The Veil and Rights - Essay Example

The Veil and Rights: Introduction & History of Veiling: Clothing and its articles go in the history as old as Humans themselves. Although clothing can simply be defined as the covering for the important parts of the human body, it may not be necessary to cover all parts of the body. Different cultures in different societies possess dissimilar beliefs about the certain code of clothing which has to be necessarily worn out. By general classifications, there are either hard-liners1 or soft-liners2 in any societies. Irrespective of this classification, general attitude of different societies toward clothing code for women is very intricate sometimes. Some societies go to the extent where they make it mandatory for women to put on 'Veil' as the cover for their heads and faces. Veils are articles of clothing, worn almost completely by women, which cover some part of the head or face. For many centuries, Anglo-Saxon and then Anglo-Norman women, with the exception of young unmarried girls, wore veils that entirely covered their hair, and often their necks up to their chins. After the popularity of hoods, veils of this type became less common. For centuries, women have worn sheer veils, but only under certain circumstances. Sometimes a veil of this type was draped over and pinned to the bonnet or hat of a woman in mourning, especially at the funeral and during the subsequent period of 'high mourning'. They would also have been used, as an alternative to a mask, as a simple method of hiding the identity of a woman who was traveling to meet a lover, or doing anything she didn't want other people to find out about. More pragmatically, veils were also sometimes worn to protect the complexion from sun and wind damage, or to keep dust out of a women's face. The Veil and Religion: Different religions give guidance for the code of clothing with different level of importance. There are some religions, which allow individuals to choose the clothing for and by them; and there are religions which command their believers to strictly abide by the code which has been described to them. For instance; in Judaism and Christianity the concept of covering the head was associated with propriety and can be witnessed in all depictions of Mary the Mother of Christ, and was a common practice with Church-going women until the 1960s. Among Christian churches which have a liturgical tradition, several different types of veils are used. These veils are often symbolically tied to the veils in the Tabernacle in the wilderness and in the Temple of Solomon. The purpose of these veils was not so much to obscure as to shield the most sacred things from the eyes of sinful men. Traditionally, in Christianity, women were enjoined to cover their heads in church, just as it was customary for men to remove their hat as a sign of respect (Jackie Freppon, the Unveiled Woman). According to St. Paul, "Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings shame upon his head. But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings shame upon her head, for it is one and the same thing as if she had had her head shaved. For if a woman does not have her head veiled, she may as well have her hair cut off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should wear a veil. A man, on the other hand, should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; nor was man created for woman, but woman for man; for this reason a woman should have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels." (I Cor. 11:4-10 New American Bible translation). Therefore, St. Paul has clearly advised Christian women to cover their heads in the church (Jackie Freppon, the Unveiled Woman). In many traditional Eastern Orthodox Churches, and in some very conservative Protestant churches, the custom continues of women covering their heads in church. However, this restriction (as it is a limitation to the individual liberty) is not that severe and strong as it is in other religious schools of thoughts. Concept of the Veil in Islam: A variety of headdresses worn by Muslim women in accordance with hijab (the principle of dressing modestly) are sometimes referred to as veils or headscarves. Many of these garments cover the hair, ears and throat, but do not cover the face (Paul Schmid, Interpreting Veils). The 'niqab' and 'burqa' are two kinds of veils that cover most of the face except for a slit or hole for the eyes. 'The Afghan burqa' covers the entire body, obscuring the face completely, except for a grille or netting over the eyes to allow the wearer to see. 