The hijab thing is to some extend understandable beacuse of work safety. Although that only applies for jobs with machines and such. This definitely needs more clarification
Wearing religious symbols may also be forbidden for some official jobs like for police or other types of officers. The reasoning being that they should act and appear neutral, as servants of the state and nothing and no one else.
I’m not Muslim. I am balding. Can I wear a headscarf to conceal my hair loss? My scarf certainly would not be a religious symbol, but it would be indistinguishable from hijab.
What if I have extensive scars, to the point that children are frightened, and everyone I meet instantly presents a look of disgust and revulsion? Can I hide my face behind a veil? Again, certainly not a religious symbol, it’s an accessibility device that I have found essential for social interaction among people unaccustomed to such disfigurement. My veil could easily be confused for niqab.
I am Muslim. Every time I have to conduct any official business with the government, I am reminded that my government supports the suppression of the symbols of my religion. Am I being oppressed?
No, there are practical considerations in many jobs that justify restrictions on certain types of clothing without regard to religion. But if the only justification for the restriction is “religious people wear that”, that prohibition is unreasonable.
There are no practical considerations to not carry around swastikas either. And yet here we are due to some terrible people claiming them as symbols of hatred. I don’t mind the shape of a swastika, I mind the ideas it conveys.
Is it reasonable to place hijab or niqab in the same category as swastika?
Is it reasonable to place “Muslim” in the same category as “Nazi”?
Frankly, I think that idea is extraordinarily offensive.
You already know my answer and I know yours. I believe we can leave it at this.
I actually do not know your answer. I haven’t figured out of you are supporting a ban on Hijab, or arguing against it. The only thing I know from your comment is that a hijab ban is only reasonable if we consider “Muslim” in the same light as “Nazi”. It is only reasonable if “Muslim” is so despicable of a concept that it is deserving of the same level of contempt and oppression that EU leadership has for the Nazis.
We can certainly leave it at this. I know I find the idea deeply offensive. I can’t speak for you.
I have nothing against headscarves purely as a clothing, but I have a lot against organized religion they are more often than not a part of. As it stands, it’s a symbol tightly connected with systemic oppression and countless crimes against humanity. In this regard I find the two mentioned groups quite similar. It would be nice to decouple the symbol from its current meaning, but I don’t think we have such a luxury.
