Those Headcoverings

Same Old Headcoverings

2019-04-20T18:20:00.001-04:00

Are times changing for head covering women (or men)? The modesty or reverence of a head covering is still firmly attached, and the criticisms by those who don't feel the need or desire to cover their heads are still opined almost daily. People are still coming to conclusions and/or realizations about those head coverings. Politics and culture is still a big part of wearing a piece of cloth on one's head. As has been pointed out for many things, "the more things change, the more they stay the same."

Men and women show their faith and devotion by covering their heads, or even their hair. Some women and men show their fashion style. Some people work in the sun or an environment where they need to protect their head. Head coverings are used as a symbol or identification with a group. And many people have a personal, natural desire to cover a head that was previously covered by hair with a hat, scarf or other covering.

Other folks don't see the need for additional covering to hair, despite having reasons pointed out to them. They sometimes make fun of those who do. They sometimes bully those who do. Sometimes, not understanding others, they assign their own divisive meanings to that piece of cloth, and may even develop a fear or hate of the person who covers, and make rules and laws that compels others to go against their beliefs, morals, or comfort, simply to appease those who cannot or will not try to understand.

Education will always be needed, as it always has. Some will listen and learn. Some my even adopt the practice themselves. And some will not care, as long as they don't have to change themselves. Others will not listen, and ignorance will bring about harm to others. As it has always been.

Keep learning. Keep sharing what you learn with others. Uncover the light. But let others cover their heads - sometimes that simple act can itself shine a light.

Peace

Times Changing for Saudi Headcovering?

2016-12-15T09:38:00.001-05:00

Read Forbes Now: Saudi Woman's Protest Is A Lesson For The West. http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwjM2A-TA

Beauty Pageant Hijab

2016-11-29T10:24:00.001-05:00

Head covering Muslim in Minnesota beauty pageant.

Because modesty is beautiful.

http://jezebel.com/halima-aden-is-first-contestant-to-wear-hijab-in-miss-m-1789410217

Beautiful Head Wraps

2016-11-23T20:45:00.001-05:00

NaturallyCurly.com has posted some beautiful head wrap photos from National Head Wrap day, November 20.
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading /beauty-style/20-magical-photos-that-will-make-you-want-to-wear-a-head-wrap/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=FB_RSS

US State Law?

2016-11-18T08:38:00.001-05:00

State of Georgia, USA, to ban head covering?
http://huff.to/2f25VQN

Cancer Cap Covers to Crochet

2016-09-13T19:13:00.001-04:00

These crochet caps are adorable

http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/accessory/chemo-hat-crochet-pattern/200594?_ct=cucruh-xecu-sedjydkyjo-emd-sbysa&_ctp=1%2CPID%3A200594

An American Hijabi in the Rio Olymmpics

2016-08-16T13:57:00.001-04:00

Most in the head covering world who follow the current Olympics probably have noticed this lovely athlete who just won an Olympic medal while wearing a head covering. As an American citizen. You go, girl!

Ibtihaj Mohammad - the first US athlete to compete at the Olympics wearing a hijab has won a bronze medal.

Muhammad competed with Dagmara Wozniak, Mariel Zagunis and Monica Aksamit to defeat the Italian team 45-30.

photo from www.usfencing.org

For more information on Ibtihaj Mohammad, see her bio at usfencing.org

Other head covering athletes competing in the Rio 2016 Olympic games:

Zahra Nemati - competing in Archery for Iran, in both the Olympics and the Paralympics

Along with fellow country-women, Leila Rajabi (athletics), Mahsa Javar (rowing), Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin (taikwondo), Najmeh Khedmati (shooting), Elaheh Ahmadi (shooting), Mahlagha Jambozorg (shooting), Goinoush Sebghatollahi (shooting), and Neda Shahsavari (table tennis)

Also see this article in the Washington Post:
"Muslim female athletes find sport so essential they compete while covered"

Headcovering Morality Police?

2016-07-29T17:19:00.001-04:00

Men in Iran are wearing hijabs in solidarity with their wives who are forced to cover their hair

Click here to read the whole article in the Independent

"The campaign against enforced hijab in Iran has seen women defying morality police in public and even shaving their hair. Now men are also joining the fight."

by Heather Saul, in the Independent (UK), Thursday 28 July 2016

From the article:

Wearing a headscarf is strictly enforced by so-called 'morality police' in Iran and has been since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Women who do not wear a hijab or are deemed to be wearing 'bad hijab' by having some of their hair showing face punishments ranging from fines to imprisonment.

