Well, I am sure that many are aware of this world-important "raging debate"...*rolls eyes*. I had an argument with a friend a few days ago and would just like to put this to the public. Most people who are pro-hijab (I'm not one of these although I have nothing against Hijabis) equate wearing a hijab in day to day life with christian women becoming nuns. Apart from the fact that becoming a nun takes absolute HELL to begin with....a nun is not as much a part of society as a hijabi. What we today call nuns are not actually nuns. They are called nuns but are actually of a new order founded in the 18th century...rather than dedicating their life to prayer and seclusion, they dedicate their lives to worship and to societal good. They are allowed to leave monastery to work to achieve good amongst the societies from which they hail. Now, a Hijabi, on the other hand, is just a regular woman. Married maybe...with kids...maybe single who really cares...my point is that there is no routine to be followed...no rules and no seclusion. Personal morals and standards of dress and conduct are all that they have to worry about when becoming a hijabi. Other than the process of becoming a Nun, the most important distinction between the two is exposure. People argue that the west should not criticize hijabis and claim that it is unfair that hijabis are condemned and considered to be oppressed while Nuns, who dedicate themselves to God and cover pretty much the same body parts are celebrated and praised as pious and God-fearing people. Well, the only problem is that it is easy to praise or pass judgement on something you don't have to deal with...its just like calling a painting behind glass beautiful. We have nothing to do with the painting and we aren't exposed to it unless we choose to be. The same goes for Nuns. I think I can count the number of times I've seen a nun on one hand....Hijabis on the other hand, I see every day. Therefore, although I do not believe Hijabis are oppressed (unless they are forced to cover by their families etc), I believe that people criticize them because they see them all the time and do not understand the true meaning of covering up. I don't believe that it is truly part of my religion and think it is more of a custom. It was picked up from the Greeks to begin with. Greek women from the upper class would cover to create a distinction between themselves and "slave girls"....therefore, I really think its more of a social barrier than a sign of piety. If every other catholic women could dress like a nun and lead as normal a life as a hijabi (i.e. work, live, marry, have children) I would say that the west do not have the right to misconceive hijabis...but I think the image of an oppressed Muslim woman and the ill-treatment of Muslim women are just two of the many stereotypes held about us in the west.....Am I making sense?
10 comments:
I don't think it's a sign of piety, i believe it is intended as a statement of piety, hence the problem.
in reality, IMO, it speaks volumes about the mentality of the person wearing it.
it says one of the following:
1) i am a piece of meat. i believe that when men see me they only see my private parts
(to which i would say: why? don't you have anything else to offer? are you so empty and useless besides? do you think men are so shallow and only motivated by THEIR private parts? are they animals? is your view of humanity so low?)
OR
2) i don't have to believe, i don't have to question, i have to accept what God said. no i can't find the actual aya where he said it but it's there, i've been told that x and y means hair, so i have to cover it.
(to which i would say: God gave you a brain. why don't you use it as more than just a placeholder? are you a mindless sheep?
it frustrates me that there are so many people who either believe that humans are animals or who are more obsessed with their privates than anything else, and don't use their brains. both are signs of ignorance.
it is not about being judgemental towards them, it is about responding to the statement they make when they cover up.
I definitely agree with some of what you say! Women who believe that they are being dignified and proper by covering themselves from the prying eyes of horny men don't understand that their actions are actually creating adverse effects. I know of several men who say that the hijab and abaya create a sense of mystery and cause them to fantisize sexually about what's under there...but on the other hand, the only men i know that actually see every woman as a sexual object are Saudis and that isnt even their fault but the fault of the social format in Saudi. Most men, though, can see beyond that and would appreciate a woman for more than her body, thus, there is no real need to cover.
I also agree with you on your second point, its a personal choice and not a religious necessity...and you know what kills me? Old women who cover...it just gets u thinking...do they think that their bodies are interesting to anyone...no disrespect to old people...just a question...it seems like a sign of vanity...im so attractive that i have to cover...like al muqana3 al kindy..
I stumbled upon your blog and thought your post about hijabis was pretty interesting, I like your argument. Another question popped in my mind while reading your entry:
Apart from being "normal", Can you be a feminist and a hijabi at the same time?
The answer is: YES, absolutely. I'm your living example. Everyone has a different perception of the hijab and all who wear it have their own principles (or the lack of them =))
So yes we are normal human beings who choose to cover our heads and be modest in the name of religion. But that does not hold the religion liable for our mistakes!
