YOU ARE INVITED
THE VEIL - SOCIAL COMPULSION OR PERSONAL CHOICE ?
SATURDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 3:30 PM IST
Swedish political scientist and author of Pakistani descent. Professor Emeritus at Stockholm University. Honorary Senior Fellow, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. Author of - Jinnah: His Successes, Failures and Role in History, Pakistan: The Garrison State, Origins, Evolution, Consequences (1947-2011) and The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed.
SYNOPSIS:
The debate about the burqa (or its variants) is neither new nor limited to India. Almost every multi-religious society has had to deal with it at some point or another. For a topic that has been and still continues to remain contested everywhere from Sweden to Syria, it is unfortunate that the awareness and understanding among people is very limited.
In this session Dr. Ahmed will be addressing will be addressing some of the questions below -
- Are face/head coverings mandatory in Islam?
- Do women tend to practice this out of choice or under social compulsions?
- Is the outrage targeting the veil driven by feminist concerns or religious prejudice?
- Isn’t forcing a woman to take off her veil as oppressive as forcing her into wearing one?
- Is it for the state to determine what people can and cannot wear?
- Are bans likely to emancipate Muslim women or further marginalise them?
- Can demands for religious reform be led by its antagonists? Or is that likely to make adherents more resistant to reform?
- From Switzerland to Sri Lanka, countries have taken very different courses on this question. What if any lessons have been learnt?