It’s not easy to be a Muslim girl or woman and wear the veil (hijab) these days. Walking down the street you get odd looks from other pedestrians, tooting car horns, and sometimes obscenities yelled out by drivers. I once had someone hanging out from their car window yelling out at me, “Take it off!” Even while shopping, you can get cursed at or in extreme cases your head scarf pulled off! Why should a person be treated this way just because of the way they dress?
Whether a person is wearing a headscarf, face veil, bandana, beanie, punk hairstyle, cowboy hat or whatever, it shouldn’t be a big deal - especially if it’s not harming anyone. Judgments shouldn’t be made depending what you wear. It should be about who you are and how you treat others. If society had a deeper understanding of why it is that Muslim women cover and how they themselves feel about covering, then perhaps there wouldn’t be so much fuss about it.
In Islam, we have to submit to what God orders of us. If we choose to disobey Him then we will have to answer to Him and Him only. In the Quran, God sent down the command for women to cover themselves. In chapter 33 verse 59:
“O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
This verse pretty much sums it up. If women cover what makes them sexually desirable, it will be better for them as they will be demanding respect by what they wear and so won’t be harassed by the opposite sex.
When a Muslim woman covers herself she is saying –
forget what I look like, get to know who I am.
In a world and time wherein women are being exploited for their sexuality, modest clothing and the hijab is a comforting change. Why do women have to be wearing a size 8 bikini to be noticed? Whether it’s the music or movie industry or an executive position the way a woman looks has a huge impact on whether or not she will be successful. Why are there rarely any “larger” women in music videos and why is there always a ton of booty-shaking girls drooling over a guy who is wearing more jewellery than Elton John and has his pants falling down???!! What kind of equality and liberation is that? It seems to be very demeaning to women if you ask me.
This is what God doesn’t want for women. In Islam women are precious and like all precious things, she deserves to be protected. Protected by her father, brother and husband and also protected by her veil. Don’t confuse protected with controlled or oppressed. What is often portrayed by the media is the abusive father who makes the girl cover and will kill her if she disgraces him. Or the husband who won’t let his wife leave the house and she is at home slaving away while he is out partying with his mates. This is absolute rubbish and absolutely NOT acceptable in Islam. These images are being presented as Islam when it couldn’t be further from the truth. Violence and oppression is found in all societies regardless of race or religion. Individuals who are doing the wrong thing should not be used as representatives.
This is what Islam does teach:
O mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female (Adam & Eve), and made you into nations and tribes that you might get to know one another. Surely the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous. Allah is All-Knowledgeable, All-Aware. (Quran Chapter 49 Verse 13)
Our goodness and righteousness are what make us noble in the sight of The Creator and one should always keep that in focus.
Another issue regarding the veil which is in the limelight at the moment is the wearing of the face veil or niqaab. A few countries have banned the wearing of the niqaab and women have been forced to remove it or face fines and even imprisonment. There have been a few reasons as to why; people and children get frightened when they see women with only their eyes showing (?!) (Masked and caped superheroes don’t seem to be frightening people and neither do veiled belly dancers!); and that the niqaab prevents a woman from fully integrating into society (or does this mean she should be “visually” integrated and look like everyone else).
I haven’t heard any reports of the face-veiled women committing crimes or even purposely scaring people. If you ever have the chance to go out with a woman who covers her face, you will see quite the opposite. The women who wear the face-veil are teased, abused and hurt even more than those who don’t wear it and they haven’t done a thing to deserve it.
Do innocent women who pose no threat deserve to be discriminated against?
Whether a Muslim woman doesn’t wear a veil at all, or wears a little scarf or a big scarf or covers her entire body that choice is up to her to make. If wearing the veil makes her feel safe, secure and empowered then she should have to right to wear it.. At home the Muslim woman is allowed to uncover and beautify herself, but when she goes out she wears her “uniform” to identify herself as a person to be taken seriously. She is not an object of lust and desire but a spirited person with a strong mind. She has dreams and aspirations just like any other person out there.
The Muslim woman is not oppressed because of what she wears;
she is only ever oppressed when the world fails to see that there is more to her than the veil she wears.
Some Thoughts on Hijab by Australian Youth Who have become Muslim:
Abdullah Woods, 20
“As a revert who has embraced Islam I have seen and heard a lot from the western world, good and bad things about Islam and especially the women wearing the Hijab. The hijab in my mind as a Muslim is the most practical and beneficial gift a Muslim woman can have, as it not only covers her beauty for herself and her husband, it also gives her that sense of security and strength within herself as a believer in Islam. As a revert to Islam I have seen the non-Muslims good and bad thoughts on the hijab. Many people in today’s society choose not to see the reason behind a woman wearing the hijab due to a lot of criticism and ignorance within the media and the society. I feel that if people took the time to learn a little about Islam and the basics we teach then there would be a lot more respect and understanding in this world we all live in. To have an open mind and to think for themselves instead of others choosing for them. As I am speaking there are a lot of people out there who have seen the way of Islam and are quite fascinated by our religion in many ways and how it teaches and guides the Muslims, not only in Australia but worldwide. Now as a Muslim and understanding Islam it’s not just a religion, it’s an amazing way of life!!!”
Michelle, 20
“Before I became a Muslim, my views on wearing the headscarf were quite different to what they are today. I thought Islam was a foreign religion that oppressed women and that the headscarf was just a symbol of that oppression. I guess I used to feel sorry for Muslim women because i thought they weren’t free to wear whatever they wanted. Now I realize that every Muslim woman (at least the ones I know) wears as much or as little of Islamic dress as she chooses. When I leave my home in my Islamic dress I feel safe, comfortable and so proud that when someone looks at me they know that I am a Muslim.”