Peace,
SoulSearch
What really gets to me is the fact that people speak about hijab without reading up fully on it and understanding what the point of it is!! The is a reason why more and more women in the muslim world choose to wear the hijab and why women in the west convert to islam for the simple reason of wearing the hijab and being modest.
I only recently started wearing the hijab, and it's not because i think i'm super-attractive or that men are drooling all over my private parts, but its because of the simple fact of keeping my body private to myself. Why should someone else be allowed to see my body and whether you like it or not, men judge women you based on their appearance rather than brain. So it may not be sexual, but it allows you to determine other people's actions and how they react towards you, making them look beyond your sexy legs, or big chest and respecting you as an equal individual who has a brain and can get far based on her intelligence not on her looks. By displaying your body, you are allowing men to treat you as a piece of meat, everyday i hear women being degraded and called all sorts of names like 'slut', 'whore', 'slag' by the very men who give them the attention they desire. Men by nature are sexually motivated but do not respect the women who "bares" all so to put it. I have many male friend who say "oh those kind of girls are only good for one thing, you know, just a bit of fun! but when i get married, i want a girl who hasn't been around and who doesn't walk around dressed like a slut!" Does this not remind you of the ages when men used women as sexual slaves, which is around now too? Another point which a lot of westerners have now realised and which is one of the reasons they read into hijab is the rape rates in the western world is a lot higher than that in the islamic world, why? because when you're covered up you don't allow men to look at you in that way and act on their sexual desires.
And finally i would like to reply to the comment regarding it's not in the Quran to cover your hair, well actually it is and it's in a lot of the hadiths too.
This is the Aya in surat Al-Nur
“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear therof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, or their brothers' sons or their sisters' sons, or their women or the servants whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex, and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments."
The word VEIL means head covering, so it is clearly stated in the Quran and also the prophet Mohammed PBUH said that women should cover themselves except for these parts(and he pointed to his face and hands).
This is sooo off topic, but thought i'd just clear up a few misunderstandings and correct a few errors. :o)
Wow...there are quite a few strong comments here. Well, I'm not trying to add fuel to the fire but still here are my two cents. First of all, I do wear the hijab ie. cover my hair, neck, chest and wear loose clothes including jeans. Anyways, for me hijab is not about covering up my "sexy" parts. I chose to take up wearing the hijab because it makes complete sense to me. I was brought up in the USA and completed all of my schooling here. I realized in my school years how girls were treated by young immature boys. There is no reason to call a women a whore or to talk about her private parts even if they are exposed right in front of your face.
I did not cover because I was afraid of being raped, I hear this argument all the time when hijabs are describing the benefits of hijab to non-hijabi and non muslim sisters. There are many women who cover in Muslim countries who are still raped. Even when a women is covered from head to toe, men will still have perverted thoughts about her. It is not the duty of women to stop men from thinking like this. But at the same time, a women who wears hijab (and this is not the same for all hijabis),steps into society and dares it to accept her as a free thinking individual. As much as we think that the West has "liberated" women, to this day, women receive little respect. No matter socail class you go to, women are still judged based on how they dress and how much they reveal. With all that said, hijab has most definitely liberated me. I feel more respected as a human being and a women when I started to wear my hijab. Hijab for me is a God-given right and I am proud to wear it. Please, many of us who choose to wear it do not do it out of ignorance. We have read into it and believe it to be a command from God but just like any other command, one should understand it and accept it wholeheartedly before following it.
Hijabi,rape has nothing to do with what you do or don't wear except maybe to Muslim men. Rape in the west is about power and not sex or lust.I find that muslims have very little understanding of western culture,and compare it to their own culture.
Western converts to Islam have next to no understanding of Christian theology, otherwise those that convert to wear hijab would know that it is perfectly acceptable in Christianity too.
There are Christian women who do believe we are to cover ourselves too, and the women I know who veil themselves outside of church do so as a way to remain humble before God and help them to remember that they belong to God and not the world. Modesty, as far as not exposing themselves, figures in only slightly in their thinking. It is mainly about God.
When modesty is mentioned it is about privacy and not causing men to stumble. We're talking normal males (who either learn to tune out all the sexual stimuli we bombard them with, or they try hard not to stare at the cleavage on display)not psychos who can't control themselves. The psychos salivate over niqabis.
