Question Time: BBC TV

But ..... ARE niqabs worn within the NHS? there appears to be a consensus of opinion that says they are not? which makes me wonder whether there IS an element of scare mongering attached to this debate?  Having said that, I personally feel affronted every time I see these women walking around my area peering at me through this form of dress and believe me, in my neck of the woods, there are MANY!  To me, they are all but shouting....'I will never integrate and I do not want to be part of your society'....end of!

I have been a patient and working in the Health Service. Never seen any staff covering their faces for a religious reason. Has this been overblown by the media and other people for political gain?

Yes, yes, YES!!!

32 years I worked in the NHS, never once saw it worn and there is a strict uniform policy re-rings jewellery etc., so anyone going into this profession well knows the rules and it  is for everyone, regardless!
The Nigab & Burka is a chosen item of dress, no-one is forced to wear it so 'No' it should not be allowed in Hospitals, or in any other public service. A couple of weeks ago an 8 year old boy was told to take his hoody off in a supermarket,  their rule is "No-one is allowed in a hoody."  Yes, there was a public outcry, but rules are rules, break it for one and who knows what could happen?

It is nothing more than a personal  statement, nothing to do with religion so 'No,' not in public service  !

Pathetic really if it is just to stir something up and take the real issue ofF what is happening in the Health Service. I have a feeling it is being used just to take the mind of the nation from the real problems that exist in the Health Service and just being manipulated into a racist problem by the Government and others.

I find this very dangerous and to turn the Health Service into a crusade for racist issues and for the real reasons why the Health Service has real problems is a rather sick joke in itself.

If anyone is covering their face for a religious reason then this should not happen if they are employed by the Health Service. For the issue to be manipulated is another.

The hoodie arguments add another, disquieting dimension to all this:

In ligh of the Kenyan outrage, global security has woken with horror to realise that shopping malls in ANY country are a large and easy taget.  There is already talk in the media (and not the unthinking end) of the inevitability of much increased security checking and bag searching.  Therefore, if we do not allow hoodies on the grounds of identification, how can we allow Burkas and Niqabs?

I suspect the powers that be will fudge the issue though...

Not true. You are an off cream magnolia North Western mongrel with a penchant for reprehensible raconteuring who wears strange topping-out adornments - or at least you was when I knew you.

And I don't think a burkha would suit you ( the niqab being too small).

I find men's trousers that stop half way between the knee and the ankle more offensive than the burka or niqab. I'd ban those if I was in charge. Who on earth decided that they were stylish - Stevie Wonder/someone else whose eyesight isn't too good?

Really Dalelad? that's a joke ....right???

People do have odd quirks about what clothes grate on their nerves, some can't bear the sight of socks and sandals, a different matter to people wearing totally disguising cloths over their faces, that's more to do with security and terrorism.

Whether nurses and doctors are allowed to hide their faces behind scarves may seem an unlikely question, but, as Muslims everywhere in Europe become more strident about their cultural identity, the question of where and when face and identity-covering clothing can be accepted becomes more of a practical issue.

Most people prefer to know the identity of whoever is giving them an injection. If the nurse giving the injection will not trust the patient to see their face, why should the patient trust the nurse to inject something into their bloodstream? There has to be a basis of trust in many social interactions.

People who choose to separate themselves from the world, to retreat from it, to hide themselves away from the world and from the eyes of men under layers of cloth that disguise their bodies, their identities and cover their faces have made that choice, and removed themselves.

But then of course, some people are 'persuaded' to wear such coverings to disguise their injuries and other similar reasons.
http://www.burnleycitizen.co.uk/news/10703356.Family_lawyer_slams_Burnley_thug_s_sentence_as____an_insult_to_women___/

Poppyanna555 wrote:Really Dalelad? that's a joke ....right???

no, I find the trousers dreadful and those who wear them should have their heads tested.


I also don't like the full face veil, I have to say. However much wearers proclaim that they choose to wear them, I find it sad that human beings feel the need to cover their faces, and put a barrier up between them and others. Religions seem obsessed with the fact that we might find each other attractive, and this is a bad thing. Surely there's nothing wrong with physical attraction. However I am less comfortable with telling people what to wear. It's a free world. I would draw a line in court and hospitals though. Maybe even schools.

I don't share your aversion to cropped trousers on men Dalelad but, I must admit, I detest the American inmate mode of dress that a lot of young men have adopted, ie: jeans pulled so far down that the crotch practically rests between the knees and their underpants displayed to all but, hey ho

I'm 5ft 11in and weigh 8 stone 10 ounces - just how much meat do you think I have on my legs against the cold weather? OF COURSE I'M IN FAVOUR OF LONG JOHNS.  And now all you fat people can inwardly groan as I tuck into my clotted cream cake, sirloin steak and chips (I just love chips) and half a bottle of Burgundy, followed of course by a black arabic coffee topped with more clotted cream. Bon appetite.  

You're a lucky guy Atlas....able to eat all that which is deemed 'unhealthy' and maintain that sylph-like figure but eh....what about your cholesterol levels?    Don't tell me you lucky so and so....that is fine too, I think I might be sorry I asked!

4 point something? I don't know if that is too much or not. Never thought to ask come to think of it.
Er - I suppose I could cut out the cream on the coffee. Hmmmm -? 

Just Googled meggings. Wish I hadn't.

4 point something is normal Atlas.....I KNEW I shouldn't have asked!  

Ohhh! Well it's good to be normal in something I suppose. Keep smiling. 

Meggings Dalelad? I don't know what you mean.