The Diversity Dilemma

Note: I need to write about this subject, not because I am drawn to unnecessary controversy, rather I need to understand that which is stirring within me. At times the pen is the best method to uncover that which lies obscured behind assumption, culture, and fear.}

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I write from Gulhane park in Istanbul. It is Sunday afternoon and I sit nicely placed under the shadow of a large broad leafed tree. I see children kicking a football, a couple having photos taken on their wedding garb, old men reading newspapers...all the things you would expect to see in a park on a given day.

The calls to prayer float in from the many mosques dotting this hilled city. I reflect on the different expressions of faith. In Islam, this can easily be observed through the dress worn by men and women. For the men, they typically wear casual western clothes, while every so often you spot a man in a shawar kameez (a type of loose fitting robe). This happens mostly on Fridays, the Muslim holy day.

For the women, there is a great deal more variety in the dress. From my observations I  would say about 30-40% of the women in Istanbul wear modest western style clothing while the rest of the women wear some form of the hijab. This may include the purdah, which is the muslim veil, this includes a long jacket or blouse that covers the back side and an ankle length skirt (about 30-40% wear this). The head veil is colourful and there is a variety of colour schemes of the shirt and skirt. Another 10-15% wear a black chador (the black veil) and a further 5-10% wear the niqaab, which is the covering of the entire face leaving only the eyes visible. Some women wear gloves and socks with sandals to leave no skin exposed.

There is an underlying number of reasons that can be ascertained for the dress code. They include a desire for modesty and the stated need to protect men from lustful thoughts, thus avoiding being a source of sin. Many cultures and traditions have practiced a form of the hijab (jews, catholic nuns, early christians).

I feel comfortable in this city. There is a great diversity where Asia meets Europe on the shores of the Bosphorous. Yet each day I find myself intrigued by one form of the hijab that leaves me with many questions and quite frankly uncomfortable. It is the niqaab.

Mother wearing a niqaab in the Spice Market, Istanbul

There is the question of choice. Does a woman choose to wear this black outfit with face veil when it’s 35 degrees and over? When asked I am sure a woman would tell me that she chooses it even if her husband or male family member is not around. Could this be because she does not want to stand out? Who would choose to stand out among a crowd of peers? That is difficult to do that anywhere, just ask a minimalist in America.

Let us have an honest conversation about lust. I understand what Islam is saying about lust. A man is a man and we are typically driven by our eyes. When a woman is wearing a dress with low cleavage or a very short mini-skirt, the man will find it very difficult to avert his eyes, and more importantly his mind. Although we do not like to state this in the West, there is a responsibility for women to dress modestly. How this is defined is very much up for discussion.

[note: i do not believe a woman ever invites harassment upon herself no matter what she wears.]

The other half of this equation of responsibility lies with the man. As men, we need to train our minds to look respectfully at women. It is what lies in the heart that directs our minds. I know this because as a man I know both what lust has felt like and what love has been. There is a marked difference in approach, experience and the result.

Finally, there is also the issue of identity and security. In Canada there has been a legal issue surrounding the granting of citizenship to a niqaab wearing citizen-in-waiting. In Europe there have been discussions regarding security as a person cannot be properly identified by their eyes, or perhaps just not easily identified.

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In this park I have seen mothers playing with their children - I see the expressions of love through laughter and smile. To my right there are a pair of lovers in the park whose giggles and flirtatious eyes have inspired countless poets to feverishly put pen to paper attempting to describe this sentiment. There are also the expressions of scolding, anger, questioning, doubt, and joy. This is the human experience; this is communication and connection.

I see the niqaab as an interpretation of religion through a very fine cultural lens (namely from the Arabian peninsula). It is a worship of God that is grounded in rule keeping. Wherever I go, no matter which religion, I always find a discomfort with this type of worship. In the end this might say more about my approach to life and not a question of the worshiper.

I love the diversity I have experienced in Istanbul. There are the friends in the park, a veiled woman braiding the hair of her friend. There was the algerian veiled young woman who were chatty with me in the baclava shop. There was even the man in white who was walking with his niqaab wearing wife holding hands and sharing a laugh.

I love cultural diversity. Is it time to expand my view or are there lines in the sand worth standing behind? I know one thing for certain: I cannot judge a person's heart. Irrespective of what we wear we all need to love and be loved.

I am reminded of a message on the Camino de Santiago:

Love is on the Way.

Let us walk down that road to meet Her.