World Hijab Day — House of Commons, 2017-02-01
Topic: Civil Rights
Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh (Scottish National Party, Centre-left): The hon. Lady makes an excellent point. Yes, too many crimes are committed whereby women—even young women and girls—have their hijabs pulled off. I agree with her point that, as Muslim women, we stand by those whose choice it is not to wear the hijab and whose choice it is not to do what they may be told by male counterparts in their family. Islam is about equality. Anyone who suggests otherwise does not know or understand that religion. We will continue to stand up against those who try to paint our religion in a negative light. We ask people not to expect us to apologise for everything that is done wrong in society by a Muslim. We are not responsible for all of them. We are each, as individuals, responsible for our own actions and for speaking up when we think that wrong is taking place It is the right of women to wear what they want where they want, including in this Chamber and beyond, without any fear of what people might suggest the repercussions may be. That brings me to another case in point. In 2016, Nicola Thorp, who was working as receptionist at City firm PwC, was sent home without pay for refusing to wear high heels. She was required to wear a heel of two to four inches. She went on to launch a petition asking to make it illegal for a company to require female employees to wear high heels at work. The petition garnered 152,420 signatures and will be debated in Westminster Hall on 6 March. I cannot wait. The Government’s initial response to the petition stated: "Company dress codes must be reasonable and must make equivalent requirements for men and women. This is the law and employers must abide by it." The Petitions Committee and the Women and Equalities Committee published the "High heels and workplace dress codes" report on 26 January, recommending that the Government take urgent action to improve the effectiveness of the Equality Act 2010. It recommends that "the Government…review this area of the law", and, if necessary, "ask Parliament to amend it" It calls for "more effective remedies" such as increased financial penalties "for employment tribunals to award against employers who breach the law" in order to provide an effective deterrent. I agree with the Committees’ inquiry findings, as the report also states: "We heard from hundreds of women who told us about the pain and long-term damage caused by wearing high heels for long periods in the workplace"— perhaps I should not be the one giving this speech, because I am currently wearing heels, by choice of course— "as well as from women who had been required to dye their hair blonde, to wear revealing outfits and to constantly reapply make-up. The Government has said that the existing law is clear, and that the dress code that prompted this petition is already unlawful. Nevertheless, discriminatory dress codes remain widespread. It is therefore clear that the existing law is not yet fully effective in protecting employees from discrimination at work." There is much to do I reiterate that women—I know that everyone in the Chamber will agree with me; I dare them to say otherwise—should have the right to wear what they want without fear of discrimination. No one, but no one, has the right to discriminate against someone on the basis of their religious beliefs, whatever those beliefs may be or if they hold none at all. We are living in a world where women are feeling more threatened and more vulnerable. Telling women what they can and cannot wear, or how they should and should not look, is detrimental not only to women but to society as a whole. We need to work together to create a safer society where everyone can feel free to express religious beliefs without fear of discrimination, and everyone can feel comfortable to wear what they want, whenever they want.