Liberation by the Veil (Why Islamic Women are Content.)

Modesty and chastity , very important ideologies with Islam, are achieved by prescribing standards on behavior and the dress of a Muslim. A woman who adheres to the tenements of Islam is required to follow the dress code called Hijab, other synonymes are Veil, Purdah, or just Covering. It is an act of faith and establishes a Muslim's life with honor, respect and dignity. The Hijab is viewed as a liberation for women, in that the covering brings about "an aura of respect" (Takim, 22) and women are recognized as individuals who are admired for their mind and personality, "not for their beauty or lack of it" ( Mustafa ) and not as sex objects.

Contrary to popular belief, the covering of the Muslim woman is not oppression but a liberation from the shackles of male scrutiny and the standards of attractiveness. In Islam, a woman is free to be who she is inside, and immuned from being portrayed as sex symbol and lusted after. Islam exalts the status of a woman by commanding that she "enjoys equal rights to those of man in everything, she stands on an equal footing with man " (Nadvi, 11) and both share mutual rights and obligations in all aspects of life.

Men and women though equal are not identical, and eachcompliments the other in the different roles and functions that they are responsible to. " From an Islamic perspective, to view a woman as a sex symbol is to denigrate her. Islam believes that a woman is to be judged by her [virtuous] character and actions rather than by her looks or physical features" (Takim, 22). In the article, "My Body Is My Own Business", Ms. Naheed Mustafa , a young Canadian born and raised, university-educated Muslim woman writes, "The Quran [ which is the Holy Book for Muslims] teaches us that men and women are equal, that individuals should not be judged according to gender, beauty, wealth or privilege. The only thing that makes one person better than another is his or her character." She goes on to say, "In the Western world, the hijab has come to symbolize either forced silence or radical, unconscionable militancy. Actually, its neither. It is simply a woman's assertion that judgement of her physical person is to play no role whatsoever in social interaction."

Muslims believe that God gave beauty to all women, but that her beauty is not be seen by the world, as if the women are meat on the shelf to be picked and looked over. When she covers herself she puts herself on a higher level and men will look at her with respect and she is noticed for her intellect , faith ,and personality, not for her beauty. In many societies, especially in the West, women are taught from early childhood that their worth is proportional to their attractiveness and are compelled to follow the male standards of beauty and abstract notions of what is attractive, half realizing that such pursuit is futile and often humiliating (Mustafa). Chastity , modesty, and piety are promoted by the institution of veiling. The hijab in no way prevents a woman from playing her role as an important individual in a society nor does it make her inferior." (Takim,22)

A Muslim woman may wear whatever she pleases in the presence of her husband and family or among women friends. But when she goes out or when men other than her husband or close family are present she is expected to wear a dress which will cover [her hair and] all parts of her body , and not reveal her figure. What a contrast with Western fashions which every year concentrate quite intentionally on exposing yet another erogenous zone to the public gaze! The intention of Western dress is to reveal the figure, while the intention of Muslim dress is to conceal [and cover] it, at least in public (Lemu,25).

The Muslim woman does not feel the pressures to be beautiful or attractive, which is so apparent in the Western and Eastern cultures. She does not have to live up to expectations of what is desirable and what is not. Superficial beauty is not the Muslim woman's concern, her main goal is inner spiritual beauty. She does not have to use her body and charms to get recognition or acceptance in society. It is very different from the cruel methods that other societies subject women, in that their worth is always judged by their physical appearance. The are numerous examples of discrimination at the workplace where women are either accepted or rejected, because of their attractiveness and sex appeal.

Another benefit of adorning the veil is that it is a protection for women. Muslims believe that when women display their beauty to everybody, they degrade themselves by becoming objects of sexual desire and become vulnerable to men, who look at them as " gratification for the sexual urge"(Nadvi,8). The Hijab makes them out as women belonging to the class of modest chaste women, so that transgressors and sensual men may recognize them as such and dare not tease them out of mischief" (Nadvi, 20). Hijab solves the problem of sexual harrassment and unwanted sexual advances, which is so demeaning for women, when men get mixed signals and believe that women want their advances by the way they reveal their bodies.

The western idiology of, 'if you have it, you should flash it!' is quite opposite to the Islamic principle,where the purpose is not to bring attention to ones self, but to be modest. Women in so many societies are just treated as s ex symbols and nothing more than just a body who "display themselves to get attent ion" (Mustafa). A good example is in advertising, where a woman's body is used to sell products. Women are constantly degraded, and subjected to reveal more and more of themselves. .

The Covering sanctifies her and forces society to hold her in high esteem. Far from humiliating the woman, Hijab actually grants the woman an aura of respect, and bestows upon her a separate and unique identity (Takim, 2). According to the Qu'ran, the same high standards of moral conduct are for men as it is for women. Modesty is essential in a man's life, as well, whether it be in action, morals or speech. Islam also commands proper behavior and dress of men, in that they are not allowed to make a wanton show of their bodies to attract attention onto themselves, and they too must dress modestly. They have a speci al commandment to lower their eyes, and not to brazenly stare at women.

