As Austria becomes the latest European country to ban the full face-veil in public spaces, residents of the nation most famous for its veiling practices have offered their take.
The hashtag “Austria bans the niqab” has taken off overnight in Saudi Arabia, a country where the law enforces "modest dress" in public.
Many, whatever their opinion of the niqab itself, emphasized that the decision was ultimately an Austrian one, and should reflect local needs and customs:
#منع_النقاب_في_النمسا كل دولة وقوانينها نلتزم بها ... ومنع النقاب للاجراءات الأمنية لديهم
— Ahmad almansoori (@AAmansoory) February 1, 2017
We must abide by the laws of each state... and banning the veil is one of their security measures
حقهم قانونهم
— ابن عمر #حلب (@ahsf1437) February 1, 2017
لهم دينهم ولنا ديننا
والفاصل كلام الله بسورة الكافرون
والواجب علينا عدم الذهاب هناك
#منع_النقاب_في_النمسا
Their law is their right. They have their own religion and we have our religion. The final judgement lies in the words of God in the book of the disbelievers [in the Quran]. It is incumbent upon us not to go there.
#منع_النقاب_في_النمسا هذا قانونهم ولهم الحريه في قوانينهم ولكن حنا لنا حريه الاختيار السفر لها او اختيار دول اخرى
— درعان الدرعان (@draan_aldraan1) February 1, 2017
These are their laws, and they are free to make their own laws, but we have the freedom not to travel there or to chose other countries.
#منع_النقاب_في_النمسا
— ساره آل علي (@Sos123890) January 31, 2017
مثل ماتجبورن النساء بجميع الأديان على لبس العباية في بلادكم من حقهم يمنعون النقاب في بلادهم ، وترا محد درا عنك يادرة
Just as you make women of all religions wear the abaya in your country it is their right to ban the niqab in their country.
The long black full-body abaya covering is compulsory for all women in Saudi Arabia, including foreigners, although there is some leniency for non-Muslims.
Others objected strongly on religious grounds:
الإسلام ينتشر في بلآدهم بفضل الله ، ولن يستطيعوا يطفئوا نور الله عزوجل ، ولكن هذا زمن الإبتلاء وهنيئاً للصادقين .
— قناة الحسبة (@al_hisbaah) February 1, 2017
#منع_النقاب_في_النمسا
Islam is spreading in their countries, thank God, and they will not be able to extinguish the light of God Almighty, but this is the time of tribulation and congratulations to those who remain honest.
A number of Twitter users pointed out the hypocrisy of the West for claiming to support freedom while creating laws that restrict freedom of dress:
#منع_النقاب_في_النمسا
— عبدالعزيز بن عبدالله (@a_aA15) January 31, 2017
‘
‘
كانوا يقولون لنا الغرب عندهم حريه ..
والحين الغرب يمنع النقاب ؟
طيب والحريه وش صار عليها !!
They used to say that they have freedom in the West. And now they have banned the niqab? Right, so what has happened to this freedom?
اللحيه ممنوعه
— ســــــآمي (@sami14177) February 1, 2017
النقاب ممنوع
دخول المسلمين لبلادنا ممنوع
الاسلام دين ارهابي
ويقولون السعودية عنصريه جعلكم فدوه لها#منع_النقاب_في_النمسا
The beard is forbidden, the niqab is forbidden and Muslims are banned from entering, and Islam is a religion of terrorists. And they say Saudi Arabia is racist?!
Meanwhile, some left-leaning Saudis supported the move and called for similar laws elsewhere:
#منع_النقاب_في_النمسا عقبال باقي الدول
— Jeami♪ (@J_mu001) February 1, 2017
Let’s hope the same happens in all the other countries.
#منع_النقاب_في_النمسا
— ( قول آخر ) (@anawint2) February 1, 2017
غالبية البلدان ستتخذ نفس التدابير قريبا.
من يرى ان وجهه عورة كـ مؤخرته فليذهب الى بيئة تناسبه .
Most countries will take the same measures soon. Whoever considers the face as shameful as the buttocks should go to an environment that is suitable for him/her.
There is a burgeoning feminist movement in Saudi Arabia, driven by a number of Twitter activists who have in recent times called for an end to the restrictive male guardianship system, and for an end to the prohibition on women driving. However, the activists continue to face considerable opposition from the conservatism that continues to prevail in their society.
Austria is the most recent in a line of countries that have banned face coverings such as the burqa and the niqab. France and Belgium made them illegal in 2011, while the Netherlands followed suit with a partial ban in 2015. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, recently added her voice to growing calls to implement a ban on the full-face veil “wherever it is legally possible.”
It is not just Europe which has caught the niqab-hating bug; Morocco recently banned the production and sale of the Afghan-style burqa covering, in a move that angered some.
RA
