CAIRO: A commentary in the British newspaper, The Observer, tackled the controversy surrounding women’s dress in Islam, stating that in Egypt, “a headscarf can be a political statement.
In his article “Islam and Dress, Jason Burke also suggested that Islamists constitute the principle political opposition in Egypt, referring to the Muslim Brotherhood.
“In Europe, Burke wrote, “it [the headscarf] can be a marker of identity for immigrants or converts.
The foreign correspondent for The Observer has lived in Pakistan and Afghanistan and wrote books on Islamic extremism which include, “Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam, “Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror and “On the Road to Kandahar: Travels through Conflict in the Islamic World.
Burke currently resides in Paris, France where the Muslim women’s dress code took center stage after French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the burqa “is not welcome in France.
He concluded that the debate over women s clothing is as old as Islam itself.
“Since the issue draws together hard, complex questions involving faith, power, belonging, autonomy and subjection, it is unsurprising that dress for women in Islamic societies is often a point of conflict, he wrote.
