"Take off the veil" (Hijab)

Al-Arabiya.net March 14 2008

Arabs campaign for women to "Take off the Veil"

A group of Arabic websites and blogs have launched an international campaign against the Muslim headscarf (hijab), arguing the move is a response to what they see as “intellectual terrorism” practiced by strict Islamic groups and individuals.

The campaign is called "Take Off The Veil”, and was launched March 8, 2008 to coincide with International Women's Day.

"My hair is not a sex symbol that I should be ashamed of, and my body is not a stage for men's fantasies. I am a noble human being with my hair and body," Dr. Elham Manea, one of the campaign’s leaders, wrote on the participating websites.

Manea, a professor of Yemeni descent and who works in Switzerland, said she believes the headscarf was never part of Islam and chose International Women's Day for the campaign as she views the headscarf as a symbol of women's oppression and to warn women deceived by Islamists into putting "this rag on their heads."

"We aim to communicate the idea to as many people as possible, and we don't do that by violence and intimidation like Islamists," Manea said. (...)

Posted March 15th, 2008 by hrc

http://europenews.dk/en/node/8469