Feminism and the Muslim Veil

There is a woman who has found a beautiful diamond. It's rare in color and quality, and of great value to her. She locks it in a safe. Why? If it's so beautiful why wouldn't she want to share that with the world? Of course the answer to this is obvious, she does not want it to be stolen or damaged. So she protects it. In the same way would this woman not want to protect her own beauty? Of course she would. You may ask how can her beauty be stolen or damaged. That can be answered in many ways.

In today's Western society we see major issues with body image and it's affect on a person's medical and psychological health; and its impact on society in general. For instance issues about obesity and eating disorders are every day fare in our media. Sexual harassment is commonplace in work situations. And women in general feel pressured to find ways to look more attractive. We seem to have applied the "mini-max" economic theory to every aspect of our lives, and the result is we are never satisfied. In this case we are never satisfied with ourselves and the way we look. So we buy cosmetics, spend large amounts of money on plastic surgery and augmentations, allowing the superficial to define our worth more than the elements of our personality that make each of us truly exceptional. This does not make our society completely in error, but there is definitely room for improvement, and lessons to make those improvements can be taken from the values of other cultures.

In today's Western society there is great controversy over the issue of hijab otherwise known as the Muslim veil. The word Hijab is derived from the Arabic word hajaba which means "to hide from view." People claim that the veil is an oppressive tool; wielded by an evil patriarchal society in order to keep women "in line" and to objectify them. This idea is a large misconception. However, it is one that is further convoluted by Islamic governing bodies; who turn religious obligations into political platforms and legislation according to their own interpretations of Holy texts. Regardless though, the original intention behind hijab was not to objectify women, but to de-objectify them.

In order to first understand the issue of veiling in the Islamic religion and Arabic culture, one must first understand the reasons it was first instituted. Islam was born in a society that was still polytheistic, and that had several practices that are now considered outdated and immoral. Two of these were slavery and the treatment of women as dependents of their nearest male relative or spouse. In that time and age women were viewed as little more than commodities to be traded and sold for domestic chores, sexual use, and child rearing. This was also a culture that largely practiced female infanticide at the time. When the Prophet Mohammed began introducing his revelation of Qur'anic texts, he touted very radical ideas for his time; that slaves should be freed, that women were equal to men, and that female children would protest on the day of judgment asking for what crime they had been murdered.

As the Qur'an was revealed specific guidelines for the way women were to be treated were laid down. What was the aim of these guidelines? Their aim was to de-objectify women. The concept of veiling was introduced as a means to make a statement to the men in the society. The statement was that it was no longer acceptable to treat women as nothing more than objects to satisfy men's lust. They refused to be belly dancers and concubines, and over all slaves to what men desired them to be. It, in essence was a way of saying, "Now you have to recognize me for me as a person, and not as a body." From this stand point the issue of veiling was a very Feminist move for new Muslim women. In this particular time the Qur'an and Hadith (oral histories of the way the Prophet Mohammed lived) granted women the right to vote, to give witness in legal proceedings, to inherit property, to say no to arranged marriages, and to request divorce. These rights were granted to women in the Middle East 1400 years ago, even before Women's Suffrage began in the United States!

Unfortunately where Islam claimed these rights for women, political leaders and groups have used extreme interpretations of certain Qur'anic texts to systematically strip away these same rights. The inequality is not in the donning of the veil, but in the misuse of a notion that was meant to be well-intentioned and effective. Feminist attacks should not be directed at a woman's choice to cover herself, but at those who violate one of the most important Qur'anic verses, when they make veiling a legal obligation. It states, "Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects Evil and believes in Allah [God] has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things." (The Glorious Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqara 2:256)

Stanley Kurtz in his article "Veil of Fears; Why they veil; Why we should leave it alone - Afghan Women." makes observations about the veil and it's relation to the familial/kinship structure that is a part of Middle Eastern Culture:

"The veil was never the nightmare American feminists make it out to be. In a world where satisfaction in life is predicated on the honor, strength, and unity of the kin group, the veil makes sense. Although the oppressive impositions of the Taliban have rightly been abolished, the United States ought not be in the business of browbeating Muslim women out of their veils, much less reforming the Middle Eastern kinship system. Instead we need to encourage the separation of traditional Muslim family practices from the political ideology of Islamic Fundamentalism..."