Nuns cover as a sign that they are dead to the world. Dressing in this manner helps them to turn their attention to God and away from their bodies and looks. Orthodox Christian nuns look like muslim hijabis dressed in black,and are often treated rather badly.Ordinarily, only the abbess wears a pectoral cross, but some nuns' bishops have given them permission to wear crosses regardless of their status just to help them avoid being attacked in public.
Christian women don't cover for all the same reasons as jewish and muslim women. Jewish and Muslim women also cite piety and closeness to God, but it is more about modesty and keeping their bodies for their husbands. In Islam, older women don't have to cover as much because they're past childbearing and I guess less attractive. There's more of a chance of Jewish and Muslim women falling into the vanity trap...I'm so beautiful I must cover.
Many older women cover because it is habit, and also, remember, Western clothes are not kind to older women at all. Covering actually preserves their dignity much better,so that sagging necks, baggy arms, wobbly knees, varicose veins,disappearing waistlines,etc don't have to be on public display. You'll understand when it starts happening to you.
Christian women cover mainly out of obedience to God, or rather to help them learn to be obedient and humble before God. Age has nothing to do with that.
Yes, covering had various functions in ancient Greece, but the early Church fathers distinguished quite quickly that Christian women were to cover out of modesty in part to preserve the reputation of Christian women in a world hostile to Christianity, and also out of humility and obedience to God. Now, some argue that we don't have to follow what was said centuries ago. Culturally, that's true, religiously, nothing's changed. However, now it is left up to a Christian woman's conscious, and most women don't because the culture doesn't. And frankly, not all uncovered women dress immodestly, so modesty is not a reason to cover.
The women I know who cover do so because they were called to.
Blessings,
Mary
Hello, Good article about the hijad.
I think women who cover in the western world, are even more looked upon than if they didn´t wear any veil. They would be more disguised, so I don´t really understand why they do it. I supose Religion is one of the motives.
If I went to a new country to live, I think I would try and dress as people do there to try and not be so noticeble, and would change some of my habits too. I think there would be less racist people.
On the other hand, I think people should be more tolerate and let people be more free.
Also all this problems about women covering up (even catholic nuns) is due to men in the past.
But I´m a man, and I´m very happy to have been born in a western and open minded country and especially my family. I don´t know what I would have done if I was born in a Muslim country. I feel sorry for all the people in different countries that are not treated well and fair and free.
Adam (from CATALUNYA, spain).
I just stumbled across your blog, some interesting viewpoints!
Just wanted to clarify a few points which have arisen after reading through some comments.
Primary reason Muslim women wear Hijab is or rather should be because it is a commandment from God. That's pretty much as it is. For a muslim woman we believe in Allah, and we believe that the Qur'an is his revelation i.e "the word of God" and we submit to his will because we believe that he knows best.
In fact being a "muslim" actually means to " one who submits to the will of Allah". Therefore, if we believe in the revelation of the all knowing, and we believe that he knows best and we submit to his will....we follow his commandments.
It's like praying 5 times a day, we believe we've commanded to pray regularly so that we may be closer to Allah and repent and so on, there's no big discussions like "it's good for exercise" for example.
Therefore, if he has commanded the women AND the men to guard their modesty and lower their gaze, and to the women to draw their veils over...to a muslim woman who truly believes, it is her Lord commanding her to do so and he knows best. It is a way to be closer to our creator by follow his commands.
Yes other factors play into it like, respect and all that but the primary reason is as stated above.
In that aspect I would liken it to a nun, because they too are trying to get closer to their creator, and dedicate their lives to him
That and from a totally literal viewpoint, when you see them side by side a covered muslim woman and a nun just looking, they look similar.
I cover everything but my hands and face. I do not wear it to appear pious. I do not do it to keep people (or their eyes) away. Other people do not factor into my decision whatsoever. I know that the Qur'an does not mandate hijab. I wear it because it reminds me of Allah. Its MY version of the forget-me-not ribbon tied around one's finger. It is a tool I use, much like how people advise that we say "bismillah" before everything and if you wouldn't feel ok saying bismillah (meaning you would not do it in Allah's name) then you shouldn't do it at all. It is not my magic scarf, It is not a badge of piety. It is a tool *I* use to better myself.
So you're saying if a women dresses provactivly and a man calls her a 'slut' then she deserves it or its right seeing as she isn't covering up?! I smell BS
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