What does it mean to be veiled in ISLAM!
Many people
believe that Hijab is compulsory in Islam, however nowadays, many Muslim women
are drifting away from this religious norm, and it is becoming a choice rather
than an obligation. Many Women tend to
wear the veil because it is required in Islam, and it is their belief. However other
women tend to cover themselves only because they feel pressured by men in their
society to do so. Many housewives wear the Hijab because their husbands tend to
be over protective, rather than wearing it because it is part of their own
religious principles. Men tend to coerce women, or intimidate them into
thinking that not covering themselves up is unsuitable or inappropriate, and
that they will be punished in the afterlife if they do not obey. But the truth
is, it is tremendously unjust for girls to be forced to conceal their faces for
their “reputation”, when men are not required to do the same. And that plays an
immense role in feminism, because women should be able to make their own life
choices, there should be equality between the two genders, especially when it
comes to religion, and men should take on the role of the dominant alpha male.
Of course, this is not to assume that ALL women are forced to do this,
because some women wear the veil because it is their spiritual belief, and that
is extremely valued.
Conformity is another main reason various women wear the Hijab. It tends to make them feel
comfortable within their own society. For example, many Muslim women in the
upper class in Jordan are religious, however they do not cover themselves up
because they are more open-minded, and almost all the other women within that
circle do not wear a veil, so they fit in to their clique perfectly. That
however does not mean they do not fast, pray and give money to the poor. In
fact, they do all that, BUT the difference is, they are not covered. This
goes to show that not wearing the Hijab does not mean you are a corrupt Muslim.
The lower class, and less fortunate people tend to wear the Hijab, that is
because other people within their class are covered, which portrays that
conformity plays a great role in things like this. Women should be able to make their
own choices, and should not be judged on whether or not they wear a veil
because being a respectable Muslim has nothing to do with that.
This is a very interesting discussion. I find myself wondering though, if wearing the hijab and then eventually choosing to take it off must always be viewed as disrespectful to the religion, or as belittling it. A woman's views on the importance or symbolism of wearing the hijab may change over time, even if the rest of her religious views or respect for her religion does not, and shouldn't she then be able to make the decision to remove the hijab without this necessarily being viewed as a disrespectful move? Especially if a woman has grown up in a society where she feels it is required of her, and then as she begins to think more for herself she realizes she does not share this belief or those views, then it seems to me she should have the option of removing it without it being a disrespectful gesture. The same way some people grow up in a family with certain religious beliefs, and as they grow older they discover that those beliefs do not resonate as much with them, and they begin to form their own views, and this all comes with time and self-discovery and in many cases confidence and courage.
ReplyDeleteThe whole mainstream ideas about Women in Islam are skewed and warped. The choice to wear, or not to wear a hjiab is one that is and should be the decision of the woman herself, based on her own ideals and religious views. The thought that people make decisions based off of a woman in Islam based on whether or not she wears a hijab (or if they believe she is forced to) is not something they should be passing judgement on. It is not an individual outside the religion's job to comment on or make judgements about a woman's choice/open-mindedness. Even if someone were to believe that a woman was being disrespectful towards her beliefs by not wearing the traditional garb, it is her choice, and hers alone, to make on how she shows her faith. Great blog post!
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who wears a hijab and she complains a lot about how people always stare at her wherever she goes. Sometimes people even go as far as to make racist remarks about her clothes. I think this post makes a great point that wearing a hijab does not always mean what everyone assumes it means. People make remarks without fully understanding the situation so posts like this go a long way with informing people of what the reality of the situation is.
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest issues I've encountered when studying this is the tendency to "lump together" or homogenize all Muslims. Rather than taking into account the very diverse ways in which Islam is practiced and understood on an individual and cultural level by different people, people tend to assume "all Muslims" do this or "all Muslims" do that. Just like in any other society, certain gender norms are forced and others are chosen. Its not the hijab itself that is the issue, but whether or not it is a person's choice to wear it. Nobody disputes women covering their shoulders in Church; I fail to understand why anybody would dispute the decision - by the woman in question - to do this.
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