State-funded adverts appearing on billboards in Iran present those who do not cover their hair as spoiled and dishonourable. Women are also told that by not complying, they are putting themselves at risk of unwanted sexual advances from men.

But women are leading protests against enforced hijab across the country and some have resorted to shaving their hair in order to appear in public without wearing a veil.

Over the last week, a number of men have appeared in photos wearing a hijab with their wife or female relative next to them who have their hair uncovered.

The images come in response to a call by Masih Alinejad, an Iranian activist and journalist living in New York, who is urging men to support her campaign against enforced hijab.

Photo and more information found at https://www.facebook.com/StealthyFreedom/

Headcovering is a choice.

Another Handy Use for Headcoverings

2016-06-29T08:02:00.001-04:00

Or, Men in Sikh Turbans Save Lives

Image of Super Sikh comic acquired from super-sikh.myshopify.com/

(Read the full stories by clicking the linked titles)

Today:

Farmer uses turban to save drowning teenage girl - Kamloops, Canada

"We were trying to look around for branches, and he just sprung to action, took off his turban right away, threw it in the water and pulled her to shore."

But wait, there's more!

May 2015: Man uses turban to help boy hit by car - New Zealand

'I saw a child down on the ground and a lady was holding him. His head was bleeding, so I unveiled my turban and put it under his head,' he said.

'I wasn't thinking about the turban. I was thinking about the accident and I just thought, "He needs something on his head because he's bleeding". That's my job - to help.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3084923/The-touching-moment-Sikh-man-breaks-strict-religious-protocol-removes-turban-help-save-life-five-year-old-boy-seriously-injured-hit-car.html#ixzz4CyM4yeUJ

September 2015: Men use turbans to save 4 men from drowning - India

Two heroic Sikh men have broken religious protocol by removing their turbans to help save four men from drowning.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3254377/Sikh-man-breaks-protocol-using-turban-save-drowning-youths.html#ixzz4CyNC3JnR

June 2016: Man uses turban as a rope to save dog - Punjab, India

With the help of some bystanders, he managed to climb down the banks of the canal by holding one of his turban, which he used as a rope.

NOTE: Among the Sikhs, the Dastaar is an article of faith that represents honour, self-respect, courage, spirituality, and piety. Sikh men and women wear the turban partly to cover their long, uncut hair (kesh). Normally turbans are only removed in the most intimate of circumstances, when bathing the head, or washing the hair.

Radio Interview with Headcovering Singer

2016-06-17T16:33:00.001-04:00

How New Age singer Snatam Kaur surprised Oprah for her birthday http://bit.ly/1thQURX Shared via the CBC Radio Android App

"Her voice has been described as that of an angel.

"For Snatam Kaur, singing is a kind of prayer. She's known internationally for her sublime sacred chant, an ancient practise known as kirtan."

Headcovering conversation starts at 20:15, in which she describes her turban as like a crown.

Royal Ascot Hats! Gallery

2016-06-16T21:01:00.001-04:00

It's a horse race but Royal Ascot is all about the hats http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/photos/it-s-a-horse-race-but-royal-ascot-is-all-about-the-hats-1.3638914 Shared via the CBC News Android App

Headcoverings Online

2016-04-12T15:34:00.001-04:00

I have been so very lax in keeping up with my study and share blog on those headcoverings.

However, others are quite busy. Please visit and study through the articles and videos posted by The Headcovering Movement.

Always, give diligence to learning.

American Soldier - Sikh Headcovering

2016-04-02T22:41:00.001-04:00

Times are changing. Read THIS, from The Sikh Coalition.

From the article:

"In addition to bringing legal action in Captain Singh’s case, the Sikh Coalition, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and McDermott Will & Emery filed another federal court lawsuit on March 29th, which demands that the Army accommodate three Sikhs’ articles of faith, including turbans, unshorn hair and beards, so that each can begin Basic Combat Training with their respective units in May 2016. The lawsuit was filed after the U.S. Department of Defense ignored a demand letter that was sent on March 23rd, and failed to provide decisions on their pending requests for accommodations. That litigation remains ongoing.

“Captain Singh’s case is a painful study in the onerous hurdles for observant Sikh Americans who want to serve their country,” said McDermott Will & Emery partner, Amandeep Sidhu. “With this historic accommodation, we hope that the U.S. military will finally move past protracted, case-by-case religious accommodations and recognize that the time for permanent policy change is now.”

