Statement of Abeer Pharaon (Coordinator of Assembly for the Protection of Hijab) in the Fringe meeting organised by National Assembly Against Racism- Labour Party Conference 2004
 

Bismillah Arrahman Arrahim, In the Name of Allah the Most Merciful the Most Gracious
 

Respected Chair, Mr Ken Livingstone, Dear respected Panel, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good Afternoon to all of you

It is the Assembly’s honour to share a platform again with the great man and supporter, Mr Ken Livingstone, who has been backing this campaign from its very beginning and the respected Claude Moraes MEP, Billy Hayes and Lee Jasper. The Assembly would like to express thanks to Melina Buyum and the National Assembly Against Racism for their continuous support and for inviting us to participate in this fringe meeting.

The Assembly for the protection of Hijab was initiated following the alarming spread of Hijab ban across Europe including France, Belgium, Germany and other countries and around the world.
This ban denies Muslim women their most basic human rights - their freedom of thought, conscience, and belief - which are enshrined in numerous International Treaties.
The ban on Hijab gives rise to serious and profound concerns. Such discriminatory legislation will alienate Muslim women and their communities in Europe, and thus have a deep negative impact on community relations, effectively encouraging racism and hostility towards Muslims, thus stoking the flames of intolerance and hatred.

The idea that all Muslim women are subjugated, voiceless creatures is completely absurd. Muslim Women are at the forefront of their societies, occupying leading roles, belying the stereotypical oppressive image that the media often convey.
Just as we are housewives and mothers, Muslim women are also highly educated professionals, leading human rights campaigns, leading anti-war movements, leading student societies, social activities and the like. The Hijab does not stop us from doing any of these things. We are educated about it and understand its significance in our lives. This is about the fundamental freedom to choose. Those who chose not to wear the Hijab have joined forces with those who chose to wear it due to the belief that the Hijab is a religious duty and not a symbol.
The Hijab ban is being spearheaded by people who are well intentioned, yet grossly misguided - who claim they want to liberate the Muslim Women from being oppressed. Let me tell you - the Hijab has never been and will never be a sign of oppression for Muslim women. Thousands of young women marched in the streets of France wearing Hijab in the colors of the French flag and holding their French identity cards – confirming their French identity but reserving the right to choose their dress.

It must have come as a shock to the French government, who strongly voiced its desire to ‘free the oppressed Muslim women’ when thousands of Muslim women took part in rallies in around 35 countries around the world on 17th Jan 2004 outside French Embassies and Consulates, making clear their total rejection of the ban – hardly the actions of the oppressed and meek!. On 4th September again, 21 countries around the world joined in a day of solidarity, showing their strength and pride in their way of life.

Supposedly neutral Ministers of the state are trying to assert that the hijab is a devious political symbol and an insult to women’s dignity. Whereas secularity came to protect the individual from state interference in personal affairs, the French state is interfering in the crudest way, to the point of dictating to women how they must dress. Secularity in France does not mean neutrality; it means state control over religion and a violation of Human Rights. We remind France and other European countries that banned the Hijab in schools, universities and hospitals of their duty as signatories of the European Convention of Human rights, to guarantee freedom of thought and religion.
Based on trends in other countries with well-established bans on the Hijab, we have witnessed that Muslim women are even turned away from hospitals in acute emergencies if they are wearing the Hijab. Is this the next step for the free and democratic states of Europe? Where will it all ends?

I have the pleasure and honour to once again share a platform with the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone who has stood firmly in support of religious freedom and extended his hospitality at City Hall on 12th July by allowing the Assembly to hold its first conference there.
The conference, titled “Hijab – a Woman’s Right to Choose” was a gathering of over 350 people, representing over 202 organisations from 15 countries around the world.
We all listened to those women who have faced the ban, and heard the horrendous stories of oppression and discrimination, of the physical and psychological impact of the ban, of the nervous breakdowns and the deep trauma. We can only ask: What will the French government achieve out of this? - An isolated and separated community who will be cut off from mainstream French society and life.

