Sitting Invigilating at Peterborough Gallery thinking about Womens rights and freedom across the world

wandering around Twitter and Facebook i notice #WorldHijabDay and #NoWorldHijabDay

I'm recalling how only this week we were all celebrating #Suffragette100.  100 years since the courageous and feisty women of England achieved the Vote for Women.  It's not that long ago for a free democratic country when you think about it.  The Suffrage women gave a lot and lost a lot for the cause of fighting for what's right.  (I watched the film Suffragettes c/o the local WI and local Theatre on Sunday, it's very powerful and a good reminder to us all).  

So the focus today is on the Hijab: the veil worn by Muslim women.  The reason it is worn by women with choice is varied and to be respected.  But by other women it is because it is stipulated by law and choosing otherwise is punishable by imprisonment and often torture.  

Both Bbuddhist philosophy and science know that an object itself is not implicitly anything.  It becomes imputed with meaning through our naming of it, our interaction, perception and use of it.  So the Hijab itself is not good, or bad.  Nor is a woman or a man.  

Ultimately we all want equity of ADULT-NESS for both sexes and we know this is sadly still not the case across the world. Let us hope, be kind, defend what is choice and reject what is oppression.  
Here is the link to THE WORLD ART COLLECTIVE - a non-judgemental space I created as through 'courage, compassion and conviction, we tend the wounds of the world'!  
Go make some art and post it to the page!

A1 Charcoal and oil pastel drawing by Alison Hawtin