms Can Ban Wearing Of Religious Symbols: EU Court

    European companies can ban employees from wearing religious or political symbols including the Islamic headscarf, the European Union’s top court ruled on Tuesday (March 14) in a landmark case.

    The European Court of Justice (ECJ) said it does not constitute “direct discrimination” if a firm has an internal rule banning the wearing of “any political, philosophical or religious sign”.

    The Luxembourg-based court was ruling on the case of a Muslim woman fired by the security company G4S in Belgium after she insisted on wearing a headscarf.

    The ruling came on the eve of a Dutch election in which Muslim immigration has been a key issue and a bellwether for attitudes to migration and refugee policies across Europe. Terror attacks by over the past year or so have raised alarms in the continent, where the wearing of religious symbols, and especially Islamic symbols such as the headscarf has become a hot button issue.

    Mr Manfred Weber, head of the centre-right European People’s Party, the biggest in the European Parliament, welcomed the ruling.

    “Important ruling by the European Court of Justice: employers have the right to ban the Islamic veil at work. European values must apply in public life,” Mr Weber said in a tweet.

    The ECJ was ruling on a case dating to 2003 when Ms Samira Achbita, a Muslim, was employed as a receptionist by G4S security services in Belgium.

    At the time, the company had an “unwritten rule” that employees should not wear any political, religious or philosophical symbols at work, the ECJ said.

    In 2006, Ms Achbita told G4S she wanted to wear the Islamic headscarf at work but was told this would not be allowed.

    Subsequently, the company introduced a formal ban. Ms Achbita was dismissed and she went to court claiming discrimination.

    The ECJ said European Union law does bar discrimination on religious grounds, but G4S’s actions were based on treating all employees the same, meaning no one person was singled out for application of the ban.

    “The rule thus treats all employees of the undertaking in the same way, notably by requiring them, generally and without any differentiation, to dress neutrally,” the ECJ said.

    “Accordingly, such an internal rule does not introduce a difference of treatment that is directly based on religion or belief,” it said.

    However in a related case in France, the ECJ ruled that a customer could not demand that a company employee not wear the Islamic headscarf when conducting business with them on its behalf.

    Design engineer Asma Bougnaoui was employed full-time by Micropole, a private company, in 2008, having been told that wearing the headscarf might cause problems with clients.

    Following a customer complaint, Micropole asked Ms Bougnaoui not to wear the headscarf on the grounds employees should be dressed neutrally.

    She was subsequently dismissed and went to court claiming discrimination.

    The ECJ said the case turned on whether there was an internal company rule in place applicable to all, as in the G4S instance, or whether the client’s demand meant Ms Bougnaoui was treated differently.

    The ECJ concluded that Ms Bougnaoui had indeed been treated differently and so the client’s demand that she not wear a headscarf “cannot be considered a genuine and determining occupational requirement”.

     

    Source: Today

  • UAB Researcher Makes Own Antibiotic And Pesticide. She’s 18 And Muslim.

    UAB Researcher Makes Own Antibiotic And Pesticide. She’s 18 And Muslim.

    Rowan El-Qishawi, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) who has already been acknowledged nationally for her scientific work, said she wants to help dispel several misconceptions about Islam.

    “I want people to understand that Muslim women are not oppressed,” she said. “We have access to education. We’re not in arranged marriages. Here I am, 18 years old, doing an international science project. I don’t see what’s so oppressing about that. Just because I wear this scarf doesn’t mean I’m any more oppressed than anyone else. I wear this scarf as my way to submit to God, and that’s beautiful to me.”

    While at Hoover High School, El-Qishawi attended the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest precollege science fair. At the event, held in Phoenix, Ariz., 72 countries were represented and 2,000 students presented projects.

    “These are your top-notch students,” El-Qishawi said. “A girl made a cane to assist deaf people and a hand to help blind and deaf people. I was so humbled by it because out of all of the people I got chosen.”

    El-Qishawi’s project was impressive, as well. She introduced an antibiotic that could cure Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, a citrus-greening disease that affects citrus plants all over the world. The disease has cost the citrus industry about $3 billion, and billions are being paid to some universities in California to find a cure.

    “It potentially can be used in hand sanitizers, also,” she explained. “It broke down E. coli when I was researching it, but I will have to do a bit more research before I can be sure.”

    El-Qishawi, who has done research in several areas over the past five years, said she’s not looking for a big payout.

    “I don’t do these things because I want to be recognized. I genuinely want to help,” she said. “If my research can help cure a disease, why not do it?”

