Should the hijab and the burka be banned as symbols of the oppression of women?

Answer 1

In IRAN hijab is mandatory and so hated by many women ( maybe the majority ). I hate it myself as a human being but I believe it should remain optional.
A fanatic in the above compared "naked" women with animals. You see the islamofascists believe the one who has no hijab is naked!! This fanatic forgets how the existance of women in Islam is humiliated. In Iran, based on Islam's teachings and rules, if someone kills a man he should pay "diyah" which means he should pay a certain amount of money to the father or family of the dead. If someone kills a woman he needs to pay only half of that. If a man kills your daughter ( or a woman from your family ) you can ask that he is hanged but then you should pay half of a complete "diyah" to killers family or he will not be hanged. This is an equation : your daughter's "price" is worth half of her killer's ( the man ) so you should pay the difference! This way many poor families ask no justice for the killers of their beloved ones because they can not pay the price of the killer's blood. This means that Mother Teresa is worth half Hitler. A good religion, no? This is the value of Muslim women in Islam. Non-muslim don't even have this "value".

In reply to this post the same biased guy sent me a message saying that because men are making money ( and women are not ) in muslim countries the "diyah" law is correct. What you are refeering to was true 1400 years ago in deserts of Saudi Arabia.
Islam is only good for those days not today's world unless it is basically changed which is impossible because muslims believe their religion is the best for every time every place ( yet it cannot solve its basic contradictions in developing societies!).

Answer 2

Symbols is exactly what those articles of apparel are. And what do you say to the women that WANT to wear them? There are some in America who would say that high heels, mini-skirts, make up, etc., are symbols of the sexual oppression of women here. You can't ban symbols. All you can do is work to change the hearts and minds of those who believe in those symbols.

Answer 3

The Hijab is no more a symbol of women's oppression than the bra.

Women should be allowed to wear what they want to wear - including Hijab if that is their choice.

To tell a woman that she may not wear Hijab is as bad as to tell her that she must.

Answer 4

Freedom.

Answer 5

of course not. to ban it would be oppression of women. they should have the freedom of choice to wear or not to wear.

Answer 6

of course they should be banned. hejab is a symbol of oppression

Answer 7

stop being afraid of islam and nobody is stopping ur mother, sister and wife to live naked like animals. enjoy.

Answer 8

women are treated like crap
in the muslim world.

may they all one night kill their husbands that torment them!

Answer 9

yes..........A woman is just as worthy of Gods Love as a Man

Answer 10

Islamic Dress Code Protects Women’s Dignity


It is late in the afternoon at the University of British Columbia and I have been cooped up in this library for hours trying to compose a thesis for my American Literature term paper. Deciding that a break would help clear my thoughts, I leave the confines of the library to sit outside, only to hear a female voice come


up from behind me to ask: “Just how is it that you can live with yourself from day-to-day wearing that THING on your head life?

Granted, it is an original line, a creative way to break the ice, yet why the code words? Only because I’ve been yelled at in public before for reasons connected to my appearance, do I know what this woman means?

Code word 1: “head thing” is 30 inch X 30 inch yellow and maroon flower patterned polyester blend, a piece of cloth I happen to be wearing to cover my head and neck.

Code word 2: “them” is all Muslim men, who, sinister-like with their dark beards, heavy accents, and hidden machine-guns, get a rush out of making women their life-long slaves.

Having deciphered all this quickly, I turn to face the stranger a cross-looking thing. I smile politely and signal to the empty chair beside me: “Would you like to have a seat?”

Hijab, the head-to-ankle covering, that leaves only the face and hands visible in public, has made me a very patient Muslim women. The brave individuals, who have mustered the courage to verbally express their opinions about my scarf, haven’t been the most trying. There are many, who can’t formulate words coherent enough to communicate their disapproval, and so rely on simple gestures and sign language.

Walking through downtown Vancouver, I’ve been fingered, spat on, scowled and cursed at. Stepping into an elevator, I once traumatized a man who could do nothing but shuffle into the corner of the empty lift and mutter “What the …? What the …!”

I have to take the agitation, the horror, and even the hatred in a stride. But never will I be silent about it. I can ignore the flagrant distortions no more than I can deny the fact that I am a Muslim living in Canada. Who I am and what popular culture thinks I am, has become a tug-of-war-competition of who can explain the status of the Muslim Hijab-wearer convincingly.

