Hijab opponents
Sir: Rod Liddle, in his attack on the tribunal that awarded £4,000 to Bushra Noah (‘Liddle Britain, 21 July), deploys an old chestnut beloved of hijab opponents everywhere: that there is nothing in the Koran which demands that women cover their hair. The claim would be irrelevant even if it were true, since the Koran is not the only source of Islamic law. We are told in the Koran to obey God and His messenger, which means that when we know that the Prophet has told us to do something, we do it.
However, chapter 24, verse 31 instructs that the believing women be told to extend their head-coverings to cover the tops of their dresses, which is impossible to do unless the woman wears a head-covering in the first place. The fact that many Muslim women do not do this is irrelevant; just because some are not observant does not mean nobody should be, or should lose the right to be if they want to make a decent living.
Matthew J. Smith
New Malden, Surrey
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