    In her research for the antibiotic, El-Qishawi uses ladybug blood from an Asian species: “These are not your normal American ladybugs. These are an Asian species. They’re a lot bigger. When they feel scared or see a predator, they start to bleed from their knees. This yellow hemolymph has a distinct smell that is supposed to drive away predators, kind of like a skunk’s spray. I broke down the blood and saw that there could be potential cure for [HLB] disease. Because it has a distinct smell, it could be used as a pesticide. This would be an organic pesticide, but I’m not sure. I’ve been so busy with college that I haven’t been able to look into it.”

    El-Qishawi also is passionate about the environment. “Protect the place where you live,” she said. “God gave it to you. Give it back in a good condition.”

    Some have made insulting comments when they learned she was a Muslim and a scientist.

    “I’ve heard things like, ‘You study science, so you make bombs,’” she said. “That’s so ignorant … it’s an eye-opening experience.”

    That’s why her work is so important.

    “Besides helping people, it’s also helping people understand and have a different perception about Muslims. A lot of times, people have never met a Muslim before, and all it takes is meeting one.”

    El-Qishawi said she believes in empowering women.

    “One of the things I do with all the science and research is show people that Muslims are your scientists, your engineers,” she said. “If an 18-year-old Muslim girl can go and make her own antibiotic and pesticide on an international level, then you dare not say I’m oppressed, you dare not say I’m a terrorist.”

    El-Qishawi said she wants to teach people to not focus on her scarf but rather on what she does as a person. That can be difficult, however.

    “When I was 14 years old, I was at the library, and just as I walked in a kid walked out of the elevator and said, ‘Look, daddy. There’s one of those terrorists you were talking about.’ He said it with absolute fear. I went to my mom’s car and cried. As soon as I got to the car, I took the scarf off.”

    But El-Qishawi eventually put it back on because she knew she had to wear it.

    “I wear this scarf as a walking ambassador for Muslims,” she said. “I want you to come to me and ask me questions. I want you to learn.”

    El-Qishawi, who eventually hopes to become a doctor, said she wants demonstrate the importance of diversity.

    “You need people who are more culturally integrated into society,” she said. “It’s sad that people say if you’re not pretty you’re not good enough. You may not see all of me in my scarf, but I am beautiful, and I am good enough.”

     

    Source: birminghamtimes

  • Hijab: A Personal Choice

    Hijab: A Personal Choice

    Hijab might have been rarely seen on the streets 20 years ago, but it increasingly gained popularity, especially with the start of the Reform Era in 1998. Today, various types of Islamic headscarves have become common sights on the streets. The rising popularity of hijab has also influenced the development of the fashion industry, as seen in the rising number of hijab retailers and Muslim fashion designers.

    Women’s rights activist Neng Dara Affiah said she had worn hijab since she was young. She said it made her feel more confident.

    “In the town I grew up we wore hijab because it was tradition and also for our religion,” said the former commissioner with the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan).

    Devi Asmarani, editor of Magdalene magazine, gave her view on the trend of wearing hijab.

    “When I was growing up, not many women were wearing hijab. I remember at school one girl suddenly started wearing a hijab to school and we were shocked,” she said.

    She said the scene had been changing so much in the last 10 to 15 years.

    “I think Indonesian people aren’t the most critical people, because historically, the most successful parts of the Soeharto years taught us not to question things. A lot of people wear hijab and tell their children to wear it because other people are wearing it.”

    “There is a lot more peer pressure and we don’t like to be different, so we also wear hijab,” she said.

    While peer pressure to wear hijab does exist, it requires a lot of thought to pull it off. Vita Kartika Cahyarani started to wear hijab one year ago. The 20-year-old woman said she had never been extremely religious but the thought of wearing hijab kept coming to her mind until it was clear to herself that she genuinely wanted to wear hijab.

    She said the best way to describe her decision was by quoting writer RM Drake, “Some people try so hard to change but sometimes it doesn’t happen that way; we cannot force it. Sometimes it just happens overnight, like one day it all makes sense and just like that […] you change.”

    When she was finally ready to wear it, people in her surroundings were not. They began to question her decision.

    “People were shocked and asked me if it was a joke,” she said.

    “It was not easy to put on the hijab. I experienced a lot of prejudice. I don’t wear it because it is a trend. I want to be the only one who’s in control of even one single hair strand of mine.” Taking hijab off is not easy either. Arlita, 25, eventually took off her hijab after wearing it for 10 years. At first, she started to wear hijab because she wanted to hide herself; she was uncomfortable with the attention that she got and wanted to seem neutral.

