I found this article in a Bulgarian newspaper and just wondered what others thought of this idea of wearing a veil although I do believe there is another name for these but it escapes me at the moment, I wonder how this works in airports and such places ??? it must be very confusing to all who have to deal with this but if its their custom ?? how do you deal with it??



Demand for Veiling Bulgarian Muslim Women Suffers Another Blow

The regional Mufti from the Bulgarian city of Kardzhali has announced he does not support the demand of Muslim women to be covered with headscarves when taking their new passport pictures.

“The headscarf in Islam is not fashion. It is Allah's command. But there is the Constitution of Bulgaria, which is in the EU, and all Bulgarian citizens should comply with it. So Muslim women who cover yourselves, please be so kind and do not put yourself above the law, ” Mufti Bejhan Ahmad said.

Last week, the Mufti Office from the Bulgarian city of Smolyan demanded that the regional police department allow Muslim women to take the new passport pictures with headscarves on.

The Regional Mufti Nedzhmi Dabov has announced that the requirements for the pictures with biometric data are in conflict with the Islamic canon that the Muslim woman should not display other parts of her body except her face and her hands up to her wrists.

According to the electoral expert, Mihail Konstantinov, if this demand is fulfilled, Muslim women will not be able to travel in Europe, where passport pictures of veiled women are not allowed.

The Bulgarian party “Movement for Rights and Freedoms” (DPS) has announced it does not support the demand of the Muslim women.

Another official who does not support the Mufti demand is the director of the police department in Smolyan, Kiril Hadzhihristev. He said Tuesday that the demands of the Muslim spiritual leaders cannot be fulfilled because, according to the rules for issuing identity documents, the picture should display the face, ears, and at least 1 cm of the hair of the person.

Interesting post Kryp's however, I do get rather agitated when I read about how these women have to cover up, Why!!! What right has anyone to tell you to cover from head to toe - What quality of life do they have. This day and age I just wonder with woman's lib etc why do these women not stand up for themselves and come into the 20th century.

Like so many people have said before, if you want to live in another country, then you adapt to their way of life. We are soon told to cover up when we visit their countries and of course they will not tell the women this, but go directly to the man to sort his wife out.

Oddy

This is a very interesting subject and I agree with you Berni when in Rome so to speak , I mean lets face it as you've said if we visit a Muslim country we are expected/told how to dress and behave so why is that here in the UK w mamby pamby these people don't get me wrong I'm not racist in anyway but it does make my blood boil when I read about this sort of thing, whats happened to England :Shocked:I know this is about Bulgaria but its the same all over

Difficult one this, but I do believe they are called a Burka? but I could be wrong?? however I don't know what the answer is but I do believe we are all equal and we should all have the rights to dress how we want wherever we are so for example if you believe its OK to go to church in your shorts the why not in a muslim temple its only my thoughts

sarah

Hi All,

Whatever you call it veil, burka or nikaab, I would say that it is a way of life for the muslims. Most of which use only the head scarf, but because of the so called "
islamist extremists"
it is being spotlighted all over Europe, and the first thing that pops into most peoples heads is that the women are being surpressed or are made to wear the veil. In fact most women do put it on by their own free will according to the Islamic dress code. Here in BG what used to be the OTTOMON EMPIRE is no more, the few muslims of Turkish origin are few and far between, and if you did bump into one, you would not recognise them from any westerners as they hide their muslim backgrounds.

Abu

MINDTHESTEP wrote:

Hi All,

Whatever you call it veil, burka or nikaab, I would say that it is a way of life for the muslims. Most of which use only the head scarf, but because of the so called "
islamist extremists"
it is being spotlighted all over Europe, and the first thing that pops into most peoples heads is that the women are being surpressed or are made to wear the veil. In fact most women do put it on by their own free will according to the Islamic dress code. Here in BG what used to be the OTTOMON EMPIRE is no more, the few muslims of Turkish origin are few and far between, and if you did bump into one, you would not recognise them from any westerners as they hide their muslim backgrounds.

Abu

I have to agree with you Abu I do believe that this is only being highlighted for the wrong reasons and although there are plenty of Muslim woman who do wear it of their own free will there are those who are forced too so I think its a difficult one but I also believe that we should all be equal and live and let live

What people do in their own private lives is their own business. But we travelled on a plane a day after the bombings in London , and whilst waiting in the pre-departure lounge at Heathrow a person walked past in full Burka dress from head to toe. When you realise that this person could have been female but then again it was supposed that a male terrorist got away in such clothing. I think that it is only right and proper that a passport photo should show the persons face. Otherwise anyone can travel albeit female or male in such clothing. If the face is not shown then why have passport photo's at all? Perhaps a safer way forward is to have some form of retinal screening, but then again who pays for such technology.

