Why should a fully-veiled Muslim woman be allowed to mingle freely in Western countries?

Question

This is not a criticism at all. I'm interested to hear views from both sides of the coin. A fully veiled woman in Saudi Arabia is not allowed to work, let alone walk in the streets unescorted by a man. According to the Arabs, this is discouraged in Islam. So why is it that a British Muslim woman is insisting to wear a full veil and work in the UK? Why does she think Britain is infringing her civil liberties? Is she not adhering to a more rigid form of Islamic thinking? Please I am not inviting anyone to attack the religion. I would like to hear views from Muslims as well as non-Muslims. 10 points for the most well thought-out answer!

Please note : I am referring to fully-veiled women who are covering their face entirely, not just their hair. There is a distinct and fundamental difference between the two. Social interaction is impacted if one party cannot see the face of the other, don't you think? I come from a Muslim country, and the government forbids all Muslim female employees to wear the full veil.

I must add, the reason why the full veil is banned in working places is because people of all race, creed and religion live together in harmony and peace here. Women and men here work together in one office and are not segregrated by gender as they are in Saudi Arabia. I know full well what the working conditions for women are in Saudi Arabia because I used to work there once. There is a difference in working conditions for women in Saudi Arabia and in Western countries, and in my country.

I must add, the reason why the full veil is banned in working places is because people of all race, creed and religion live together in harmony and peace here. Women and men here work together in one office and are not segregrated by gender as they are in Saudi Arabia. I know full well what the working conditions for women are in Saudi Arabia because I used to work there once. There is a difference in working conditions for women in Saudi Arabia and in Western countries, and in my country.

Answer 1

Thank you for this question.

Quite a while ago I was told by a friend whom I respect very much, not to talk about the subject of Islamic women's clothing because, as a man, I really had no idea what it was like. So, as an Imam I usually refer people who ask, to my wife who knows more, first hand, about it.

And so in keeping with that I must say that I am very impressed with "Ignorance is Bliss's" answer to this question, I could not have said it better myself.

And Allah knows best.

Peace and Blessings,

Salim

Answer 2

Well we have a free society, If we made people unveil would it really be a free system? I think that people learn buy what they see and how people respond to others. If I never knew love could I learn how love is shown, by walking the streets of Britain or America, or by the people I just pass, If I feel outcast I feel hate and disparity, If I feel love I feel accepted, Then I may feel I can accept this way of life of freedom, If my husband or family will too. Only with the love of our neighbours can we change people but we must work on ourselves first. Jesus showed this in the story of the Samaritan. A hated close relation of the Jews. That was the first person to give help to someone in need, The people who should have given help, found a valid excuse so they could please their own conscience. I live above a mosque and have daily contact with male and female Muslims. Like Christians there are extremes in all faiths. Not all follow the true teachings of the faith since faith is inside and not in the clothing outside.I could be naked and a Christian, what then would you think my faith is. I was born that way and it will not matter how I die, may be naked on a hospital table. But my life and how I have lived it will be a message to someone some where. Let yours be the same and show these people a love if they dare look in to your eyes, as a woman you have the best opportunity to reach these poor trapped souls of a faith with out freedom of grace

Answer 3

Saudi Arabia is not a good example of the modern world realities. Women are becoming more and more active in many Muslim countries these days. For instance in Iran about %60 of university students are female.
But how you dress defines basic rights and as far as it does not harm anyone is ok. On the other hand scantly clad ladies may cause more visual pollution.
Societies are in progress and it will never reach an equilibrium and we should allow women to participate in every field.

Answer 4

I always wonder why some people think the Muslims women specially in Saudi Arabia stock in their home and doesn't go to work . Is it media? and how could the media doesn't represent an objective and realistic picture in the world which made the people look as if they live in the stone age .Women in Saudi Arabia are well_educated and they go shopping. They have jobs as teachers, doctors, nurses, and business women and they fully veiled.

Answer 5

Islam is much like Christianity. Everyone has their own view. I've also heard many Muslim women refer to their veils as 'liberating'. So while she may be not totally adhering to the religion in another person's view, she is most likely doing what anyone does - practicing her religion as best as she can, as she understands it.

It would only be her adhering to a more rigid form of Islamic thinking if she actually wore the veil, stayed home and only went out when accompanied by a man. Wearing a veil is much like wearing a cross, only a bit more serious. Not only is it an expression of faith, but also an expression of obedience to the divine, as she understands it. Crosses are not mentioned in the bible as a symbol of the religion and yet many christians would be very upset if they were told they couldn't wear their crosses to work. Veils are definitely mentioned in the Quran for a variety of reasons.

!!!Disclaimers!!! - I am not Muslim, I am Asatru, a form of Scandinavian heathenism/paganism. I gave my thoughts on this as was requested. These thoughts came out of my own brain and were based entirely on my reading/studying of various world religions. I mean no disrespect to anyone with these thoughts of mine. It is simply my take on the 'issue'.

~Morg~

Answer 6

I assume that by 'fully veiled' you mean covering her face and all in black as they usually are. This style is called 'niqab' and it is not a must in Islam (please refer to the link below to know more about niqab and why women wear it). I think in Saudi and in the Gulf as originaly tribal societies, this style originates from cultural rather than religious stems.

