In and On
Score each statement 1-10 depending on how much you agree.
1= don’t agree at all
Starter- quiz
Can you guess which religion these people belong
to based on their clothing? (there are 8 in
total)
Islam (this lady is a Muslim wearing a head
scarf)
2)
Christianity (this is a Catholic nun wearing a
habit)
3)
Islam (this is a burqa worn by some Muslim
women)
4)
Christianity (WWJD is a motto that stands for
5)
Usually Hinduism but accept Islam. (The bindi is
a fashion in India).
6)
Judaism (this is a kippah worn by Jewish men
and boys).
7)
8)
Literacy focus Reading for recall
RE Skills focus Communication
How can we identify religious people?
Begin to EVALUATE the wearing of face
veils.
Give reasons why DIFFERENT items are
worn by Muslim women.
DESCRIBE the main items of traditional
clothing worn by Muslim women.
Traditional female Muslim
clothing
Sometimes it is difficult to tell if
someone is religious just by looking at them, but many female Muslims mark their identity by what they wear.
We are going to find out about the 3 most recognisable items of clothing. Choose one person from your group to
go into the corridor and try to
remember as much as possible from the information on the walls. When they come back in you must all take brief notes about the items of
• The burka is a loose garment, worn
outside the home, covering a woman's whole body including her face which is hidden from view by a mesh of fabric.
• Burqas are usually worn only in
Afghanistan and some tribal areas of Pakistan. It is rarely seen in Britain.
• Full-face veils are a way of following purdah, a belief set out in the Qur’an to
prevent women from being seen by men who are not their husband, father,
• The word hijab comes from the Arabic word for ‘veil’ and
is used to describe the
headscarves worn by Muslim women.
• These scarves, regarded by
many Muslims as a symbol of their religion and of being a woman, come in lots of
different styles and colours.
• The type most commonly
worn in Britain is a square scarf that covers the head and neck but leaves the face clear.
• The niqab is a veil for the
face that leaves the area around the eyes clear.
• The politician Jack Straw said
he would prefer that Muslim women did not cover their faces and so he thinks the niqab should be banned.
• Both the niqab and the burqa
Why do you think a Muslim
women might wear the veil?
Watch the first 5
minutes of the
clip below and ,
identify reasons
why a Muslim
woman may want
to cover all or
part of her face.
Tell the faithful women to ... not display their beauty except what is apparent of it, and to extend their
scarf to cover their bosom
https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=7B0kcat32kU
Face Veils
• Now we know about different forms
of clothing, we need to consider why there is a tradition of covering all or
part of a woman’s face in Islam. We are
going to consider why a woman should AND should not wear a face veil.
• In your book, draw a table like the one below. Leave plenty of
space to write in.
Should Muslim Women be allowed to wear the face veil?
Instructions
• Read the statements below.
• Cut them out
• Sort them into two piles –one which is reasons why Muslim women should be allowed to wear the veil and one which is reasons why they should not.
The Qur’an tells
women to dress modestly
It is easy to commit crimes whilst wearing it
The veil limits
communication identify someone It is difficult to wearing it Religion should be a
private matter and not made obvious
They don’t want
men to ogle them Saying women should hide themselves shows a
lack of respect
They are showing they are proud to
be Muslim They are showing
it’s what is on the
inside that counts
Some say it shows
a woman is ‘owned’ by her husband/other men in her life It is their human right to dress however they wish
Members of their family might be forcing them to
For face veils
•
The main reasons for wearing
face veils in Islam:
1) It is their human right to dress
however they wish
2)
The Qur’an tells women to dress
modestly
3) They are showing they are
proud to be Muslim
4)
They don’t want men to ogle
them
5)
They are showing it’s what is on
Watch this
clip
about the banning
of the veil in France. Whilst you
watch it, write down the key
arguments of the French
government as well as any other
reasons you can come up with for
why Muslim women shouldn’t
wear a face veil.
Against face veils
•
The main reasons against wearing
face veils:
1) It is difficult to identify someone
wearing it
2) It is easy to commit crimes whilst
wearing it
3) The veil limits communication
4) Religion should be a private matter
and not made obvious
5) Saying women should hide
themselves shows a lack of respect
6) Some say it shows a woman is
‘owned’ by her husband/other men
in her life
7) Members of their family might be
forcing them to
In 2006 a Muslim teaching assistant, Aishah Azmi, was suspended for wearing a veil at her school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
The students had never complained about it, and she did not have difficulty communicating with her
students.
Many of her students were Muslim and so may have been used to seeing female members of their own families wearing a veil.
Aishah said she had always been willing to take her veil off in front of her students, but had refused to do so in the presence of male colleagues.
Aishah did not wear the veil in her interview.
Banning the veil
THINK PAIR SHARE
EITHER: Imagine that you have the opportunity
to write to the Headteacher of Aishah’s school
to explain why you think she should be able to wear it.
OR: Imagine that you are the Headteacher and write a letter to Aishah explaining why she was suspended.
Aim to include at least 3 arguments. If you’re stuck , why not use your table of ‘for’ and
‘against’ face veils?
Extended writing task
As an extra challenge, try to show you have fully
considered both sides of the
Extension task
•
Design a piece of clothing that you think best
represents your own identity.
•
Draw a simple picture of your design, then underneath
explain the reasons behind it. Why is this the best
way for you to express who you are?