Selfishness in Head Coverings

2016-03-11T09:39:00.001-05:00

The difference between a ball cap and long hair coiled up in a turban for spiritual reasons : I don't think he gets it.

"Red Deer man refuses to remove Oilers cap for driver's licence photo"
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/red-deer-drivers-license-photo-fight-1.3485399
Shared via the CBC News Android App

On the Wearing of Hats

2016-03-09T12:47:00.001-05:00

Just read this. From Offbeat Modest Dress,a shared article "On the Necessity of Wearing a Hat".

https://offbeatkrysiadress.wordpress.com/2010/10/08/feminist-suzanne-brogger-on-the-necessity-of-wearing-a-hat/

Those Men's Headcoverings - The Turban

2016-02-08T19:38:00.001-05:00

"Waris Ahluwalia, Sikh actor and designer, barred from flight over turban dispute "

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/waris-ahluwalia-flight-mexico-1.3439017
Shared via the CBC News Android App

Why do Sikh men wear turbans? According to Sikhnet.com,

The turban is our Guru's gift to us. It is how we crown ourselves as the Singhs and Kaurs who sit on the throne of commitment to our own higher consciousness. For men and women alike, this projective identity conveys royalty, grace, and uniqueness. It is a signal to others that we live in the image of Infinity and are dedicated to serving all. The turban doesn't represent anything except complete commitment. When you choose to stand out by tying your turban, you stand fearlessly as one single person standing out from six billion people. It is a most outstanding act.

So many responded to this article by the CBC with thoughts similar to: "It's just a hat!" "When you're here, dress like us!" "What? Are you above the rules because you're a celebrity?" "Why do we people bend the rules for foolishness?" - These responses don't even concede the point that there are many reasons and very deep ones for wearing the turban, for Sikh men and women. Further in the Sikhnet.com article, you find it really isn't as simple as taking off a ball cap:

The 10th Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh, taught his Sikhs to take the next step: Put a turban on the head covering the coiled, uncut hair. The pressure of the multiple wraps keeps the 26 bones of the skull in place. There are pressure points on the forehead that keep you calm and relaxed. Turbans cover the temples, which protects you from mental or psychic negativity of other people. The pressure of the turban also changes the pattern of blood flow to the brain. (These are all reasons that women should also wear turbans.) When you tie up your hair and wrap the turban around it, all the parts of your skull are pulled together and supported. You feel clarity and readiness for the day and for what may come to you from the Unknown.God is the Unknown. He is mastery as well as mystery. Living with an awareness of your God within you and the God outside of you (God in all) is an attitude. Covering your head is an action with the attitude that there is something greater than you know. Your willingness to stand under that greatness of God is expressed by taking the highest, most visible part of you and declaring it as a place that belongs to the Creator. Covering your head is also a declaration of humility, of your surrender to God.

Pressure points, mental and psychic negativity of others, blood flow to the brain, the hair tied up and the turban wrapped around it, clarity, awareness, humbleness, a declaration of devotion ... not as simple as a ball cap that proclaims you're on some team or other.

Sikhcoalition.org puts it this way:

The dastaar, as the Sikh turban is known, is an article of faith that has been made mandatory by the founders of Sikhism. It is not to be regarded as mere cultural paraphernalia. When a Sikh man or woman dons a turban, the turban ceases to be just a piece of cloth and becomes one and the same with the Sikh's head.
The turban as well as the other articles of faith worn by Sikhs have an immense spiritual as well as temporal significance. The symbolisms of wearing a turban are many from it being regarded as a symbol of sovereignty, dedication, self-respect, courage and piety, but the reason all practicing Sikhs wear the turban is just one - out of love and obedience to the wishes of the founders of their faith.

Think about it.

To Wear Head Coverings in Solidarity or Not

2015-12-21T22:26:00.001-05:00

As Muslim women, we actually ask you not to wear the ‘hijab’ in the name of interfaith solidarity

By Asra Q. Nomani and Hala Arafa, December 21, in The Washington Post

From the article:

Last week, three female religious leaders – a Jewish rabbi, an Episcopal vicar and a Unitarian reverend – and a male imam, or Muslim prayer leader, walked into the sacred space in front of the ornately-tiled minbar, or pulpit, at the Khadeeja Islamic Center in West Valley City, Utah. The women were smiling widely, their hair covered with swaths of bright scarves, to support “Wear a Hijab” day.

