Bermudez 1
Jennifer Bermudez
Dr. Ella Schmidt
ISS 4935
10 April 2013
Western Misconceptions of Veil-Wearing in Islamic Societies
The practice of women wearing a veil is one that dates back to ancient times in Islamic society. Though the tradition has remained firmly in place with little or no resistance from the members of the society, there has been a significant increase in the controversy revolving around this practice which stems from other mainly Western societies in the last hundred years or so. Veil wearing for Muslim women is a voluntary practice which brings honor to a womans self and her family; unfortunately, many Western societies have formed biased and incorrect assumptions regarding the Muslim practice of veil (hijab) wearing due to lack of information, lack of education, and the spreading of incorrect information through the media. This has resulted in not only prejudices toward the Muslim faith, but has also caused problems for Muslim women who desire to wear their veil in peace, due to issues such as bannings of the veil (such is the case in the nations of France and Turkey) in the public sphere.
Defining the History and Controversy of the Veil
History of the veil. The history of the veil dates back to the Qurans direction for women to wear the veil. According to Fatima Mernissi, the hijab literally curtain descended, not to put a barrier between a man and a woman, but between two men (85). The Quran commands that when ye ask of them (the wives of the Prophet) anything, ask it of them from behind a curtain. That is purer for your hearts and for their hearts (33:53).
The hijabs roots lie in this protection of women from being objectified by men. Mernissi goes on to write that the hijab can be understood to be a separation of the public from the private, or indeed the profane from the sacred (101). In contrast, Lila Abu-Lughod discusses what modern tradition has turned the veil into in her article, The Marriage of Feminism and Islamism in Egypt According to Abu-Lughod, East/West discourse has turned the veil into a loaded symbol marking cultural identity and status in the modern Muslim world. Thanks to colonialisms application of feminism to undermine native culture, this forces Eastern society into a seemingly subordinate culture supportive of colonial interests (Abu-Lughod 243). The problem with the veil in modern terms is that rather than its original idea of protecting the private (household) sphere of a society, the veil has become a symbol of oppression.
Controversy of the veil. In this paper I would like to identify the real issue behind the hijab. My position is that societies which are not Islamic specifically Western societies often have a very skewed idea about the purpose behind the wearing of the hijab by Muslim women. My goal in this paper is to raise awareness to the lack of understanding and consequential blind judgments made by those who have fallen prey to propaganda against Islamic societies. Westerners tend to have an opinion of Islamic society as a whole to be something negative and something that is almost taboo. Islamic culture is not covered very well in Western education systems unless an individual seeks it out; this is due mostly to its connection with terrorism against Western societies throughout the world.
Unfortunately, this has resulted in the assumption that Muslim women are victims of oppression who are forced to cover their bodies with heavy clothing. These assumptions are furthered by many Western media outlets which use all kinds of reasons to support their claims for oppression such as extremely hot conditions of the Middle Eastern countries and tremendous gender inequalities in the Muslim societies including arranged marriage among others. On the contrary, my paper will point out that women not only choose to wear this apparel out of self-respect, but that it is a privilege to wear these items reserved for those who possess prestige and bring honor to themselves and their families. Muslim women face a conviction in their faith which, without requiring them to wear a headscarf, allows them to display self-respect and honor and command respect from others due to their sexual neutrality while wearing the veil.
Islamic Laws and Societys Attitudes toward Veil-Wearing
What Sharia and the Quran say about the veil. Although the hijab is not required by Islamic law known as Sharia or Sharah what is expressed by Sharia is that women are to keep themselves covered in an attempt to keep their sexuality at bay when dealing with men outside their family. It is also important to realize that, like Sharia, the Quran does not require women to wear a veil, but instead prescribes it as a mode of protection for women. In the Quran, Allah tells women to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused (Quran 33:59). From this, one might see how the Islamic direction for the veil is for the benefit of the womans well-being rather than for the man to have control over her.
This comes back to looking at perspectives of those who are very much outside of the Islamic societys traditions and practices; those who belong to Western culture and its traditions and customs those who see the practice of veil-wearing as gender segregation and oppression toward women. The most obvious and, consequently, one of the most popular reasons why gender segregation is such a hot topic among outsiders looking in on the Islamic way of life is the differentiation of attire. While men are often free to wear what they please when they please (as well as where), women are asked to dress with extreme modesty. There are specific rules for body parts which must be covered for both men and women; however, womens rules appear to outsiders to outnumber mens.
There are varying arguments and reasons as to why women dress the way they do, and many are independently and individually developed; but still the question in many Westerners mind remains, why so much variation between the genders? Azeem uses the Quran which asks women to cover their heads, necks and bosoms (Quran 24:31) to explain the reasoning. He asserts that the Islamic veil is only a sign of modesty with the purpose of protecting women, all women This is the whole point, modesty is prescribed to protect women from molestation or simply, modesty is protection (Azeem 51).
After looking at this information, it is important to understand one concept: although the individual reasons for wearing a veil do vary significantly person to person, the reasoning behind blanket-recommendations such as those found in Sharia and in the Quran are specifically to protect the individual woman from meeting harm in a sexual manner. As Merve Kavakci puts it, mainstream Islamic tradition considers the headscarf an obligation for Muslim women because it conceals their physical allure (67). This means that Islams attitude toward the veil is that it should be worn if a woman wants her physical and sexual nature to be downplayed. Consequently, other than the concealment of appearance, the matter of individualized reasoning for women who wear the veil is a completely separate issue to which the bigger institutions of Sharia and the Quran do not discuss.
Individual Reasoning for Veil-Wearing
According to Merve Kavakci, advocate for Muslim womens rights and more specifically womens rights to the hijab, the headscarf is an individual choice which should be made by each Muslim woman according to her own religious beliefs or convictions. Kavakci discusses in her article, Headscarf Heresy, that women should not be defined by the headscarf, which is why it is not and should never be mandatory; however, she does argue that for women who choose it, the headscarf is an indispensable part of their personal identity, one that should not be compromised (67).
Commanding respect by shielding sexuality/physical allure. The individual reasons for wearing a veil differ from those which are portrayed in the larger-scale organizations such as the Sharia law and the Quran. Also, because they are individual reasons, they differ from each other, although most have similar underlying themes. Merve Kavakci, herself, has much personal experience with headscarf controversy. As an elected official of Turkeys parliament in 1999, Kavakci was mistreated and eventually dispelled from her position due to the headscarf ban in public offices of Turkey, a proclaimed secular nation. Kavakci discusses her own reasoning for wearing the veil by comparing it to symbolism of her religious principles. Despite being elected to parliament in 1999, she faced being exiled from the country and, even five years later when writing her article, Headscarf Heresy, she is still insecure about the reasons for which she was denied her basic human rights those days in Turkey.
This change in perception of a veiled woman over non-veiled woman is another reason why Kavakci chooses to remain veiled. She argues that modern societys judgments are so superficial, that the use of a veil or hijab is absolutely necessary in order for a woman to gain any kind of ground in the public sphere. By covering themselves, Muslim women can be recognized not only for their religious beliefs but for their contributions to society as well (Kavakci 67). She discusses the idea that covering physical features which may be distracting for any number of reasons (including sexual ones) is beneficial to a womans ability to have others view her for her actions and accomplishments rather than for her outward appearance. Note here that others as stated in the previous sentence, does not only refer to men, but to the public in general. This is important to understand because it is necessary to realize that, although