[size=85:1qnapafn]Sofia echo 09 July 2010

The veiled and the cross



A call by Muslim religious leaders to change Bulgaria’s rules on identity document picture to allow Muslim women to be veiled when photographed has reawaken debate about religious symbols in the country – even as Bulgaria makes common cause with Italy and several other countries against a ruling by Europe’s highest court against the display of Christian crucifixes in schools.

The Smolyan regional mufti’s office wrote to the regional police headquarters asking that Muslim women be allowed to be photographed while wearing headscarves. Reportedly, the Sofia-headquartered Chief Mufti’s office has backed the call.
The Chief Mufti’s office said that it wanted the law on Bulgarian identity documents changed, saying that Islam made the veiling of women a fundamental obligation.

Local police responded that the rules were clear, requiring photographs for identity documents to show the face, both ears visible and at least a cm of hair. Media reports quoted the Smolyan regional mufti’s office as saying that Muslim women phoned "
every day"
asking if they were breaking Islamic law by being photographed in accordance with Bulgaria’s rules for biometric data.

Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov told journalists that it would be better not to stir up the issue, because the call was pointless given the security requirements of biometric data photographs.

After previous controversies involving Muslim dress and Bulgarian law, Bulgaria’s highest court ruled in 2002 – citing an earlier ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg – that Bulgaria’s rules on photographs for official documents contradicted neither the country’s constitution nor European human rights. There was a similar controversy in 2006, when two school pupils from Smolyan complained to the Commission for Protection Against Discrimination against a school ruling forbidding them from wearing headscarves on school premises. The commission rejected the complaint.

The issue ran in parallel with a separate religious rights case in which Bulgaria is involved. In November 2009, the European Court of Human Rights upheld an application lodged in Italy by a private citizen against the display in school classrooms of crucifixes. Italy, Malta, San Marino, Lithuania, Poland, Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria are among countries that want the European Court ruling reversed.

Italy without the crucifix would no longer be Italy,"
said Joseph Weiler, a New York legal expert representing the eight countries supporting Italy, a report by the Catholic News Agency said. Addressing the 19-member appeal panel, Weiler, an Orthodox Jew, wore a yarmulke.

The Italian government was optimistic that it would win the appeal, the Catholic News Agency said. Officials said the crucifix was not a threat to "
secularity"
and is not used for indoctrination.

Meanwhile, members of France’s National Assembly began on July 6 debating a proposed law that would ban women from wearing the full Islamic veil in public places, the Voice of America said. Six years ago, France banned the Islamic headscarf, as well as other religious symbols, from public schools and government buildings. Belgium is considering similar legislation to ban the burqa in public.

The new French legislation is expected to be put to the vote on July 13, and is widely expected to be approved.

Law is law but more often it is common sense that needs to be a governing factor. How can you possibly identify anyone who is wearing garments that cover all distinguishing features. As said before until technology can detect retinal screening these people will have to bow to common sense.

Hi All,

I as a muslim do not see the point of the mufti, instead of the full burka a headscarf would be suffice for personal identification purposes. But why do authorities need to see the ears and hair, as long as you can identify a person by face recognition unveiled with headscarf I think that should be appropriate.
Every where in Europe they're banning headscarves, is that going to stop terrorists I THINK NOT! as the media puts it "
ISLAMOPHOBIA"
is on everyones minds, they think muslims are going to take over europe NO CHANCE but they will have a few more rights, when they are in the decision making elite. I have to admit there are black sheep in every community/ nation but that does not give anyone the right to label a religious faith as being terrorists and then forcing them to unveil in public, I think that would add fuel to the fire.
Sorry I think I'm getting a little carried away there. In my honest opinion headscarves are enough, and not the full burka.

Take care and speak to you soon

Abu

Quite agree Abu As I have said as a view from Mr Average no one wants to deny anyone their religious following. But on a pure point of common sense we all need to know that we are equal in the way we are treated in passports, and hence security. On a lighter note might be a good idea if Prince Wales covered his ears up might save some fuel on less drag on the plane

[size=85:1loetzum]novinite 12 July 2010

Veiled Women Appear on ID Cards in Bulgaria

The police department in the Bulgarian city of Pazardzhik has announced it has not declined any application for new passports of Muslim women who are veiled with headscarves on their photos.

The spokesman of the regional police office, Miroslav Stoyanov, said Monday that applications with photos of veiled Muslim women have not been rejected but did not mention the exact number of such documents.

Stoyanov claimed that issuing new passports happens only when the requirements have been met, which means that the photo must display about 1 cm of the person's hair and their ears.

“The demand of all the applicants have been respected,” he said.

According to him, there have been no problems with issuing the new identity documents, despite the people's ethnicity.

“Taking a photos with headscarf on is not a problem as long as the legal requirements are met,” he added.

In the end of June, the Mufti Office from the Bulgarian city of Smolyan has demanded that the regional police department allow Muslim women to take their new passport pictures with headscarves on.