The Salt Lake Tribune published a photo of fresh-faced teenage girls, who were not Muslim, in the audience at the mosque, their hair covered with long scarves. KSL TV later reported: “The hijab — or headscarf — is a symbol of modesty and dignity. When Muslim women wear headscarves, they are readily identified as followers of Islam.”

For us, as mainstream Muslim women, born in Egypt and India, the spectacle at the mosque was a painful reminder of the well-financed effort by conservative Muslims to dominate modern Muslim societies. This modern-day movement spreads an ideology of political Islam, called “Islamism,” enlisting well-intentioned interfaith do-gooders and the media into promoting the idea that “hijab” is a virtual “sixth pillar” of Islam, after the traditional “five pillars” of the shahada (or proclamation of faith), prayer, fasting, charity and pilgrimage.

We reject this interpretation that the “hijab” is merely a symbol of modesty and dignity adopted by faithful female followers of Islam.

This modern-day movement, codified by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Taliban Afghanistan and the Islamic State, has erroneously made the Arabic word hijab synonymous with “headscarf.” This conflation of hijab with the secular word headscarf is misleading. “Hijab” literally means “curtain” in Arabic. It also means “hiding,” ”obstructing” and “isolating” someone or something. It is never used in the Koran to mean headscarf.

. . .

In the name of “interfaith,” these well-intentioned Americans are getting duped by the agenda of Muslims who argue that a woman’s honor lies in her “chastity” and unwittingly pushing a platform to put a hijab on every woman.

Please do this instead: Do not wear a headscarf in “solidarity” with the ideology that most silences us, equating our bodies with “honor.” Stand with us instead with moral courage against the ideology of Islamism that demands we cover our hair.

---------------------------

Referred to in the article: http://mystealthyfreedom.net/en/

In Iran women have to cover their hair in public according to the dress rule enforced after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. My Stealthy Freedom is an online social movement where Iranian women share photos of themselves without wearing the hijab. -----------------------------

Much more information, definition, and history can be found in reading the entire article, linked in the subtitle above.

The Business of Headcoverings

2015-12-11T21:23:00.001-05:00

From "If You Don't Stand By Muslim Women Now Then Don't Profit Off Us Later"
An article in the December 10, 2015, Forbes magazine, by Amani Al-Khatahtbeh

"While we’re dishing out MuslimGirl’s neatly streamlined numbers in pretty Powerpoint slides at shiny conference tables, quantifying in dollar signs why Muslim women’s voices are valuable, all I can really think about is how our site had to resort to publishing a crisis safety manual for Muslim women last week. All that hateful rhetoric in the media — Paris, Bernardino, now Trump — isn’t made in a void.

"The thing is, you can’t be cool with society demanding us to apologize for ISIS while also trying to compliment us on our headscarves.

"The social complacency that MuslimGirl intends to combat has real life or death consequences for Muslim women in Western societies. Our society is currently thriving off of scapegoating Islam: Muslim women quickly become the most vulnerable targets, and, yet, the fashion industry and corporations are simultaneously eager to profit off of them."

Click to read the whole article in Forbes.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/amanialkhat/2015/12/10/muslimgirl-profit-muslim-women-modest-fashion-hate/

"For many Muslim women, the headscarf is a symbol of resistance: against Islamophobia, against the imposition of societal expectations, against the violent erasure of our bodies. Countless women’s websites and news blogs this year have cashed in on almost patronizing modest fashion headlines, reducing Muslim women to their apparently shocking ability to dress well, rock a scarf, and look acceptable to the Western gaze. Meanwhile, a 6th grade Muslim girl was beaten up by a group of boys and called “ISIS!” in her middle school. How many women’s blogs flaunting modest fashion headlines have covered her story? Much to your delight, we can flawlessly rock a scarf with American fashion trends — but we’re still going to risk getting killed when we step out of the house."

No Fear

2015-12-08T19:33:00.001-05:00

Posted by Yasminn Mogaged, December 7, 2015 on Facebook

It was time to break my silence...

On my way home last week, I drove by a pretty bad car accident. It got me thinking about the things we fear in life and the role fear inevitably plays in our lives. With the heart wrenching events of last Wednesday, fear of backlash has begun to consume the Muslim discourse. Many sisters are nervous about the hijab and some leaders have called for laying low.