This stripping of rights by fundamentalist governments is highlighted in the Europe edition of Time Magazine, "Women of Islam." Kim Ghattas addresses a fatwa or religious ruling by modern day scholars that "essentially claims that the promotion of women's rights weakens the fiber of the family and the pre-eminence of Islam..." One of their sources rebutted the fatwa with her conclusion that it's, "Nonsense!" The source, Nadi Yassine, is a "...spokeswoman for his [Sheik Abdel Salam Yassine] Justice and Charity party," and is "perhaps the most visible fundamentalist feminist in the Arab world." She goes on to explain, "The diminution of women's rights - not their promotion - is what's anti-Islamic." According to the article she doesn't fit the typical stereotype of a Western feminist, but she doesn't claim to either. She notes, "I adapted my feminism from Islam, not Western culture," and she goes on to illustrate that the Prophet Mohammed was a "true feminist" and that the problems with sexism in the Arab world are a "homegrown malady".

Hijab was donned as a claim to these rights and as a statement of religious intent and belief. It is an expression of a value that is integral to the religion for both men and women; modesty. Modesty in cross-cultural terms is subjective to the limited perspective of the society trying to define it. As a frame of reference that most people can agree on, modesty as defined by Merriam Websters dictionary has two definitions, both of which are appropriate. Merriam Websters On-Line states that modesty is, "1 : freedom from conceit or vanity 2 : propriety in dress, speech, or conduct." The concept of hijab embraces and encompasses both of these definitions. Both men and women are expected to dress in such a way that their sexuality is covered but that they can still be recognized as a man or a woman. Cross-dressing in Islam is considered haram or forbidden in much the same way that Christianity viewed the issue as a taboo. Both men and women are also expected to dress in a way that does not draw attention unnecessarily. For instance a wealthy man is not supposed to wear clothing that would advertise his wealth. Hence it is forbidden to men to wear gold or silk because it is considered an extravagance. By the same token a person should not purposefully dress very poorly in order to display how "pious" they are, because this too draws unnecessary attention. For women it is acceptable by most interpretations for her hands and her face to show, as everything else is a display of her beauty and can unnecessarily draw attention.

By the same token hijab is not just about a physical covering. It is also an attitude. One must present themselves modestly as well as dress modestly. Does this mean that a woman in this case should be mild and reserved? Not necessarily. It simply means that a Muslim whether male or female should not boast or call attention to how wonderful they believe themselves to be. It also means that some topics of conversation should be entered into carefully. For instance topics of a sexual or otherwise off-color nature are not conducive to the intention of hijab. It is important for a Muslim to remember that their behaviors, as well as their dress, are examples to the world of their "Perfect Religion." Hijab is not, however, a barrier to self expression, education, careers or any other number of freedoms any person has the inherent right to enjoy. In this case hijab is an outward and inward expression of a religious belief in much the same way that a Catholic Nun's habit is. When a person sees a Nun they know she has devoted her life to God. She covers her body and hair, and she wears three knots to signify the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. In much the same way the hijab observes modesty, chastity, and submission to God.

Going back to the analogy of the safe, how does hijab act as a safe for the valuable gem that is a woman's beauty? For starters it does discourage sexual harassment and objectification. I will be the first to concede that it is not a fool proof protection against violent sexual crimes. Any person who believes that any amount of clothing will make them immune to such a crime is naive and should rethink their position. There are criminals out there who intend to cause harm with or without justification, and no amount of clothing will serve to deter them.

However hijab does go on the notion of "out of sight, out of mind." The Qur'an instructs, "Oh Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is the most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not [be] molested..." (The Glorious Qur'an, Surah-Al Azhab 33:59) Other translations show the word "molested" interpreted as "annoyed" or "harassed" also.

Generally speaking a woman that is covered is less likely to be harassed than a woman who is not covered. Even in our own society we see examples of this. There are countless cases of rape and harassment that take place, and are justified by the men who committed them, with opinions about the way the woman looked or was dressed. This stance in no way negates the responsibility of these men for their actions. However this justification can be taken away from them quite easily by simply putting some clothes on. In this respect many feminists will say, "But it's the men who should change!" Wouldn't that be nice in an ideal world? But do we live in an ideal world?

