The Veil (Hijab) and the Face-Veil (Niqab/Nikab)
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Transcript of the Talk
The question is. Is it really that important?
If all the Niqaabs in UK, let's say, were to be removed and banned completely:
- Would any of our problems be solved?
- Would it reduce youth crime?
- Would it reduce the poverty that we find in our inner cities?
- Would it make people happier?
- Would it stop any wars?
So why, one piece of cloth seems to dominate people's minds and arouse passions so much?
Let's for arguments sake say we removed all the Niqaabs from the whole of the UK, not a single one of our major challenges and problems would be solved. We'd be exactly in the same place we were. So it is my strong belief, that there are interests within this society, people of influence, who wish us to be polarised. Who wish us to be arguing about these things, who wish us to be looking inwards. Pointing the finger at each other instead of questioning.
What is the reasons behind some of the deeper social issues which are facing our society? Unemployment, the gap between the rich and the poor, the behaviour of the city and the banks. It is my strong belief that there are powers at be that want us to be preoccupied with these issues - rather than focus on the major challenges which face our society.
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- Written by Sister Fatima Barkatullah
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Fatima Barakatullah is a writer & public speaker and prominent Islamic da'eeah who contributes regularly to mainstream media. She is married with four energetic children Ma sha Allah. Fatima had a rich Islamic education at an early age thanks to her parents and went on to study Arabic and Islamic studies in Egypt at prominent institutes such as Al Fajr Center, Qortoba Institute and a college of Al Azhar University. She continues to pursue her Islamic Law studies here in the UK and through visits abroad and she has attained a number of ijazahs (scholarly licences). She has contributed to many documentaries and live shows which have been broadcast on stations and channels such as BBC Radio 4, the World Service, as well as BBC Television and Islam Channel. She also regularly contributes to discussions on London Radio stations. Additionally, Fatima has written for the national newspaper The Times as well as contributing to Times Online's Faith section, on topics promoting the understanding of Islam, and has contributed to a number of Muslim publications such as Al-Jumuah Magazine, Emel Magazine, The Muslim Weekly and is a columnist for SISTERS Magazine.Currently Fatima is an instructor and lecturer for iERA.
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British Muslim women who wear the hijab feel generally better about their body image than those who don’t wear the hijab suggests research published in the British Journal of Psychology today.
The research, conducted by Dr Viren Swami from the University of Westminster and colleagues looked at body image issues amongst British Muslim women.
Dr Swami explained:
“In the West anxiety about body image, for women, is so prevalent it’s considered normal. This study aimed to explore how these attitudes differ within a British Muslim community.”
A total of 587 Muslim women aged from 18 to 70 years from London participated in a number of tests. From this group 218 women stated they never used the hijab and 369 women said they used some form of the hijab at least now and then.
Participants undertook a number of questionnaires that asked them to rate their own feelings of body dissatisfaction, how much pressure the media put on them to be attractive and how religious they were. They were also asked to match their own figure to a set of female silhouette images that ranged from emaciated to obese.
The results showed that women who wore the hijab generally had a more positive body image, were less influenced by the media’s beauty ideals and placed less importance on appearance.
Dr Swami said:
“Although the results showed only a small difference between those who wear or don’t wear the hijab it does suggest the hijab offers Muslim women a small protective effect in terms of feeling positive about their body image. It appears that those who choose to wear it are better able to distance themselves from the Western thin ideal.
“These results may have useful implications for intervention programmes aimed at promoting healthier body image among Muslim women in the West. For example, by identifying those aspects of hijab use that are associated with more positive body appreciation in future studies, it might be possible to isolate factors that can be targeted in intervention programmes.”
The journal, entitled “Is the Hijab Protective? An Investigation of Body Image and Related Constructs Among British Muslim Women", can be accessed here.
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- Written by Amanda
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Amanda lives in Sacramento, California. She is a recent graduate of the University of Utah where she earned a B.A. in International Studies and Arabic. Amanda intends to pursue a Ph.D. in World Cultures.
I am an American non-Muslim woman who has chosen to wear the hijab. Yes, you did read that correctly! I am not conducting an experiment on what the hijab is like or trying to explore the lives of Muslims. I have made a permanent life decision to only show my face and hands while in public, and I love it!