In Sura Nur of the Holy Qu'ran it says, " Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them, and God is well acquainted with what they do". Many of the misconceptions of the Muslim woman in the west, particularly her veil stems from Arab and Muslim countries that have deviated from the true doctrines of Islam, and have " mixed up Islamic principles with pre-Islamic pagan traditions" (Bahnassawi, 67)

In this present period of decline from Islam, many Muslim women are alienated , isolated from social life, and are oppressed by Muslim men and rulers who use the name of religion for their injustices. (Bahnassawi, 65) In this instance, the Hijab is used as a means of keeping many Muslim women away from society, with the misconception that it signifies isolation and weakness. But as many Muslim women come back into the fold of the untainted and true Islam, they are able to recognize the injustice of men who have for so long stripped them of their rights to be an integral part of society and "deserving the same dignity, honor, progress and prosperity as the men" (Nadvi,26). Women regaining their true identity and role in society, are now wearing Hijab and embracing its concept of liberation for women, and are taking their rightful places that Islam had endowed upon them fourteen hundred years ago.

Please copy and distribute to whoever can benefit from the above paper. Thank you, peace and blessings of Allah to all my brothers and sisters in Islam,

The Muslim critique of modern, secular, Western culture has many valid and irrefutable points.

But their are absolutely no valid critiques of Muslim culture? (And the only critiques of it are from atheism?)

Feminism is our cultural wallpapering.

Maybe yours. Don't speak for all of us.

No, I think that the average Muslim woman might take a pass on the "paradise" built for them by Gloria Steinem, Larry Flynt, Planned Parenthood, and Cosmopolitan.

And you think you have to be Muslim to pass on these types. Sorry, not everyone in the United States falls into your stereotype.

"E. Michael Jones ... just finished one called Degenerate Moderns" I have read that. Most interesting - not that I agree with him entirely, but I like his through research and clear arguments. I put a chapter from his book on the reading list for the students at my University.

" Please tell me where Catholic women live in a veiled culture that prohibits them from leaving the house unaccompanied by a male ... " You need to research the history of Hispanic cultures and look at - their dress codes - crimes of "passion" - position of women etc. In rural Spain, some women only abandoned the headcovering in recent times, and some haven't at all. Some Catholic women of Mediterranean Europe maintain their traditional codes of dress, and believe that it is compatible with dignity and the abandonment of retrograde customs of male domination.

***" Please tell me where Catholic women live in a veiled culture that prohibits them from leaving the house unaccompanied by a male ... " ***

I didn't see a response to this point. All you mention is where veils are worn, which misses goldenstategirl's question entirely. Care to try again????

Traditionally, Spanish and Portuguese women had restricted movements, including not leaving the house without a chaperone. Same in some other sectors of Mediterranean society (Italy, Greece etc.) Naturally, as in contemporary Islamic societies, these rules did not apply to the poor, as peasant women have to go out and work every day.

You wrote: Lets face it, Islam is very inequitable to women. Again, you are confusing a religion, spanning every continent and every race and every culture, with one particular culture. Since your topic is inequity, you ought to be informed before inequitably pointing an accusing finger at one fourth of the world's population. I'm not confused. In Islam, even in the USA, the Religion IS the Culture. And it is true everywhere.

Cute. You ran to papa and had a benign comment of mine removed.

Perhaps you think you know better than the moderator of the forum? You are free to complain to have your "benign" comment reposted.

Do you think that Catholics and/or women should be allowed to use this forum. Please elaborate. Thanks.

LOL! Your statement would be akin to me asking you: "Do you think little green men of Mars have ten fingers on each hand and drive blue Toyota trucks? Please elaborate. Thanks."

LOL! Your statement would be akin to me asking you: "Do you think little green men of Mars have ten fingers on each hand and drive blue Toyota trucks? Please elaborate. Thanks."

How so? You believe Catholics and women don't exist?

How come you are allowed to have your religious position and she's not?

Who besides you is claiming she's not allowed to have a religious opinion, or that the deleted post was merely a stating of benign religious position which did not violate forum rules? Asuming you are being serious rather than merely derisive or flippant, you will need to address your concerns to the moderators who enforce the rules, and not to me.

President Bush has stated that we are not at war with Islam, but rather with terrorists who happen to be using Islam as a cover for their terrorism. If you think you know better than President Bush on how to conduct the affairs of state, then throw your hat into the ring, and go for it.

Exactly, where on this thread did anyone say that we were at war with Islam? Assuming you are being serious rather than merely derisive or flippant, you will need to address your concerns to something that I, or someone else, actually said, instead of making things up no one said. (And learn how to spell)

You'll notice that virtually none of the questions posted by either of us were answered. That's because to answer them truthfully would be self-incriminating. It's much easier to dodge the questions and hide behind counterattacks and diversion.

Who besides you is claiming she's not allowed to have a religious opinion, or that the deleted post was merely a stating of benign religious position which did not violate forum rules?

You had her post deleted merely because she refused to convert your religion? You haven't even made clear what religion you are, or, if you are even a different religion from her.

LOL! Your statement would be akin to me asking you: "Do you think little green men of Mars have ten fingers on each hand and drive blue Toyota trucks? Please elaborate. Thanks." How so? You believe Catholics and women don't exist?

In a way, poverty (that is the need for subsistence labour) does allow certain types of freedom for women. That is because the customs which reduce women to objects - such as purdah, footbinding, corseting, - etc. are all habits of the wealthy. They then tend to become signs of prestige and proliferate downward in society.

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