In recent months, the Muslim hijab is an issue which has become central to political debate in parliaments and press around the world. In March 2004, France became the first country in the European Union to officially ban the hijab from all schools. Since then, many countries including Germany and Belgium have considered introducing similar legislation in their own jurisdictions.

The reasons put forward for banning the hijab vary considerably. Some regard it as a symbol of oppression and female subservience to male authority. Others regard it as a political statement associated with radical Islam. Conversely many Muslim women claim they find wearing the hijab liberating and new generations of Muslim women have chosen to wear it whilst their mothers do not.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission is attempting to discover what Muslim women in Britain themselves feel about the hijab and what actions they expect the British government to take with respect to it. Please take some time out of your busy schedule to complete this questionnaire and return it to the Islamic Human Rights Commission. This is part of a wider project to ascertain what we, the Muslims of Britain, expect of the British government.

Please return this survey by 7th August 2004.

Thank you for your contribution.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. If you need to post this questionnaire back to us, please use our Freepost address:

Islamic Human Rights Commission
Freepost (SCE5345)
Wembley
HA9 7BR

If you have received this via email please return it to info@ihrc.org