But in reflecting, I feel there is something wrong with our approach. Statistically, the risk of getting into a car accident is far greater than the risk of an Islamophobic attack. But we don't stop driving. We don't stop going where we need to go. And most certainly, we don't shift all our conversations to the dangers of getting behind the wheel. In other words, we don't feed into the paralyzing fear of hyper focus on a problem.

Yes we're aware of the risks of getting behind the wheel. So we take our precautions; we buckle our seatbelt, say our duaa, and put our trust in God. And then we continue to live our lives. We continue to drive. We stay awake--but not afraid. And there's a difference. Fear only takes over when we allow a problem to consume us. Focusing all our reading, all our thoughts, all our conversations on something only makes it grow disproportionately and deceptively in our minds. If all I talked about, read about, thought about was car accidents, I'd probably become too terrified to drive.

The question now is: what are those precautions we need to take for protection? Well, I apologize in advance, but I must stand up and unequivocally say I do *not* believe those precautions are wearing baseball hats and bandanas to hide our hijab.

I feel it is irresponsible for our leaders and public figures to spread fear, when what we really need is empowerment. What we really need is strength and hope and trust. And faith. When it gets dark, the believers don't hide. They shine. That's what light does. Light doesn't hide from the dark. It breaks through it.

Brothers and sisters, the darker it gets, the more we need the Light. The more the world need the light. The more we need to empower oursleves to be sources of that light. And the darker it gets, the brighter that light will shine.

You see every single moment we make a choice. We choose how we're going to live. We can either live motivated by fear--by what we hope *won't* happen in life. Or, we can live motivated by hope. By faith. By what we believe can and should happen. And then work for that. Remember, what you focus on grows. You get back what you put into the world.

Yes, there are horrible, tragic things happening in the world. Absolutely true. But, dear God, there are also beautiful, inspiring things happening too. The problem is, if you never turn off the news, you'll begin to believe the world is only dark. You see, good news doesn't sell. Only blood and guns do. Only 'radical Muslim terrorist' do. My dear brothers and sisters, refuse to buy into it. Refuse to allow the darkness to hijack the discussion.

Focus on what you can do to grow the light.

And to all my fellow sisters, who have to feel a little more scared today to put on their hijab, I say this: Remember why you wore it. And for who. Then ask yourself: Do you think the One for whom you wore it, the One who also happens to have sole ownership and power over the heavens and the earth and every Islamaphobe on it, won't take care of you?
But your baseball cap will?

My sisters, don't be afraid. Buckle your seat belt, yes. But keep driving. And keep your eye on the road; not on the belt. Keep looking up. The seat belt won't save you, and neither will your cap.

But Allah will.

Tell the world you won't hide, because your hijab isn't just a cloth. It's a symbol. It represents love. The love of God. And the love of God brings about everything good.

Sisters, by God, you are beacons of light walking around.
Hold it strong.

Headcovering Philosophy and Fear

2013-11-17T17:49:00.004-05:00

"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."

Click to read: "A Point of View: Behind the Veil", by Will Self, at BBC News online.

An excerpt:

You've heard the quote. You've seen the fear of women with their heads covered, the fear of seeing a man in a turban, or the fear of seeing a young man wearing a hoodie and not knowing what he's up to. But have you seriously contemplated the philosophy of fear of cultural differences leading to cultural changes? As the author of this article points out in his point of view, culture is going to change in some way, whether we would prefer it or not. But how are we going to react? With ignorance and fear? Or with a knowledge shared?

. . . The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - and specifically our fear of cultural influence.

This is a fear that is seldom openly admitted to - or, rather, no sooner is it acknowledged than it is countered by an appeal to some incontrovertibly estimable aspect of what we take to be our own cultural heritage. There are manifold examples of this strange and neurotic dialectic, but let me concentrate on just one - the recent furore surrounding the admissibility of Muslim women giving evidence in British courts while veiled. I say furore, rather than controversy, because I don't think that many people - except hard-line adherents of political Islam - actually believe there's anything at issue here at all, and these same people don't believe in the jurisdiction of British courts anyway. For those of us who do accept this the assumption that truth-telling is best expressed by a steady gaze and an open face is so ingrained that it has never needed to be articulated - or, rather, no witness or defendant in a trial who wished to be convincing has heretofore considered it a good idea to stand up in court with their features obscured, whether by wearing the niqab or a joke-shop horror mask.

