The National Post:
THE HAGUE — Popular Dutch Queen Beatrix described Thursday an outcry by the country’s far-right after she was seen wearing a headscarf while visiting a mosque in Oman as “nonsense,” Dutch media reported.
“It is really nonsense,” the 72-year-old monarch was quoted by reporters with her on a state visit to Oman, where television pictures showed her at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque sporting a red headscarf draped over her traditional black hat.
She had also worn a headscarf during a visit to Abu Dhabi a few days earlier on the trip accompanied by her son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Maxima, who wore a turquoise headscarf in Oman. Read more
I think the Far Right party want to see the Queen in miniskirt.??!
Response published in the National Post
Re: Far-Right Party Scolds Dutch Queen For Wearing Headscarf During Mosque Visit, Jan 12.
I applaud Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands for wearing a headscarf when visiting a mosque. This shows her greatness in promoting interfaith harmony and tolerance.
It must be noted that covering the head is not oppressive or exclusive to Muslim women only. Head covering can be traced back to 13 BC in ancient Assyria (Mesopotamia), where women were required to cover their heads in public places for class reasons.
Early Jewish and Christian women covered their heads as well. Biblical images often show Mary, the mother of Jesus, with her head covered, while it was once obligatory for Catholic women to don a headscarf while attending church. Traditional Hindu and Sikh women also wear head covering while in the company of men or when visiting places of worship.
A headscarf is not a symbol of female oppression nor does it render women susceptible to male dominance. As a society, we need to move away from such myopic thinking and learn from open-minded individuals like Queen Beatrix.
Tahira Saliha, Toronto.