Here in London, as I work on editing my film about the musical history and counter-cultural impact of Eel Pie Island in the 60s, the newspapers are full of photographs of Women in burqas and niqabs - that snazzy black one-piece with a gap for the eyes.
Apparently, among a small minority of British-born Muslim women, the niqab is increasingly attractive. Many of these women, contrary to popular belief, are not being forced to wear the black robe and head-dress, but are actively choosing to wear it, to make a statement about themselves and their identity.
Ban the burqa?
Unlike France, where the burqa has been banned, the UK prefers a more laissez-faire approach, with institutions such as hospitals, colleges and now the courts having to make up their own rules as they go along. Civil Libertarians argue that to tell anyone what they can and cannot wear, is a loss of civil liberty. Tell that to the naked rambler – a man who has been arrested countless times for parading around the country naked.
So, it seems that here in Liberal Britain where topless Page 3 girls are losing their pulling power due to the deluge of porn on the internet, there are quite rigid social conventions about what it is acceptable to be Wearing in public places. Too little and you cause offence – and end up in jail. Too much, and you are threatening the status quo and causing protests.
Could it be that in liberal Britain, where many young girls feel compelled to go around in skimpy skirts or bottom-hugging shorts, that it may be an act of cultural rebellion to choose to cover it all up?
Some say they choose it to show their devotion to god; others to avoid sexual harassment in public places; a minority wear it because their families force them to. The Koran does not advocate the burqa, simply a modest covering of the hair. The vast majority of Muslims believe that this is adequate.
Invisible woman?
But for those who feel the urge to go the whole nine yards, what does adding an all over blanket-like cloak do to the wearer? Apart from the heat and difficulty of climbing stairs, or getting on and off buses, the burqa has a number of benefits. The individual can retreat inside the garment. With only the eyes on display, facial expressions are hidden so emotions and personality can be masked.
To western eyes, the darkness of the burqa is symbolic of night, of death, of nothingness. Some describe the experience as one of silence and invisibility but whereas that may well be the case in societies like Saudi Arabia where it is common to wear the burqa so you can blend in with a sea of moving black sails, it is a highly visible statement in any ordinary small town in Britain.
In the UK, wearing the burqa is something alien. Noticeable. A slap. It gives the wearer some kind of counter-cultural power. The person underneath can choose to be known or unknown, to be part of society, or remain apart. To be seen as a possible threat, a religious zealot, an oppressed minority, a woman without a voice. Like wearing a mask, you can pretend to be something you are not; you can play a part, but you remain unknown, indefinable. In this way, it removes much of the anxiety of being liked and accepted for who you are while at the same time creating anxiety and even hostility in those around you.
As with wearing any uniform, people relate to you on the basis of what your clothing represents to them– good or bad – they respond according to preconceived ideas – not to the individual under the costume. In the age of Facebook, where every aspect of our identity is being used to sell us goods we usually don’t want, the refusal to be part of this trend, can be seen as radical; a refusal to participate in this global invasion of privacy and with it, the loss of something precious - the uniqueness and mystery of our own face and who we really are.
The right is on the move
Discussion of the Veil seems to rear its ugly head at times when the far right is on the ascent. With UKIP gaining ground in the shires, the UK government might feel pressured into bringing in a ban on the veil, like in France and Scandinavia, to protect Britain’s ‘national identity.’ The loss of freedom to wear whatever you want in public is too heavy a price for the rest of us to pay, to stop a tiny number of women from covering themselves, for whatever reason, behind a shroud of black material.
But it's not just in Britain that the wearing of the burqa is an emotive issue. In Australia, fear of Islam is such that right wing groups have influenced successive governments to be tougher and tougher on immigration so that the few thousand refugees who risk their lives to get across to Australia from Indonesia (a Muslim country) each year, might never experience the kind of freedom and prosperity that we take as an inalienable right.
Most of these people are fleeing from war, religious conflict or economic hardship and using their life-savings to reach a safer place. With border controls increasing in Australia, due to tony Abbott's anti-immigration policies - fear of the other, the outsider with different beliefs and attitudes - is showing no sign of abating.
Britain's multi-ethnic, multi-cultural liberal society is now held up as an example of what not to do - and the long-running debate on the veil is one that is set to run and run.