There may indeed be cases in which the indubitable piety and overweening modesty of some individuals requires a certain bending of convention, but on the whole I think we can afford to keep our nerve and look the truth about our cultural values full in the face. It is not that we need to worry that jurors and judges won't be able to assay the veracity of evidence given from behind the veil - after all, serving police, military personnel and members of the intelligence agencies are often allowed to do just this - it's that they may well be inclined to take it at its literal face value, which is obscured and therefore, ipso facto, dubious.

photo of french protest from Getty Images, attached to the BBC article

Wanted: Doctors In Head Coverings ... from Quebec

2013-09-12T22:59:00.001-04:00

‘We don’t care what’s on your head:’ Ontario hospital recruits Quebec health workers
By Carmen Chai Global News

An Ontario hospital is campaigning to recruit doctors and nurses from Quebec in the wake of the French province’s move to ban religious clothing in its contentious ‘values’ plan.

Quebec In the News - Follow the Debate

2013-09-02T12:24:00.000-04:00

The following news stories cover more on the problem of head covering in Quebec. Click the linked titles to read more.

"Proposal would ban religious garb in public sector in Quebec"

UPI.com

... Under the proposed ban, all public workers, including teachers and doctors, would be prevented from wearing jewelry, like cross necklaces, head coverings and any other religious apparel, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Wednesday.

"To force people into a situation where they have to decide between their job and their religion or decide whether or not they are Quebecers first or Muslim first -- for me, that's not a question we should be asking people to think about, as Canadians or as Quebecers," [Federal Liberal Leader Justin] Trudeau said." ...

Secularism is worth seeking, but Quebec's approach won't work

The Globe and Mail

(This article was written by a secularist who fired his doctor for using the phrase "God's will", so his conclusive reasoning against head covering ban has a certain bias.)

... The secular philosophy behind the French and Québécois laws, known as laïcité, has a noble tradition. It was first seen in the United States, where the predominantly atheist authors of its Constitution wrestled with the question of how to create a single government for a country founded and populated by competing extremist sects. The answer was to separate religion from public life, creating a neutral public sphere and making religion strictly a matter for private life.

This idea was adopted even more heartily in France (alkthough the idea of restricting clothing is a recent innovation), and in Turkey, where it is still illegal to wear Islamic head coverings in government-funded places.

And there are understandable reasons why Quebeckers are more open than others to the idea: The memory of religious interference is far more fresh. From the 1930s to the 1960s, the Union Nationale party of Maurice Duplessis created an effective Roman Catholic theocracy, harshly regulating private life. For historical and emotional reasons, laïcité holds a greater appeal.

But that doesn’t mean these charters are a good idea. You need to go back to the basic question: What problem are they attempting to solve?

Neither the French nor the Québécois charters were built on the idea of creating a secular public sphere. Rather, they both were born of bigoted attitudes toward Muslim immigrants, papered over with a slapdash bid for secularism that fails to confront the actual issues involved." ...

Photo credit http://feministtruths.blogspot.ca

"Stodgy old Quebec is no longer a cool cat"

North Shore News
(This article was also written by a secularist, but one who seems to understand living alongside a variety of other beliefs, unlike the above writer, who is more actively seeking to eliminate religion.)

..."Worst of all has been the weird habit of constantly claiming to be a victimized minority, while increasingly trying to stomp on non-Francophone minorities.

Earlier this year, we saw the Quebec Soccer Federation ban players from wearing turbans or other religious head coverings on the pitch.

Now the Parti Québécois is proposing a ban on any religious head coverings or sizeable religious symbols for all public employees.

...

Obviously, this new proposed law is stupid, racist, and if it was held up to the values of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, would stand as much chance of surviving as a delicate origami crane placed inside the engine of a large jetliner.

Why is this law being proposed in the first place? Marois has defended the so-called Charter of Quebec Values as part of the unique Québécois culture of secularism.

Well, I'm so full of secularism it's coming out my ears, and that's a load of steaming horse manure.

The freedom of people in Quebec to practise their religion or culture should only end when it causes demonstrable harm to others.

Let's say that I firmly believe that I must, at all times, wear a bedazzled purple pirate hat. Is this belief backed up by centuries of religious philosophy and tradition? Nope. Is it a statement about a proud cultural heritage? Nope. Should the government be allowed to say that I can't wear my spangly purple hat? Absolutely not. The point of freedom of religion means even freedom for dummies like me to believe whatever we want.

