I dont believe that religious people should be given any special rights for wearing religious clothing like a Niqab.
"Special rights"-- that's language people use when they don't want a group to have basic and equal rights. The right to open displays of your religion, such as religious garb, is fundamental and natural
A cross pendant on the other hand is not a problem because you can still their the persons face, it is an item of jewelry, not a full cover everything up Niqab.
Doesn't matter.
Islamic schools and Sharia courts in the UK also need to be closed down,
Well, these are different topics, but-- yeah, I would support state action against sharia courts in my country as they are not legitimate legal authorities. Shutting down Islamic schools? I'd be against that one, which would be a clear violation of the rights of both free association and free exercise of religion. Of course, although I support a well-funded public education system, I do not support state-mandated compulsory education of any kind.
how exactly is a woman choosing what to wear when she is being raised in a muslim environment with potential peer pressure from everyone else to wear a Niqab?
If this "peer pressure" doesn't directly and immediately violate anyone's rights then the state has no authority to intervene. What's next, the government passes a law saying poor people can't buy expensive clothes because they're only buying them out of "peer pressure"?
No one chooses to wear a Niqab, I most certainly dont know anyone that woul freely choose to wear a Niqab, but I wouldnt mind wearing a shiny cross pendant if it looks nice and sparkly.
Yes they do. Even if they are choosing to wear the niqab purely out of fear of being ostracized from their community or family, it is still a free choice. To say otherwise is to limit what a "free choice" is to the point that it's meaningless and our (the US and UK's) laws regulating personal conduct are based on free choice, not determinism.
If a woman hates wearing the niqab that much and her family and community will shun her for it, then she has the choice to leave that community/family and the state and private social organizations should provide all necessary assistance for her to do so and to gain custody of any children she may have. Sure it is a difficult choice to make, but it's not the role of the state to make people's lives easy and spare them difficult personal decisions, even if it is in their interest.
I mean, why stop at the niqab if the state has that power? Why not have the state nullify the marriages of conservative Muslims, force the wife into deprogramming from Islam, and in the meantime the state takes the kids into custody so that they can be raised secularly? You may want to live in a society where the government has those kinds of powers but I sure as fuck don't.
And let's face facts, here-- there are plenty of people out there who choose NOT to be free, because sometimes being free is more difficult. Again, it's not the role of civil government to force people to be free simply because they are too lazy, fearful, weak or ignorant to free themselves-- the state is only obligated to ensure a society where people can make these choices and they don't suffer consequences that directly violate their rights, not provide a consequence-free society.
Now, as for women who do want to wear a Niqab, what exactly is wrong with not wearing one or wearing anything else like western clothes? What would they do if they had to work at a place which required a uniform? All work places in the UK will allow a woman to wear full length trousers and shirt, plus a headscarf on top if they are muslim. Their whole body is covered up except for the face which is perfectly fine with what the Quran says.
There's nothing wrong with it. I think it's great if they don't. That's not the question-- the question is whether the state can force women not to wear it.
The Quran does not say that you have to wear a Niqab, it is not a religious right to wear anything that covers up the face, only the rest of the body which most people are fine with.
You can also change the headscarf with a beanie hat as I suggested before, the Quran does not specify which type of clothes to wear, you can wear anything tht covers up your body, it doesnt have to be a Niqab or even a Hajib, therefore it is NOT a religious right to have to wear those specific items of clothing when you can wear anything else that also covers up the body.
So the state is only obligated to respect religious rights when they derive from an explicitly written command in a holy scripture? They are not obligated to ever respect someone's rights to religious customs? I guess the cops can shut down neo-pagan festivals now, since they don't have written scripture at all, only customs? Or assess a fine on evangelical Christians when they use grape juice at the eucharist instead of wine, because wine is mentioned in the Bible, not unfermented grape juice?
Topic: French Hijab Ban Rears it's Head Once Again