The media tells the public that I am a weak freak of nature, who has been forced to subject herself to the tyranny of Muslim “fundamentalists.”

Catherine Meckes assesses that wearing Hijab is “some kind of twisted logic because it entraps women like animals in a cage.” “The Muslim dress-code”, she argues, “is a form of hiding from society, so that I don’t have to deal with the realities of my natural habitat.”

Ms Meckes seems to be familiar enough with the Western culture to know that women are constantly objectified, used as commodities, tools to sell beverages and boost sales for the next football season. Sadly enough, though, she views women, who wish to distance themselves from this commercial degradation with fear. She finds women who cover “disturbing” and wished that she didn’t have to confront them on their “home turf”!

Pardon my feeble-mindedness, I’ve pinned my scarf on too tight and squeezed reason out of my brain. Just who is running away from the truth? I have chosen to set myself apart from millions of Canadians, placed myself in the way of ridicule by a society, that demands women to conform to certain ideals. I have refused to hide in the crowded university hallways and malls by looking the way Cindy, Cosmo, or Calvin Klein think I should be all because I’m a spineless caged rodent.

I have rejected the hip-hugging jeans, the breast-enhancing halter tops, the poofy hair and made-up face, and accepted Hijab so that I can be appreciated for my intellect and personality rather than my figure or fashion sense. When I face a classmate or colleague, I can be confident that my brastrap or pantyline are not visible. I have repudiated the perverted values of our society by choosing to assert myself only through my mind. I understand my “natural habitat” very well, thank you.

I fully comprehend the distorted image of the “ideal woman”, but the difference between me and the Catherine Meckeses of the world is that I am not afraid to defy those standards. Islam liberated me from that prison. Perhaps Hijab is so misunderstood, because it is prescribed by a religion that makes a bold and shocking statement: women are precious creatures, who have the right to be valued for who they are and not what they can juggle.

When I decided to start wearing Hijab, my mother pulled me aside and posed this question: “If you found a diamond that was exquisite in every way, would you show it to all your friends, let them gawk at its dazzle, caress it, or would you covet the stone and protect it by preserving its natural splendour?”

Once you bear something for all to see, the second you display something for its beauty, you objectify it and diminish its value. Because its worth is built on its ability to attract, when it no longer elicits awe from onlookers, it becomes worthless. Is it a wonder, that necklines keep plunging every year? More cleavage means women won’t bore oglers, the commercial industries, and the rest of society for a while. But when will those skirts quit shortening? For how long will women remain sex objects?

Islam tells us that every women is a jewel and when she respects herself enough to preserve her beauty for herself and loved ones, she rejects being objectified by a society, which do not value her. Only the dearest people in my life know me without Hijab, because they love me enough to value all of me.

John and Jane Doe don’t love me or care for me, so why must I meet their notion of an “ideal woman” if they are meaningless to me? It is the desire to please popular want to fit Kate Moss’s jeans by sticking their fingers down their throats and wrenching (throwing up) three times a day. It is the unattainable perfect-body society has conjured, that make “fat”, “ugly” girls splatter themselves on side-walks because they just are “not thin and pretty enough”.

And they tell me Islam oppresses women! I am thankful that I am not suicidal or psychologically unbalanced, because I can’t meet the demands of my culture. I am fortunate that my concerns and goals in life lie on a higher plane than the dictates of a pretty fashion industry. I am quite content with my religion, for it values my power to achieve great things through my mind, not through my body. Whether I am physically beautiful or not, you have no clue. Perhaps this fact is disturbing for Catherine Meckes and the library stranger, because they are not ready to meet a women, who can get by without her books. Then again, perhaps it is because they are just ignorant of the (What Is It?) facts.

Either way, I don’t need anyone’s sympathy, I am not really that scary, and your anger does me no harm. I am not under duress, or a male-worshipping female captive from the barbarous Arabian deserts. I’ve been liberated!



Status of Woman in Islam 1/2


According to assumptions, the Muslim woman is spiritually a non-person, existing in a world of shadows, oppressed and suppressed, from which she will at death pass into a sort of limbo for soulless non-entities. This impression has in the past, often been fostered by Christian missionaries, some of whom may even have actually believed it to be true. Side by side, with this image in the Western mind is another one projected by the entertainment media, that of the Muslim woman as a member of the harem in the Hollywood versions of the Arabian Nights. Here she forms a unit in a flock of scantily-clad and bird-witted young ladies who lie around in palaces awaiting the opportunity to be noticed by their lord and master, the sultan.