'The boushiya' is a veil that may be worn over a head scarf; it covers the entire face and is made of a sheer fabric so the wearer is able to see through it. It has been suggested that the practice of wearing a veil - uncommon among the Arab tribes prior to the rise of Islam - originated in the Byzantine Empire, and then spread among the Arabs. Two verses of the Holy Quran succinctly and candidly deal with the basic concept of veil in Islam. First; in Sura An-Nur the Quran says: "And tell the believing women to lower their gazes and be modest, and to display of their adornments only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms" (24:31). In this verse it is clearly mentioned that sex-parts must not be exposed and must be covered. Adornment which is apparent alludes to the common body parts between male and female sexes. The face, hands and feet are common parts and are exposed without any indecency or immodesty (Prof. Maqsood Jafri, Islamic Concept of The Veil). Different jurists and interpreters have differently interpreted the above-mentioned Quranic verses about veiling. Maulana Moududi of Pakistan in his Urdu book entitled "Pardah" (The veil) considers the covering of face obligatory for a Muslim woman. On the other hand Ustad Murtaza Motaheri Shaheed of Iran in his Persian book entitled "Hijab" (The veil) does not consider the covering of face obligatory. But both scholars of eminence believe that a Muslim lady must wear "scarf" and cover her head for identity and sobriety. They also discuss in detail that covering of sexual parts was obligatory in ancient Greek and Roman culture and was religiously obligatory in the society of the Jews and the Christians as well. They have given examples that only immodest and indecent ladies used to expose their bodies. According to both these Islamic scholars, the ladies who expose their bodies in the name of modernity and progressive civilization represent the ladies of ancient times who were considered the ladies of market having no value and culture (Prof. Maqsood Jafri, Islamic Concept of The Veil). A famous Quran translator, Mohammad Marmaduke Pickthall, suggests that the veiling of the face by women was not originally an Islamic custom (Michael Young, 2001). It was prevalent in many cities of the East before the coming of Islam, but not in the cities of Arabia. The 'purdah3' system, as it now exists in sub-continent, was quite undreamt of by the Muslims in the early centuries, who had adopted the face-veil and some other fashions for their women when they entered the cities of Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia and Egypt. It was once a concession to the prevailing custom and was a protection to their women from misunderstanding by peoples accustomed to associate unveiled faces with loose character. Later on it was adopted even in the cities of Arabia as a mark of 'tamaddun'4. It has never been a universal custom for Muslim women, the great majority of whom have never used it, since the majority of the Muslim women in the world are peasants who work with their husbands and brothers in the fields. For them the face-veil would be an absurd encumbrance. The head-veil, on the other hand, is universal. Thus the Purdah5 system is neither of Islamic nor Arabian origin. It is of Zoroastrian Persian, and Christian Byzantine origin. It has nothing to do with the religion of Islam, and, for practical reasons, it has never been adopted by the great majority of Muslim women. The Purdah system is not a part of the Islamic law. It is a custom of the court introduced after the Khilafat6 had degenerated from the true Islamic standard and, under Persian and Byzantine influences had become mere Oriental despotism. It comes from the source of weakness to Islam not from the source of strength. In general, it has been observed that, those Muslims, who advance conservative views on female affairs, are normally very literal in their understanding of texts and they tendentiously opt for an understanding that suits their own prejudice. Islam and the Rights of Women: Quran states that the rights of women and men are equivalent to each other, and they both possess equal respect from the society (El Guindi, Fadwa, 1999). This can also be found out from many verses of the Quran. What is being implemented in the Islamic societies is altogether a different story and may not be truly Islamic. In almost any Islamic society, the women who have adopted the niqab, say they are doing it out of modesty; but the paradox is that, there could hardly be a more certain way to draw attention to themselves. Therefore it must be regarded as a very deliberate and political act. There must be no doubt in the fact that those women, who are born and educated in western societies, while suddenly starting to wear extreme forms of Islamic dressing, are signaling their rejection of most of the values implemented by the respective western societies - including the right of women to enjoy public space on the same terms of men. Saying that women can't go outdoors unless they cover their faces and bodies signals that they have only conditional access to the wider world - and the result, in theocracies such as Iran, is a ludicrous situation in which women are not allowed to go to stadiums to watch live sporting matches or take part in mixed athletics. In some Islamic societies, restrictions are imposed further beyond the allowed boundaries. In these societies, a Muslim woman can not eat in a restaurant unless her table is screened to avoid men seeing her eating - imposing extraordinary limits on her life as well as being completely