The British government has pledged its support to the Assembly for the Protection of Hijab when it was launched in the House of Commons on 14 June 2004, by Ms Fiona Mactaggart, who confirmed that the British Government takes pride in the diversity of the British community and respects individual religious freedoms. We thank the government for this support.
A greatly encouraging move in this regard was made by Burleigh Community College in Loughborough which introduced uniform designs ranging from the traditional blouses and trousers, to the Islamic Hijab and Jilbab, all in the school uniform colours. This is an example that should be encouraged by the government as it allows individuals the right to choose uniforms that are acceptable to them while adhering to the school colours. All state schools are bound by the same health and safety regulations and the move by Burleigh Community College shows that arguments put forward for banning attire such as the Jilbab on health and safety grounds are unfounded.
Britain is a shining example to Europe, and the assembly calls on the government to take all possible measures in state schools to assure diversity and multiculturalism and promote the same in Europe. Isolated incidents such as the case of Shabina Begum in Luton and the assault on a school child by her teacher in Peterborough should not be allowed to recur in other schools in the UK.

Ladies and Gentlemen
There are clear records reflecting the increase in hatred, Islamophobia and Xenophobia against Muslims in Europe, a total of 15-25 Million people.
A report produced by the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights on 14th Sept 2004 included very important facts about the rise of Islamophobia in Europe and specifically in the UK. The report states that:
“During the post September 11th campaign against terrorism, previously existing trends of intolerance and discrimination against Muslims have been reinforced in the United Kingdom. Most worrisome, Muslim and rights groups have voiced concern that the use of arrest and search powers under the anti-terrorism legislation has disproportionately and discriminatorily targeted Muslims, thereby eroding the confidence in law enforcement authorities of this group and further alienating its members in society”.
The report carries on by stating that: “there have been reportedly been a few cases where schools have attempted to ban headscarves or persuade Muslim girls not to wear them. In March 2004, the commission of Racial Equality concluded that a policy prohibiting the use of headscarves adopted by a school in Luton amounted to ‘indirect racism’. Headscarves are allowed on passport pictures and the Metropolitan Police Force allows officers to wear uniforms that correspond to their beliefs”.
Many in the British Muslim community feel that they are being unfairly targeted by these arbitrary stop and search measures and indeed statistics show this to be true. Like the headscarf ban in France, it is claimed that these measures do not target any specific community and yet in both cases, one community in particular is being disproportionately punished and stigmatised.

The Assembly for the Protection of Hijab calls on the government to be a model in Europe and to present a good example of integration and multiculturalism. We call on the government to stem the increase in Islamophobia, xenophobia and racism. Muslims are an integral part of this country, their involvement is highly important for its stability and development. Muslim women are eager to participate positively in the prosperity and growth of Britain.

Ladies and Gentlemen:
We as British Muslim women still have a great role to play - we need to improve the level of education among ourselves and among our communities, we need to clarify different aspects of our faith to the media, to teachers and to members of the public. We need to show that Muslim women who choose to wear the Hijab are not being oppressed. We still have a long way to go in raising awareness and in working hard to improve the society we live in. This can only be achieved through cooperation and liaison with other faith and non-faith communities, human rights organisations and governmental departments which we are committed to doing, and working hard to achieve.

Before concluding, it is important to mention the role of the European Parliament in condemning the ban on Hijab and other religious symbols. The Assembly, in conjunction with Caroline Lucas MEP, and the presence of Claude Moraes MEP, last week presented a seminar in the European Parliament to lobby MEPs to sign a written declaration regarding the ban, to be presented before the European Parliament early next year. We encourage assistance from all supporters of human rights to help exert pressure on MEPs in all countries to sign this declaration.

Our efforts will continue in the coming months to lift the ban and prevent it from spreading any further. We are determined that, with the help of all of you who are committed to the protection of human rights and liberties, there will be no Hijab ban anywhere in the world in the years to come. Rights and freedoms are not favours bestowed on us by the state or the government of the day – they are the inalienable entitlement of every human being, and it is imperative that every one of us works to ensure that they continue to be so.
Thank you