These images, are of course, very appealing to the Western imagination-firstly, of the mysterious and chaste veiled woman, living in fear of her jealous and brutal husband; she is the traditional maiden in distress, waiting for St. George to slay the dragon and rescue her; and secondly, of the slave-girl, dazzling in silks and jewels, awaiting her master's pleasure. Which Western man or woman has not at one time or another indulged in a fantasy in which he or she plays one of these roles? This is doubtless why the fantasy lingers so long. We want to believe that these women exist so that we can weave these daydreams about them, though publicly we must condemn a situation so obviously contrary to the principles of women's liberation.

This then is the fantasy, and as long as we recognize it as such, it is a pleasant form of escapism. But we are here to discuss women in Islaam and to outline what is the role expected of a Muslim woman. The best sourcebook of Islaam--that is the Qur'aan, and the hadith, the recorded sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad (May the Peace and Blessing of Allaah be upon him).

My intention is to bring to your notice some of those verses of the Qur'aan and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (May the Peace and Blessing of Allaah be upon him) which relate to women, and to try to draw some conclusions about what these mean-or should mean-in practice, with regard to a woman's life. I do not intend to describe the status of Muslim women in individual countries past or present, however, since this varies considerably from one period to another and one place to another due to the influence of regional customs stemming from pre-Islaamic or modern cultural factors.

Spiritual Status of Woman:

Let me start by bringing forward clear evidence to correct the misconceptions about the spiritual status of women, and whether or not they have souls which might experience Paradise. The Qur'aan states categorically that men and women who practice the principles of Islaam will receive equal reward for their efforts:

"Verily, the Muslims (those who submit to Allaah in Islaam) men and women, the believers men and women, the men and the women who obedient (to Allaah), the men and women who are truthful (in their speech and deeds), the men and the women who are patient (in performing all the duties which Allaah has ordered and in abstaining from all that Allaah has forbidden), the men and the women who are humble (before their Lord), the men and the women who give charity, the men and women who observe fasting, the men and the women who guard their chastity (from illegal sexual acts) and the men and the women who remember Allaah much with their hearts and tongues. Allaah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise)." [Al-Ahzab 33:35]

Again God says:

"Whoever works righteousness-whether male or female-while he (or she) is a true believer, verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)." [An-Nahl 16:97]

Each of the Five Pillars of Islaam: Belief, Prayer, Fasting, alms (Zakat) and Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)-is as important for women as for men, there is no differentiation of their reward.

Intellectual Status:

Having established beyond question the spiritual equality of men and women in Islaam, what of their intelligence, knowledge of education? The Prophet Muhammad (May the Peace and Blessing of Allaah be upon him) said:
"The search for knowledge is a duty for every Muslim (male or female)".

'Knowledge', for a Muslim, is not divided into sacred and secular, and the implication of these sayings of the Prophet, in modern times, every Muslim boy or girl, man or woman, should pursue his or her education as far as it is possible, bearing in mind the words of Allaah in the Qur'aan:

"And likewise of men and cattle, are of various colors. It is only those who have knowledge among His servants that fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is All-Mighty, Oft-Forgiving." [Fatir 35:28]

In Islaam therefore, both men and women are credited with the capacity for learning and understanding and teaching, and one of the aims of acquiring knowledge is that of becoming more conscious of God. It is considered in Islaam that the more a person, male or female, studies the creation and observes its workings, the more he or she becomes conscious of the Creator, the Power who made and sustains the creation.

Relations between the Sexes:

Having clarified women's independent spiritual and intellectual status in Islaam, I turn next to their status with regard to men, and their relationship with men. We are here looking at a relationship of interdependence. The Qur'aan says:
"And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect." [Ar-Rum 30:21]

This is a very important definition of the relationship between man and his wife. They are expected to find tranquility in each other's company and be bound together not only by the sexual relationship but by 'love and mercy'. Such a description comprises mutual care, consideration, respect, and affection.