The Regional Mufti Nedzhmi Dabov has announced that the requirements for the pictures with biometric data are in conflict with the Islamic canon that the Muslim woman should not display other parts of her body except her face and her hands up to her wrists.

The demand of Mufti Nedzhim Dabov has not been supported by the regional Mufti from the Bulgarian city of Kardzhali, the Bulgarian party “Movement for Rights and Freedoms” (DPS) and the police department of Smolyan.

[size=85:2iwgfq7e]Telegraph.com 17 July 2010

Burka ban ruled out by immigration minister

Britain will not follow France by introducing a law banning women from wearing the burka, the immigration minister has ruled.

Damian Green said such a move would be “rather un-British” and run contrary to the conventions of a “tolerant and mutually respectful society”.

He said it would be “undesirable” for Parliament to vote on a burka ban in Britain and that there was no prospect of the Coalition proposing it.

His comments will dismay the growing number of supporters of a ban. A YouGov survey last week found that 67 per cent of voters wanted the wearing of full-face veils to be made illegal.

Mr Green used a wide-ranging interview with The Sunday Telegraph, his first since taking up his post at the Home Office in May, to issue a “message around the world that Britain is no longer a soft touch on immigration”.

He said the summer would see a major crackdown on the main streams of illegal immigration — including sham marriages, illegal workers and people trafficking — and confirmed that this autumn the Government would set an overall cap on migrants entering Britain from outside the European Union.

His firm decision to rule out a burka ban will disappoint some Right-of-centre Tory MPs, including Philip Hollobone, who has tabled a private member’s bill that would make it illegal for anyone to cover their face in public.

Mr Hollobone, the MP for Kettering, said this weekend that he would refuse to hold any constituency meetings with women wearing burkas.

The United Kingdom Independence Party (Ukip) has also supported calls for a ban after last week’s vote by French parliamentarians to outlaw full-face veils, including burkas, in public. Deputies in France’s National Assembly backed the ban by 335 votes to one.

The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester, has revealed he is not in favour of an outright ban on the burka – but adds that they should not be worn if doing so “compromises public or personal safety, endangers national security or impedes professional or social interaction”.

In an article for The Sunday Telegraph he says: “In those circumstances, it is difficult to see how it can be allowed.”

Mr Green said he did not think that the French vote for a ban would have an impact on immigration into Britain.

“I stand personally on the feeling that telling people what they can and can’t wear, if they’re just walking down the street, is a rather un-British thing to do,” he said. “We’re a tolerant and mutually respectful society.

“There are times, clearly, when you’ve got to be able to identify yourself, and people have got to be able to see your face, but I think it’s very unlikely and it would be undesirable for the British Parliament to try and pass a law dictating what people wore.

“I think very few women in France actually wear the burka. They [the French parliament] are doing it for demonstration effects.

“The French political culture is very different. They are an aggressively secular state. They can ban the burka, they ban crucifixes in schools and things like that.

“We have schools run explicitly by religions. I think there’s absolutely no read-across to immigration policy from what the French are doing about the burka.”

Mr Green’s comments came after the new head of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) told The Sunday Telegraph that Britain was the most welcoming country in Europe for Muslims.

Farooq Murad pointed to the spread of mosques and sharia, or Islamic law, as positive signs of the greater freedom Muslims are given in this country.

He warned that any moves to restrict the expression of Islam by banning the veil or blocking the building of minarets would alienate the Muslim community and threaten social cohesion.

Mr Murad, who last month succeeded Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari as secretary general of the MCB, said: “Life in Britain is much more welcoming and healthy for Muslims than in other European countries.

“There’s a great British sense of fairness and justice. We can have great pride in what a tolerant country Britain is, looking at the growth of mosques, and how nearly more people eat halal meat than don’t.”

On immigration, Mr Green said the Coalition’s aim was to put “steady downwards pressure” on immigration from outside the EU so that net immigration fell “to the tens of thousands” by the time of the next election, expected in 2015.

He ruled out an amnesty for illegal immigrants.

“There will not be an amnesty under this government: my Lib Dem colleagues have accepted that … just looking around the world that would send a terrible signal.

“Out there in other countries there has been the view that Britain’s borders are not very well defended and that if you can get into this country it’s relatively easy to operate here, to work illegally and so on. We’ve got to change that perception around the world.”

Steady pressure on numbers to reduce net immigration substantially over time was the “best way to restore public confidence”, he said.

Hi Admin,

Thank you for this very helpful news. As I have said before, the more you try and take away the rights of peoples religions/ cultures and traditions the more you will see an uprising against it. I deeply feel that the decision that the Government have made is in the interest of the country as a whole albeit for their personal vote banks or their gains as a newly formed coalition. The politics that the Government are playing with this issue will only have a short term effect, if it is for political reasons.



Abu

Hi Everyone,

I found this article on the net today.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Although this is not about Muslim Women, it's showing people that they should at least be a little more modest in the way that they are dressed.

Abu