NYT:
The Positive Side of Ritual Modesty
by Johanna Markind
• May 27, 2015 at 11:18 pm
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The New York Times appears to be on a campaign to show wearing the
hijab/veiling in a positive light, at a time when France is extending
its ban on religious clothing and the Netherlands
has proposed its own burqa-ban. Yesterday, it posted an article
complaining about France's
"'preoccupation' with Muslim women's attire." It offered
anecdotes and claims from mostly unnamed sources arguing that France's
ban on religious symbols in public places is counter-productive of
integration and disabling and alienating to Muslim women.
Today, it posted a collection of feedback
from Muslim women expressing their views about covering. These two
dozen, culled from over a thousand responses, mostly favored covering or
veiling, while emphasizing that it was a matter of personal choice. The
Times reports, "For almost all of these women, it was a matter of
personal choice." Almost. The responses are eloquent in expressing
the positive aspects, but counter-arguments are largely missing.
The Times' positive spin on Islamic practice is
not new. On March 6, the Times posted a feature piece offering a
sympathetic portrait of a Muslim
public middle school student and her family. The article says about
10% of New York City public school students are Muslim, and that Muslim
students are targeted by teasing/bullying, especially after recent class
discussions about ISIS. The mother says she was harassed after starting
to wear a hijab, and the girl says she was bullied after starting to wear
one.
It's good that our 'paper of record' is so objective.
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