This law is not about bringing Quebecers together and uniting people in la belle province, as Marois and her supporters have claimed. It's about staking out a tribal enclave and making it clear to those who aren't white, pure laine Francophones that they aren't welcome.

Quebec has turned from a cool young rebel of the 1960s, with its Quiet Revolution and radical politics, into a stodgy, aging, xenophobic old twit, shaking his cane at the kids and telling them to get off his lawn. So basically, it's doing what all the other old hippies have been doing since the 1980s." ...

- See more at: http://www.nsnews.com/news/stodgy-old-quebec-is-no-longer-a-cool-cat-1.608837#sthash.Nu2aCWWE.dpuf

Worst of all has been the weird habit of constantly claiming to be a victimized minority, while increasingly trying to stomp on non-Francophone minorities.
Earlier this year, we saw the Quebec Soccer Federation ban players from wearing turbans or other religious head coverings on the pitch.
Now the Parti Québécois is proposing a ban on any religious head coverings or sizeable religious symbols for all public employees.
It's like PQ leader Pauline Marois was stung by one wasp, and then decided to wear an entire hive as a hat while jumping up and down vigorously.
Obviously, this new proposed law is stupid, racist, and if it was held up to the values of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, would stand as much chance of surviving as a delicate origami crane placed inside the engine of a large jetliner.
Why is this law being proposed in the first place? Marois has defended the so-called Charter of Quebec Values as part of the unique Québécois culture of secularism.
Well, I'm so full of secularism it's coming out my ears, and that's a load of steaming horse manure.
The freedom of people in Quebec to practise their religion or culture should only end when it causes demonstrable harm to others.
Let's say that I firmly believe that I must, at all times, wear a bedazzled purple pirate hat. Is this belief backed up by centuries of religious philosophy and tradition? Nope. Is it a statement about a proud cultural heritage? Nope. Should the government be allowed to say that I can't wear my spangly purple hat? Absolutely not. The point of freedom of religion means even freedom for dummies like me to believe whatever we want.
This law is not about bringing Quebecers together and uniting people in la belle province, as Marois and her supporters have claimed. It's about staking out a tribal enclave and making it clear to those who aren't white, pure laine Francophones that they aren't welcome.
Quebec has turned from a cool young rebel of the 1960s, with its Quiet Revolution and radical politics, into a stodgy, aging, xenophobic old twit, shaking his cane at the kids and telling them to get off his lawn. So basically, it's doing what all the other old hippies have been doing since the 1980s.
- See more at: http://www.nsnews.com/news/stodgy-old-quebec-is-no-longer-a-cool-cat-1.608837#sthash.Nu2aCWWE.dpuf

"Q&A: Quebec's religious garb debate intensifies - Philosopher Jocelyn Maclure on freedom of religion in a secular society"
CBC News
(This is an edited transcript of the interview with author and philosopher Jocelyn Maclure, Montreal resident and professor at Laval University in Quebec City.)

First Question: "Should the state have a role in secularizing society?"

Jocelyn Maclure: The state should be secular in the sense that it should be separate from religious powers so that it can treat all citizens equally and respect their freedom of conscience and religion. But the state should not support secularization or the erosion of religious beliefs and practices.
One of the basic principles of secularism is freedom of conscience and religion. So it should not be anti-religious, it should not criticise religion, it should leave it up to the people to decide. ...

Quebec’s proposed ban on headcoverings

2013-08-21T10:35:00.001-04:00

"Critics call Quebec’s proposed ban on religious headwear ‘Putinesque’ " - The Globe and Mail

What is the correlation with French-speaking and the distaste for head coverings?

The problems with head coverings for men and women in Quebec are ongoing. This is the latest.

Quebec is heading into another fierce debate over the future of religious freedom in the province with the Parti Québécois government set to release a Charter of Quebec Values that could ban religious headwear everywhere from daycares to hospitals.

Read the linked article for more, including to links to video and more articles on this, including the reversal of Quebec's ban on turbans for soccer players.

Philippines: Teacher Restrictions Are Only on Face Veils, Not on Hijabs - Southeast Asia Real Time - WSJ

2013-08-05T17:30:00.001-04:00

Click to read: "Philippines: Teacher Restrictions Are Only on Face Veils, Not on Hijabs - Southeast Asia Real Time - WSJ"
(Wall Street Journal: Southeast Asia)

photo from the article, and Associated Press

Article begins:

MANILA — The Philippines’ Department of Education clarified Wednesday that it is not banning its Muslim teachers from wearing head coverings.

