up to the trans activists.
There is, surely, a straight line from the dress of many Muslim women here in the UK – wearing not only the hijab, but often enough a niqab face veil with a slit for the eyes – to the rape gang scandal. It's the same mentality that has women not fully covered as like meat left out for cats: irresistible to men. It's the women who are responsible for rape, not the men. The men can't be blamed for following their "natural" inclinations. As we know only too well, this is commonplace throughout the Islamic world, from Iran to the scarcely credible anti-women dictates of the Taliban in Afghanistan. So white girls walking around freely, in a liberalised Britain, are like meat left out for the cats: just asking for it.
We assumed, reasonably I suppose, that with assimilation this would improve. But the Muslim Pakistani immigrants, especially in the smaller northern and midlands towns and cities, tended not to mix. They weren't interested in assimilation. Even here in London the sight of women in veils is still common – and not just older women. Quite a few younger more stylish Muslim women wear the niqab. Only their husbands at home – their guardians – are allowed to see their faces. And we, out of politeness, out of "respect" for other cultures, don't say anything.
Still, with brave outspoken women like Kishwer Falkner, there's hope.
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