When I was younger, I found the hijab to be beautiful, but unfortunately I thought that a lot of the myths about the hijab were true, and so I was daunted by it. When I started college I studied Arabic and made friends with the Muslim students in my classes. A few of the girls wore a hijab, and even though I liked the look of it and respected their right to wear it, I thought that it was oppressive.
Unfortunately, around the same time, I began to notice that some of the men at my university would openly speak about their female classmates as though they were moving pieces of meat. I would often have to hear stories that I rather wouldn't about what these boys would like to do to this girl or that one, and I began to notice their looks. Before entering university, I would catch men looking at me in an inappropriate way from time to time, and I would just ignore it, but after hearing these conversations and feeling their many looks, I couldn't just ignore it anymore.
I mentioned how I felt to some of my classmates, and often I got responses like "boys will be boys," or "it's just their biology, they can't help their behavior." At the time, I bought these responses, and I thought that my discomfort was just my problem. I thought that these people had a right to behave the way they were, and I had no right to try and stop them. When I got engaged, this all changed.
My fiance is my soulmate. We met in junior high and were friends for years before we began dating. He had asked me out a few times before then, and even though I turned him down, he always behaved around me in a respectful way. It was because of how he always treated me that I eventually agreed to go out with him. The day he proposed to me is, so far, the happiest day of my life. Once I made the decision to make a lifelong commitment to him and only him, it seemed obvious that no one had the right to treat me like their sex object. Whenever I would notice someone looking at me inappropriately, I no longer felt uncomfortable, I felt outraged! But I still had no idea what I could do about it.
Finally, one day I saw one of my hijabi friends at school and ran over to say hi to her. She started to walk towards me, and for some reason I was just struck by her. She was wearing a scarf and an abayaa like she normally did, but in that moment she looked regal and powerful. In my mind I thought, "Wow, I want to look just like that." I started researching the hijab, and I learned more about why Muslims wear a hijab, what makes a hijab a hijab, and how to wrap scarves. I watched youtube videos, browsed online hijab shops (including Haute Hijab) and the more I saw the more I was impressed by how these hijabi women exuded class and elegance. I wanted so much be like these women, and couldn't get the hijab out of my mind. I even started dreaming about it!
There were many things I liked about the hijab. I liked the thought of having so much control over my body and how the outside world saw it, but what I also liked was how well it fit with my feminist beliefs. As a feminist I believe that women and men should be equals in society, and that the norm of treating women like sex objects is a form of unequal and unfair treatment. Women in American society are looked down upon if they don't dress in order to be attractive for others, but I believe that women shouldn't have to conform to some ridiculous and unattainable standard of beauty. The hijab is a way to be free of that.
However, the way the hijab best complemented my feminist beliefs was how it was about so much more than women's clothing. As I understood it, the hijab is about how men and women should interact while in public. Men also dress in a non-revealing way, and both men and women are supposed to treat each other with respect. I was happy to learn that both men and women were expected to be responsible for their own actions, and impressed at how egalitarian the ideals of the hijab are.
At this point, I was certain that I wanted to wear a hijab, but I had a problem. I was afraid that wearing a hijab as a non-muslim would be offensive, and I was too afraid to ask my friends. I found one youtube video on the subject, and though it said that it wouldn't be offensive, I still wasn't sure. But eventually, after weeks of thinking about the hijab, I finally asked one of my friends. She told me that she wouldn't be offended, and then pointed out that Muslims aren't the only ones who wear headscarves, many Jews and Christians do as well.
I started wearing it off and on for a few weeks after that, and once I felt comfortable I always wore it when I left home. Soon after, I left for an internship in Jordan. I was afraid that the Jordanians would not like that I was wearing a hijab, but quickly after I got off the plane I found otherwise! When I told people that I was an American non-Muslim, they were excited to see that I wore a hijab. People often told me that they thought it was a very good thing that I was wearing it, and some people were touched that I would show such respect to their culture. Best of all, I will never forget the sight of a fully grown man jumping with excitement because I was wearing a jilbab! These memories will always bring warmth to my heart, and they give me strength back in the states when I have to deal with angry glares or awkward questions about my hijab.