I am veiled, ony covering my head, not my face and not dressed in black. To be totally honest with you, I am not sure how I feel about the niqab, especially all in black. Sometimes at night they give me a fright when I suddenly find them in my face. Securitywise, I think it is important for the face to be seen to check ID's. Also, for communication, it is crucial that you see the face and the eyes.

However, it is a free world. Those women chose that dress code and they are free. I cannot really undermine them because they could be better than myself in the eyes of Allah, I do not know. But also, if I was in a security post, I would demand that they reveal their faces for check.

My be muslims in the UK are not adhering to the rigid form of Islam, as you put it. But if I were them, I would understand that as much as this is my choice, the other partner could make choices based on mine. We need to think why they were made before scream 'discrimination'.

But at the end of the day, everyone is really free. Why do muslim countries allow British women to walk around with mini skirts and tummy bodies? We all need to be open-minded and accepting to each.

Salam

Answer 7

It is only a relatively recent that Roman Catholic nuns wore the same types of outfits. Up until the middle 1960's or early 1970's from the time of their beginning, this was the practice. Women have worn veils for everything from marriage to widowhood.

Makeup itself is a form of veil. for the same reasons that it is accepted for one type of veil another should be accepted.

It is intersting that there is outcry against a fully clothe woman and little or no outcry against an almost naked woman. awoman breastfeeding in public is critisized, whereas a woman exposing her breast for reasons of vanity/fashion is not.

It is a person's perrogative to choose. A woman is a person and should choose. Western societies with all of the wealth and advancement put women in the most compromising of situations. They are no different than their counterparts in Eastern societies.

John Lennon had insight on this and put it best with these lyrics:

Woman is the ****** of the World
John Lennon


Woman is the ****** of the world
Yes she is...think about it
Woman is the ****** of the world
Think about it...do something about it

We make her paint her face and dance
If she won’t be slave, we say that she don’t love us
If she’s real, we say she’s trying to be a man
While putting her down we pretend that she is above us

Woman is the ****** of the world...yes she is
If you don’t belive me take a look to the one you’re with
Woman is the slaves of the slaves
Ah yeah...better screem about it

We make her bear and raise our children
And then we leave her flat for being a fat old mother then
We tell her home is the only place she would be
Then we complain that she’s too unworldly to be our friend

Woman is the ****** of the world...yes she is
If you don’t belive me take a look to the one you’re with
Woman is the slaves of the slaves
Yeah (think about it)

We insult her everyday on TV
And wonder why she has no guts or confidence
When she’s young we kill her will to be free
While telling her not to be so smart we put her down for being so dumb

Woman is the ****** of the world...yes she is
If you don’t belive me take a look to the one you’re with
Woman is the slaves of the slaves
Yes she is...if you belive me, you better screem about it.

We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance
We make her paint her face and dance

Answer 8

Fully vield women in Saudi Arabia and any Islamic country are free to work, study and go shopping..where did you get this from..my Mother wears a full veil and goes wherever she wants and can do anything at anytime!

Then why do you give women the freedom to go naked to the beaches and don't wnat to give them the freedom to cover themselves if they wanted to?

Double standard!

Answer 9

Well now,I think theres some serious misunderstanding going on here.

Personally, am no arab, but Ive lived in Saudi Arabia for over 20 years.

Most of those years comprised of my childhood and early adulthood.And I grew up to be a woman who knew how to respect herself, how not to throw herself into a relationship with a man just so I cud satisfy my emotional needs. I have personally seen how the values of these people and Islam contribute to highering the value of the woman in her own eyes.

Women can work in any field they so desire, they can own companies and Saudi women own so many business in Saudi you would be amazed. Theyre much more successfull then the men in certain cases because theyre not just women, theyre mothers, business women, lovers to the men that support them so much so that a husband runs to open his wifes door when shes getting out of his car.

Listen carefully my friend. Making assumptions about people from afar is very easy. No body truly knows what goes on in a country or society without living there personally, knowing their circumstances.

As much as the values that they instill in their children, they have weaknesses and faults like we all do.

They are very protective of their wives, their daughters, their children. Because they know a woman could be scarred for life with a single rape, sexual assault and such. They try to keep the women and the men segregated and the women covered so their bodies do not turn into forms of seduction to men who arent their husbands. Whats wrong with that?

Western values teach women to empower themselves, yes, but they also teach women to be skinny and dress scantily and portray that as a form of modern behaviour. Wheres the modernity when a woman goes around flashing her 'humps and lumps'. What kind of an understanding is that?

A mother being the educator of children thus the educator of societies, needs to be so much more careful. She has the right to cover her face if she doesnt like being stared at by men. If she thinks it breaches her privacy that any ol man out in the street can look at her and create all kinds of indecent thoughts in his head. Come now honey. A lady has the right not to show herself if she so pleases, but society needs to show understanding, rather than contempt when she does that.

Answer 10

Let me make one thing clear. Saudi Women are allowed to work freely, and go out shopping, and they live their lives freely. And this is something which is allowed by Islam, if there's no harm in it

About Muslim women living in UK with veils and working, what is wrong with that? If the women is good for her company, and she's good with the people around her, whats the hurdle in that? That she's only covering up her hair? Thats personl freedom, isnt that what you westeners have been calling for and trying to establish in the whole world???