4 Why do they do that?
Sometimes people say ‘that’s not religion, it’s culture’ – or even ‘it’s just culture’.
Sometimes those who object to Islamic veiling and other costume choices argue this is more culture than religion. Much the same has been said of Sikhs wearing turbans, Orthodox Jews insisting that animals should not be stunned before they are slaughtered or Christians wearing religious symbols over their work outfits.
On the other hand, the phrase ‘it’s our culture’ puts a positive spin on this. When people say this, they don’t remove whatever ‘it’ is (costume, food etc.) from also being ‘our religion’ or ‘my religion’. Insisting that a particular style of costume or way of cooking food is ‘culture’ does not end the discussion. Indeed, these labels might not really be a useful contribution to a conversation.