Evolution is the most widely accepted theory of how life on our planet came to be, because there is much hard evidence to support it. The theory of evolution tells us that a species will adapt in such a way as to insure its survival, including reproduction. In the case of human beings visual stimuli produces a strong physiological reaction in males. So stating that a man should change his physiological make-up is like telling an elephant it could better adapt by growing wings. This is not to say that men should not take responsibility for their choices or actions. We have been given the ability to reason and think for good reasons. But if we expect men to be reasonable, then we must also be reasonable ourselves. In fact in the concept of modesty men are addressed in the Qur'an twice as often as women are. Namely men are instructed to avert their gaze in consideration of a woman's modesty and virtue. On the same note, consideration is a two way street.

Hijab also acts like a psychological safe for a woman. Hijab not only conceals her beauty, but those things that our society has come to loathe as flaws. Because a hijab covers not only the hair, but should embrace complete veiling of the body to where an observer can not discern the curves of a woman, or see anything but her face and hands, perceived physical flaws are not subject to societal scrutiny. On the other hand for women who do not veil, they feel pressured to constantly meet their own and societies definition of perfection. In this pursuit they are pressured to have the perfect hair-do, to be waif thin, to enlarge their breasts, get tattoos, and a myriad of other expensive and sometimes harmful beautification processes in order to be acceptable to themselves, and, in their minds to society. Peer pressure, and pressure applied through not so subtle marketing constantly promotes the idea that a woman must spend money, time, and energy on a consistent basis to be beautiful, to get a boyfriend, or to get that job promotion. The practice of hijab nullifies each of these. Since no one can see any of these "flaws" no one therefore knows they are there to criticize.

A woman is allowed and encouraged to beautify herself around family, female friends, and her spouse. This recognizes a woman's desire to be pretty and attractive, but puts it into the context that it's appropriate for. After all, there is no purpose for a woman to be attractive to a man that is not her husband in Islam. For a woman who is seeking a spouse, by wearing hijab she insures that her husband isn't marrying her solely for her beauty or for sexual attraction, but rather the attraction must form on the basis of the woman's personality and good character first. The concept of a trophy wife is largely unheard of, since the point of a trophy is to be put on display. This allows the woman to shine through to her future spouse in her intelligence, her kindness, and her virtue rather than by how large her various parts are, or how nice her hair looks. As a bonus it does seem to create another area of intimacy between a woman and her spouse. Many people interpret the restrictions on who a woman can uncover in front of, as an expression of "possession". In other words the only reason a woman can only uncover in front of her husband and men that she could not otherwise marry, is because she belongs to him/them. However if you turn the perspective around, you might find that the empowerment becomes that of the woman. Gazing upon her beauty becomes such a privilege that she will only grant it to the people she loves and trusts the most. Just as she would only allow people she trusts to view the diamond that she keeps in her safe.

Many Muslim women that I have spoken with over the course of the last several months have varying reasons for their choice to wear hijab, and I do stress the word choice. After all they live here in America and there is no one twisting their arm, telling them that they must wear a scarf upon their heads. Several that I have spoken with have stated that the reasoning behind it is completely logical to them. Others say that they do it because it is a display of modesty before their God and they do it as an act of obedience; or in their words, "...for the sake of Allah." Some women say they wear it because they want to be recognized for their intelligence. Others state that they feel a sense of liberation in donning hijab because they are free from the average judgments society would place on them, though here in the West they face a new set of judgments to deal with. They draw strength from their faith in order to defend their decision to practice it. Even so it seems they find these attacks easier to contend with than those leveled at their appearance and their person.

Perhaps that is a point the Feminist camp should ponder before clamoring to "lift the veil". It's interesting to ponder if they've considered whether or not the veil actually needs to be lifted; since it seems many Muslim women are content to let it keep them in their own brand of safety and freedom. Sami Yusuf has given Muslim women a theme song in "Free":

"...But don't you see?
That I'm truly free
This piece of scarf on me
I wear so proudly
To preserve my dignity
My modesty
My integrity
So let me be
She says with a smile
I'm the one who's free."

Works Cited

Ghattas, Kim, "Women of Islam," Time Europe Magazine 15 Feb. 2004 n.p.

Glorious Qur'an Trans. Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Islamic Book Service Inc., 2002

Kurtz, Stanley, "Veil of Fears; Why they veil; Why we should leave it alone - Afghan Women." National Review 28 Jan. 2002 n.p.

"Modest" Def.1.2. Merriam Webster OnLine Dictionary, http://merriamwebster.com/ 9 Oct. 2007

Yusuf, Sami "Free" My Ummah By Sami Yusuf & Bara Kherigi, Awakening, 2005.