Last week, the department unveiled a new order requesting that Muslim teachers remove their niqab, or face-covering veils, when they teach. In the July 16 order, the department asked Muslim teachers teaching Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education classes to remove any face-covering veils in the classroom. The order sparked concern that the department was ignoring the teachers’ religious rights.

Muslims’ right to cover their faces has been a controversial issue in some countries. France, which banned the public use of full-face veils in 2011, has been struggling with riots in the last week over the enforcement of the law.

I personally wish this were not at the level of misunderstanding that it is. Head covering is mandated in the Quran; face covering is not. "There is no clear-cut authentic hadith to the effect of making the face veil obligatory."

To ask a woman to remove her face covering does not infringe on her right to cover her head modestly. It is a matter of safety, of communication, of personality, even of individual worth. In short, I personally do not consider face covering to fall under the same category as head covering.

Comments are always welcome.

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Apologies for not keeping up with ThoseHeadcoverings this summer. Keep in touch, send stories, comment or ask questions.

Head Coverings OK for Football and Soccer

2013-06-28T00:10:00.001-04:00

So, I've been busy during the last month, but I'm sure that many head covering loved ones have heard a bit of the news during June concerning FIFA and Quebec and rulings about headcoverings. Here's a re-cap (pardon the pun):

June 14, 2013 -- The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) said in a statement Friday that it is temporarily authorizing the wearing of male head covers at all levels of Canadian soccer, applying a 2012 ruling that allowed specially designed hijabs for women.

wearing turbans to protest Quebec soccer fed's ban

The statement outlines certain rules for allowing the male headwear on the pitch.
“(FIFA) authorises the CSA to permit all players to wear head covers ... in all areas and on all levels of the Canadian football community,” the statement from the world body reads.
FIFA’s position comes four days after the Canadian Soccer Association suspended Quebec’s soccer federation because the provincial body banned Sikh headwear. Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/soccer/FIFA+fine+with+Sikh+head+coverings/8526036/story.html#ixzz2XTYHiPy7

Yes, the Canadian Soccer Association had suspended Quebec over the turban ban, saying it had to intervene because the Quebec Soccer Federation showed no sign of overturning its decision. The suspension prohibited Quebec teams from participating in or hosting interprovincial matches and national competitions, thereby banning 20 Ontario teams - hundreds of players, coaches and spectators - from traveling to and competing in a tournament in Quebec.

Boycotts of QSF sponsors were threatened. And a Facebook page was opened to garner support against the ban.

The Quebec soccer federation, in typical "what are those headcoverings for anyway?" fashion, claimed safety precautions, and wouldn't budge on their ban until the world headquarters, FIFA, laid down an official international law.

So FIFA did.

And so:

June 15, 2013 -- The Quebec Soccer Federation (QSF) announced it has reversed its ban on players wearing turbans or related religious headwear on the pitch, saying it is pleased with the international soccer body's clarification on the issue, and it's "deeply sorry" if anyone was offended.

Oh, those nasty headcoverings. Ruining soccer/football games now. But, it's not the cloth that is the problem. The problem is not understanding those headcoverings.

As Amal Singh Chahal (who lives in Toronto and helped to put together the boycott page linked above) was quoted: “Excluding kids just because they have uncut hair and they’re keeping a turban to keep it tied is just unfathomable. I can’t believe it in this day and age."

Did you know that's why the Sikhs wear turbans? Because they have uncut hair and the turban keeps it tied up and clean? That's part of the reason. It is also a symbol of equality, begun in an era when only the high class wore turbans, showing that all Sikhs are equally royal. It is a symbol of their commitment and obedience to their faith, to God, and to those who came before them. It is said that the turban becomes truly a part of the believer's head, just as Sikhism is a part of his entire life. Even when playing soccer.

photo from CBC.ca

For more on "why Sikhs wear turban", see the following articles:

Sikhism: What is the purpose of turban? from RealSikhism.com
Why do Sikhs wear turbans? from Sikhnet.com
Sikh Theology: Why Sikhs wear a turban from SikhCoalition.org

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Oh, and this just in: a Sikh bus driver just won the right to wear a turban in Finland. Just so you know.