    She found that wearing the hijab she never explored relationships and therefore never explored herself. “There was a saying that I heard many times ‘don’t be concerned by the men who will seduce you, but be concerned whether you seduced them,” she said.

    Arlita became very lost and decided to take off her hijab to learn about herself.

    Aulia Kushardini, 23, took her hijab off three years ago against the wishes of her family. She made the decision when she went to college and explored her identity. She started to think that wearing hijab was not a true representation of who she was.

    When she was in Europe, she experimented by taking off her hijab. She has not worn it since. This was not an easy change, especially for her family. She said her mother cried for days and people relentlessly questioned her decision.

    “People thought that I did it because I had broken up with my boyfriend and I was stressed out. There were backhanded compliments like ‘you looked prettier with the hijab on’ […] People assumed I had started to live a very liberal life and would ask me very personal sexual questions.”

    She said the biggest misunderstanding was that women who took off their hijab just wanted to look pretty.

    “It really bothers me because it has nothing to do with beauty. It took courage to do it and if it wasn’t coming from within you, you would not do it,” Aulia said.

    The decision to wear or take off hijab should be a personal one. Neng hopes women learn to accept each others’ differences.

    “I think that women in Indonesia have to be more tolerant of each other and accept others’ decisions,” she said.

    Source: TheJakartaPost

  • Komentar: Tolonglah Berubah Wahai Hijab*tch, Jangan Cemarkan Martabat Wanita!

    Komentar: Tolonglah Berubah Wahai Hijab*tch, Jangan Cemarkan Martabat Wanita!

    Nama aku Munni. Aku suka nama tu sebab watak Munni/Shahida dalam Bajraangi Bhaijan. Sekarang aku sedang sambung Master di sebuah universiti tempatan. Aku bermula daripada sijil jadi tempoh pengajian aku memang lama dan aku telah berdepan dengan macam-macam ragam manusia.

    Aku juga seperti orang lain. Pakai tudung tapi dada terjojol. Baju singkat, seluar ketat. Tapi perlahan-lahan aku berubah. Bukan hanya dari segi berpakaian, tapi dari segala segi. Sebab? Aku terkesan dengan kisah Allahyarham Ahmad Ammar yang semasa ayatnya diisi dengan kerja-kerja bermanfaat dan kepergiannya juga menghidupkan jiwa-jiwa yang lain. Ya. Kematian yang menghidupkan.

    Selain itu aku juga terkesan dengan perubahan Kak Fel (Fellina Butik), Diana Amir, MizzNina dan ramai lagi. Berpakaian mengikut syariat. Dan itu yang ingin kutekankan di sini. Sebagai seorang pelajar, aku malu dengan cara rakan-rakanku berpakaian. Apabila mereka berjalan, membuat perbentangan di hadapan kelas. Aduh. Aku yakin. Mata lelaki yang mungkin imannya setipis kulit bawang pasti meneroka setiap inci tubuh mereka dan bermulalah imaginasi tanpa henti.

    Aku ambil kesempatan untuk sentuh soal hijabista sikit. Sekitar dua tahun lepas, fesyen tudung Keknis menjadi viral. Ala, fesyen yang lilit tengkuk tanpa letak pin (ada juga yang letak pin). Yang tutup bahagian depan, tapi tak sepenuhnya dan bahagian belakangnya singkat ( kadang-kadang nampak leher dan bentuk tali bra). Jujur aku rimas dengan fesyen hijabista sebegini. Dan tahun lepas, bawal pucci pula menjadi tarikan. Yang tak sedap mata memandang bila tudung itu dililit dileher sehingga menampakkan dada. Yang jadi lagi sakit mata memandang bila mengenangkan si pemakai dulunya elok bertudung bawal ala-ala silang biasa berubah kepada pucci ala-ala tercekik leher itu. Kemudian berseluar ketat yang aku sendiri keliru itu seluar jeans atau legging sebab lebih kurang saja rupanya. Ikut trend katanya.

    Berubahlah. Aku mewakili kaum wanita yang lain merayu sangat-sangat kepada hijabista tak kira pelajar, model, selebriti, makcik-makcik, berpakaianlah mengikut syariat. Sudah ramai yang menggelar hijabista zaman sekarang sebagai hijabitch dan telinga aku panas bila mendengar. Jangan rendahkan martabat dan maruah kaum wanita. Tolong. Aku merayu.

    Maafkan aku andai coretan ini membuat hati kalian sakit, sentap atau apa sahaja. Semoga ianya menjentik hati seorang, sepuluh orang, atau berpuluh-puluh orang atau mungkin lebih daripada itu untuk melakukan perubahan. Aamiin.

    Source: KakiShare