Sometimes I will still catch men looking at me in a disrespectful way, but I take joy in knowing that though they may try, they still cannot see what they want to. Because of the hijab, I understand that my body is my right, and I will be forever grateful to the Muslim women who taught that to me.
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"And tell the believing women to lower their eyes, and guard their modesty, and that they display not their ornaments except what appears of them. And that they draw their veils over their bosoms and display not their ornaments except to their husbands, their brothers ... And repent to Allah, all of you O believers, that you may succeed." [Al-Qur'an 24:31]
"That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is Forgiving, Compassionate." [Al-Qur'an 33:59]
American Muslim women today are rediscovering Islam as revealed by Allah, to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, more than 1,400 years ago but without any of the contradictions of ancestral culture.
Consequently they are essentially engaging in a life-long exercise of rediscovering their own selves; what it means to be a human, a Muslim, and more so, a Muslim woman. Wearing the divinely mandated hijab, the veil or head covering, as a part of their everyday dresses is among the first steps toward this rediscovery. In a society which shamelessly and publicly exposes a woman's body and intimate requirements where nudity somehow symbolises the expression of a woman's freedom and where the most lustful desires of men are fulfilled unchecked, it is of little wonder such an introspection leads many Muslim women to decide to wear the hijab.
However, generalisations about Islam and Muslims are replete in today's media and, by extension, in the minds of many Americans who shape their image of the world through the media. Veiled Muslim women are typically unfairly stigmatised. They are regarded on the one hand as suppressed and oppressed, and on the other, as fanatics and fundamentalists. Both depictions are grossly wrong and imprecise. Such portrayals not only misrepresent these women's strong feelings towards the hijab, but also fail to acknowledge their courage and the resulting identity the hijab lends to them. Amongst such misconceptions is also the belief that any Muslim woman who wears the hijab is forced to do so. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, the final determination to wear the hijab is often not easily reached. Days of meditation, an inevitable fear of consequences and reactions, and ultimately, plenty of courage weigh heavily in reaching the decision. Wearing the hijab is a very personal and independent decision, coming from appreciating the wisdom underlying Allah's command and a sincere wish to please Him.
"I believe the hijab is pleasing to Allah, or I wouldn't wear it. I believe there is something deep down beautiful and dignified about it. It has brought some beautiful and joyous dimension to my life that always amaze me," said Mohja Kahf, assistant professor of English and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in an internet posting.
"To me the hijab is a gift from Allah. It gives me the opportunity to become closer to Allah. Also quite importantly, (it provides me) the chance to stand and be recognised as a Muslim," Fariha Khan, 18, of Rockville, Maryland, said.
However, with this recognition comes tremendous responsibility as highly visible representatives of Islam and Muslims. Anywhere covered sisters go, Muslims and non-Muslims alike recognise them as followers of Islam. In a land where misinformation about Islam and Muslims abounds, Muslim sisters have the opportunity to portray Islam in its true light. But the greatest responsibility related to the hijab is the understanding that there is more to it than just the scarf; the internalised modesty really matters. This internal moral system gives meaning to the external scarf. This can be perceived from the overall demeanour of any Muslim woman - how she acts, dresses, speaks, and so on. Only when the internalised modesty manifests itself through the external hijab can sisters represent Muslims according to the beautiful example set by the Prophet, upon whom be peace, and followed by his companions.
"The hijab by itself is just a piece of cloth, at some level. I do not think we should take (it) as an exclusive marker of a woman's moral worth or level of faith. It is the surrounding context - the etiquette, the morals - which make it anything," Kahf said.
Saba M. Baig, 21, is a recent graduate of Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. She was 17 when she seriously started wearing hijab, and feels she is still in the process of learning internal hijab:
"My biggest realization was that the hijab was not just about wearing a scarf on my head, but more of a (veil) on my heart," said Baig. "The hijab is more than an external covering. That's the easy part of it all. It has a lot (more) to do with modesty and the way you present yourself."
"In this life, I couldn't think of anything better than being a Muslim. Wearing hijab signifies it and reminds me of it. The hijab is important to me and it means everything to me when I wear it," Khan said.
"Unfortunately, it also has its down side: you get discriminated against, treated as though you are oppressed. I wear it for (Allah), and because I want to. Period," said Imaan, a convert to Islam, currently studying in Australia.