paranoid. This definitely is against the human rights, which are strongly claimed by the Islamic texts. Perhaps objection to the veil can certainly be a serious question to be answered. If a view of male-female relations is studied in the Islamic terms, then it could be found out that men live on a knife edge of lust which they are quite unable to control - and the entire responsibility for policing that lust falls on women. This view is very widely claimed as 'Correct' by the Grand Mufti of Australia, Sheikh Taj Aldin al Hilali7 (John Smith, 2006). Perhaps, other may not agree with such claims and may void such reasons of proving the legality of unethical veiling practices. Conclusion: "God does not judge according to your bodies and appearances, but, he scans your hearts and looks into your deeds." - Hadith of Prophet Mohammed Many Westerners are obsessed with the veil and view veiling as an antiquated and oppressive tradition forced upon Muslim women. This obsession with the veil has resulted in the many misconceptions; such as the veil is homogenous and the Quran states that Muslims have to veil while eliminating its wearer's identity. Many Muslim women choose to veil in public. They feel the veil gives them privacy and freedom. This is the general attitude in Islamic societies where the veil is not enforced by law. But in the societies where veiling is forced, it becomes contradictory to the basic belief and teachings by the religion. Let it be forced veiling or unveiling, it is usually just one manifestation of a much larger problem. Although veiling may feel cumbersome for those who have never veiled, and unveiling may feel embarrassing for those who have always veiled, such practices are not the first concern when there is nothing to eat, employment, education and voting are denied, and foreign languages are forced. Pakistan, Algeria, Iran, and Afghanistan have all had dictatorial governments that were detrimental to the people and their rights. In Islam, the matter that concerns women is that of physical exposure of their bodies. It is a very sensitive issue as most of people are quite emotional about this subject. The Muslim clergy feels that women should stay inside home; and if they go out, then they should look like walking tents. This has been taken for granted so much so that the clergy does not even feel that it has to quote any authority in this regard. But, why are women supposed to veil in an Islamic society Muslim Scholars answer this question while saying that women are responsible for men's behavior, no matter how bad, is in essence the creed of the rapist. Therefore, it will not be wrong if it is said that 'Veiling' has its effects both on men and women. For men, it becomes incredibly insulting to them, since, the vast majority of them are able to glimpse a woman's face on the way to work or across a crowded restaurant without planning to rape her. However, its effects on women are even worse. There's no doubt that it isolates Muslim women, many of whom are economically and socially marginalized in the first place (Patricia J. Catto, The Veil and Sacred Space). Leaving aside the talks about multiple identities, a woman wearing the 'niqab' can be inherently recognized as a devout Muslim - and that she subscribes to ideas that many non-Muslims regard as outlandish. It's a way of forcing minority religious opinions down everyone's throats, to the exclusion of everything else, and it's hardly surprising that so many people (including Muslim women who don't wear the veil) feel uncomfortable with it. Surely, Women in Islamic societies must adhere to the fact that their responsibilities as well as their rights are not served in accordance of their faith if they keep on veiling their bodies from top to bottom while being seen as ancient monuments. Certainly, it is also not parallel with the claims of equal level of freedom and Justice in an Islamic modern society. References: Jackie Freppon - The Unveiled Woman. Available Online; Retrieved on March 22, 2007 from http://web2.airmail.net/carlsch/MaterDei/Library/the_veil.htm Prof. Maqsood Jafri, Islamic Concept of The Veil. Available Online; Retrieved on March 22, 2007 from http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_151_200/islamic_concept_of_veil.htm Patricia J. Catto, The Veil and Sacred Space: One Woman's Symbolic Glimpse. Available Online; Retrieved on March 22, 2007 from http://www.bisbeemarquee.com/www/0716/003_1.php Paul Schmid, Interpreting Veils. Available Online; Retrieved on March 22, 2007 from http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/nation-world/crisis/theregion/veils.html The Holy, Qur'an - Translation of verses by A. Yusuf Ali's translation: The Glorious Qur'an, text translation, and Commentary, The American Trust Publication, Plainfield, IN 46168, 1979. (1999) El Guindi, Fadwa, Veil: Modesty, Privacy, and Resistance (2001) Michael Young, Islam for Today - Yes to Hijab, No to Niqaab. Available Online; Retrieved on March 22, 2007 from http://www.islamfortoday.com/niqaab.htm (2006) John Smith, 'The Fawcett Society - Veil Debate' Read More