There are numerous ahadith; particularly those narrated by 'A'isha, which give a clear insight into the way the Prophet treated his wives and the way they treated him. The most striking thing about these is their evidence of the mutual care and respect of the marriage relationship. There is no servility on the part of the wives, and there are probably as many references to the Prophet doing things to please his wives as there are references to the Prophet's wives doing things to please him.

The Qur'aan refers to wives generally in another chapter saying:
"….They are garments for you while you are garments for them….." [Al-Baqarah 2:187]

In other words, as a garment gives warmth, protection and decency, so a husband and wife offer each other intimacy, comfort, and protection from committing adultery and other offences.

It follows, from what has been quoted from the Qur'aan, that one of the important aims of Islaamic regulations governing behavior and human relations is the preservation of the family unit in such a way that the atmosphere of tranquility, love, mercy and consciousness of God can develop and flower to the benefit of husband and wife, and also of the children of the marriage. Therefore, in examining the conduct expected of men and women towards each other, both inside and outside marriage, we have to bear in mind these aims and weigh their benefits to the individual and to society. We must also bear in mind that Islaam has a coherent view of life, and that the various aspects of it should not be considered in isolation from each other. It comprises a total way of life, and each part of it needs to be seen in the total context.

To understand the role of a woman in a Muslim society therefore, we have to examine both her duties and her rights, the behavior expected of her towards men and the behavior due to her from men.

Rights and Obligations:

Let us first examine what is due to her from men. The Qur'aan says:
"Men are protectors and maintainer of women because Allaah has made one of them to excel the other, and because the spend (to support them) from their means…." [An-Nisa 4:34]

In a Muslim society, therefore, the man has full responsibility for the maintenance of his family. This is not only a moral but also a legal obligation. Anything a wife earns is her own to dispose of, either to use it herself or to contribute it to the family budget if she wishes. The wife herself is responsible for the care of her home and the welfare of her family. She may express her views and make her suggestions concerning all matters, but the best role she can play in keeping the marital tie intact and strong, is to recognize her husband as the person responsible for the running of the affairs of the family, and thus to obey him even if his judgement is not acceptable to her, in a particular matter, provided he does not go beyond the limits of Islaam. This is the meaning of obedience in the context of marriage in Islaam. It is recognition of the role of the husband as the head of the family unit and the loyalty of both husband and wife to a higher law, the Shari'ah.

The Prophet said: "The best woman is she who, when you see her you feel pleased, and when you direct her she obeys. She protects your rights and keeps her chastity when you are absent".

The Muslim woman's role in the home is a vitally important one to the happiness of the husband and they physical and spiritual development of their children. Her endeavor is to make her family's life sweet and joyful and the home a place of security and peace. This and her early character training of the children have a lasting effect on the behavior and attitudes of the next generation when they reach adolescence and adulthood. There is a well-known saying in Arabic-'al-ummu madrasatun' meaning that 'the mother is a school', which conveys the importance of this role.

Marriage in Islaam:

We turn now to the procedures of marriage in Islaam. When a girl reaches the age of marriage it is customary for the Muslim parents to play a major role in the choice of the husband, but she must be consulted. It is reported that when a girl came to the Prophet complaining that she has been married without being consulted, the Prophet directed that she was free to have the marriage dissolved if she wished.

Nowadays, educated Muslim girls are having a greater say in the choice of husband, but it is still considered that the parents' opinion of the boy is of great importance, and it is rare for a boy or girl to marry against their parents' wishes. A widow or divorcee, however, may marry whoever she wishes, presumably because she is considered to have enough maturity and experience to decide for herself.

When a girl or woman is married, it is, an essential part of the marriage for the bridegroom to give her a dowry (mahr), which may be of any value agreed upon. This dowry is not like the old European dowry, which was given by a father to his daughter on her marriage day and hence became the husband's property. Nor is the Muslim dowry like the African 'bride-price' which, is paid by the bridegroom to the father as a form of payment or compensation. The Muslim dowry is a gift from the bridegroom to the bride and it becomes her exclusive property.

The treatment expected from the husband, whether or not he is on good terms with his wife, is clearly laid down in the Qur'aan:

"O you who Believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will; and you should not treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the dowry you have given them, unless they commit open illegal intercourse; and live with them honorably. If you dislike them, it may that you dislike a thing and Allaah brings through it a great deal of good." [An-Nisa 4:19]