Yet, the general society, to some extent defines the image of the hijab.
"The surrounding context can make it oppressive," explained Kahf. "For example, in social contexts where observing hijab includes (the practice) of separating women from the resources of society including education, mosques, sources of religious and spiritual guidance, economic livelihood, etc., (hijab) develops oppressive qualities. Or when the hijab is literally imposed through punitive sanctions rather than encouraged benignly, this distorts the underlying beauty of it and turns it into something ugly. I believe it is pleasing to Allah, or I wouldn't wear it. I believe there is something deep down beautiful and dignified about it. It has brought some beautiful and joyous dimension to my life that always amaze me."
"(At the same time,) the surrounding context can make it liberating, as we in the United States often experience. For many of us, in a society which imposes degrees of sexualised nakedness on women, wearing hijab has been a liberating experience. To us hijab has meant non-conformism to unjust systems of thought. We have experienced social sanctions for wearing it, and these experiences are seared in our memories, rather than experiences of being forced to wear it," Kahf concluded.
For many women the hijab is a constant reminder that unlike other women they should not have to design their lives and bodies for men.
"Before I started covering, I thought of myself based on what others thought of me. I see that too often in girls, their happiness depends on how others view them, especially men. Ever since, my opinion of myself has changed so much; I have gained (a lot of) self-respect. I have realised whether others may think of me as beautiful is not what matters. How beautiful I think of myself and knowing that Allah finds me beautiful makes me feel beautiful," said Baig softly, her eyes glowing.
Furthermore, modest clothing and hijab are precautions to avoid any social violations. Contrary to popular belief, this is not limited to women only. Preceding the verse in the Qur'an about women lowering their gaze comes the following verse: "Tell believing men to lower their eyes and guard their modesty. That will be purer for them. Allah is aware of what they do." [Al-Qur'an 24:30]
In addition, on the authority of Sahl ibn Sa'ad, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Whoever can guarantee (the chastity of) what is between his two jaw-bones (the tongue) and what is between his two legs (the private parts), I guarantee Paradise for him." [Recorded by Al-Imam al-Bukhari]
The hijab is not worn especially for men, to keep their illicit desires in check. Rather, Muslim women wear it for Allah and their own selves. Islam is a religion of moderation, of balance between extremes. Therefore, it does not expect women alone to uphold the society's morality and uprightness. Rather, Islam asks men and women to mutually strive to create a healthy social environment where children may grow with positive, beautiful, constructive and practical values and concepts. Men are equally required to be modest and to conduct themselves responsibly in every sphere of their lives. In fact, in this society, enough emphasis cannot be placed on the necessity for men to keep their gaze lowered, as a concerned brother put it:
"Think about it -- what has the potential to cause more damage a sister otherwise modestly dressed but no scarf, or a brother who goes about gawking in the streets, (or) on campus? I cannot exactly quantify it, but guess the latter," he said.
Islam asks men and women to mutually strive to create a healthy social environment where children may grow with positive, beautiful, constructive, and practical values and concepts.
According to Jabir ibn Abdullah, when he asked the Prophet, peace be upon him, about a man's gaze falling inadvertently on a strange woman, the Prophet replied, "Turn your eyes away." [Recorded by Al-Imam Muslim]
In another tradition, the Prophet, on whom be peace, chided 'Ali for looking again at a woman - he said, the second glance is from the Shaytaan (the Devil).
The concept of modesty and the hijab in Islam is holistic, and encompasses both men and women. The ultimate goal is to to please Allah, and to maintain societal stability. Since Muslim women are more conspicuous because of their appearance, it is easier for people to associate them with the warped images they see in the print and broadcast media. Hence, stereotypes are perpetuated and often sisters seem "mysterious" to those not acquainted with Muslim women who dress according to Divine instruction. This aura of "mystery" cannot be removed until their (the muslim womens') lifestyles, beliefs and thought-systems are genuinely explored. And, frankly, this cannot be achieved until one is not afraid to respectfully approach Muslim women - or any Muslim for that matter. So, the next time you see a Muslim, stop and talk to him or her - you'll feel, God-Willing, as if you're entering a different world, the world of Islam - full of humility, piety, and of course, modesty!
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