Are Fundamentalist Gender Views a Perversion of Islam?

Question

It was reported today that Sheik Taj Aldin al Hilali, one of the most senior Islamic clerics in Australia, made the following comment in regards to the use of the body and face covering hijab that women in some Muslim traditions are obliged to wear: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside... without cover, and the cats come to eat it... whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat's? The uncovered meat is the problem. If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred."

Predictably, this remark led to much outrage in Australia, where anti-Muslim feelings have already run high amongst the majority non-Muslim population. Various officials spoke out against the comment, including Pru Goward, sex discrimination commissioner for Australia, and Prime Minister John Howard.

The Sheik made later comments trying to downplay the impact of his first remark, stating: "The presentation related to religious teachings on modesty and not to go to extremes in enticements, this does not condone rape, I condemn rape. Women in our Australian society have the freedom and right to dress as they choose, the duty of man is to avert his glance or walk away."

These two remarks reveal a lot about the thinking behind the more restrictive Muslim traditions under which women are oppressed and over which Western observers are highly critical of Muslim societies.

First of all, let's look at the retraction. Hilali said, while attempting to assuage the outrage he'd elicited, that his intention was to disseminate teachings for women "not to go to extremes in enticements". Taken in context with his first remark, specifically that "if she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred", this is a pretty inflammatory attempt at apology. So leaving your room is an extreme in enticement? Leaving your home is? Wearing clothing more revealing than a barely portable tent is an extreme in enticement?

Most societies, at least outside the Muslim world, would view this as an extremely restrictive teaching for women. Sure, it can be argued that Western society has taken enticement to a ridiculous level with thong bikinis being worn in public and prepubescent girls being shown in provocative outfits and engaging in suggestive activities in music videos and advertisements all the time. Sure, we in the Western world are open to criticism for our attitude towards sex, for our over-sexualization of every aspect of life, for our amoral treatment of the subject in pop art including cinema and television. But to put all the responsibility for sexual restraint on women, through the mechanism of curtailing their most basic freedom to move through society unrestricted, and none of this responsibility on men, is not only misogynist but also disrespectful to men in that in implies we are animals unable to control our basic urges.

And this is the other revelation in Hilali's remarks.

He first drew an analogy between cats being attracted to uncovered meat and men being attracted to exposed female flesh. He later, in his 'apologetic' second remark, said "the duty of man is to avert his glance or walk away". So, men have the impulse control of cats and cannot be expected to even look at feminine charms without submitting to the base desire to enforce copulation with the indiscreet female?

It is especially repulsive that Muslim societies cling to this view of gender responsibilities and reactions regarding sexual stimuli. Why? Because many Muslim countries have very strict legal punishments for other, non-sexual crimes. Beheadings and other violent punishment are still on public display in many Muslim countries. Some cut off the right hand of anyone caught stealing. It is an effective, if brutal, punishment I am told. I've had Westerners who've travelled and lived in Muslim countries where such legal codes are in effect tell me you can leave your expensive camera or even a bundle of cash sitting out on the dashboard of your unlocked car and, nine times out of ten, no one will touch it. Having their hand removed and being consigned to eating in private (for Muslim tradition designated the right hand for eating and other sanitary activities and the left hand for toiletries and the like, to eat with the left hand in public is not permitted) for the rest of their lives, being permanently branded as a thief by the sight of your amputated limb is too great a punishment to risk lightly.

Clearly a society that uses such harsh punishments understands the possibility of deterrence of behaviour deemed uncivil. So why then is rape so hard to deter? Well, if you keep telling young men that the merest glimpse of female flesh is incitement, that it is not really your fault but that of the displayer of the 'meat' then you are not really trying to deter, are you? If you keep slaying women who have been raped for their infringement on your family honour, then you are not providing any deterrence for the male perpetrators of the crime, are you?

Islam is one of the world's great religions. Muhammad was, in my own view, a prophet of God the equal to Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Buddha or Baha'u'llah. The teachings of the faith were probably responsible for the great Islamic culture that was the world leader in scientific and artistic achievement in centuries past.

However, the narrow minded fundamentalist view espoused by clerics like Hilali, all too common in Muslim societies today, is a perversion of Islam. The gender view that reduces women to meat and men to beasts is a perversion of Islam, of God's teachings and of humanity.

Answer 1

I always laugh when people think of Muslim women as "oppressed". I'm a Muslim woman. A religious Muslim woman and I never feel oppressed. I felt oppressed when I WASN'T covering.

I'd like to say that I cover my body up, and I also veil my face. Though I understand where this cleric is coming from, I too was offended by what he said. Did I just say that? Yes, I did, and here's why:

1. Women are encouraged to cover their bodies in Islaam to protect them from attacks, illegal sexual intercourse, to help modesty, etc. Not because we're forced to. Who's forcing me? My parents didn't even want me to veil my face! I went against them and did what my heart was telling me to do. And I do feel even more protected now that I cover. But that doesn't mean ALL men are perverts. I'm protecting myself in a "general" sense.

2. Though it does help and protect us, in some cases you still have Muslim women getting raped, as well. I mean, you hear stories of soldiers in Muslim countries and how a few Muslim women get raped. So that's why I was against his comments. That's why they hurt me too. It's not ENTIRELY on how you're dressed that will lead you to get raped.

3. People get raped for lots of different reasons. Sometimes how a woman is dressed does cause it. How can anyone deny this, anyway? But he shouldn't have generalised rape like that. Because like I said, women get raped in all cases.

The reason why he said what he said was because he was trying to tell people to protect themselves and cover up so that they can get protected from harm. But the thing is, he said it all wrong. We Muslims know how he meant it, but it's different when it gets heard from non-Muslims.

And in case you think that I'm talking "crap". I myself can answer and know for myself how much I get protected now that I cover my body. Before I used to have men perving on the streets. I used to get whistles. It's not like I wasn't dressing immodestly, because I wasn't. But it's the fact that there are a group of "**** takers" out there who feel the need to hit on every women they come across.

I feel safer now that I'm covering. I know people won't want to look at me or flirt with me and therefore get myself in trouble. However, his comments came out very wrong. Different women get raped. And different things cause it.

Also, I'd like to add to his comment about "women saying at home. In a room with a scarf on". I'm not sure why he would say something like that. It was very, very wrong. He's made it sound like we should be oppressed in the house and should never leave or visit anyone. Which is wrong in Islaam. He also made it sound as though we wear the scarf in the house all the time, which is again very, very wrong. We do not.

You have extremists in all religions. You have people who don't think before they speak. And sadly when the Muslim do it, then it's all over the news. The media have their ways....

Answer 2

Yes they are (an answer to your main question).
You question was sooo long.
Very heart warming to read that someone see that a certain cleric's lecture did not smear the whole religion. Who is this Hilali? How can he compare humans to animals? Who paid him to say this nonsence? Is this how he goes about telling Muslims why they should wear the hijab? He needs to go back to school.

Answer 3

What he said was right, and it has nothing to do with oppression to woman .. this is the command of God .. and women had the right to follow it or not, but only God will judge them

And by the way it's covering head not face

Answer 4

Let me tell you how the Islam sees the woman...the islam sees the woman not like the meat ..islam sees the woman as an expensive jewel lets say diamond that must be protected and not given to anyone...so how can islam the woman be agnist women by hijab??...let be honest if you see a woman with sexy body by bikini and woman by hijab which one will attrack you...bikini girl because she is so sexy...but hijab will make you don't care looking at her she has nothing to show..this look that you looked at bikini girl..Islam don't want you to see it on any girl but when look at her by respect...friend let us see in the world the number of assault of woman is greater in world west than the middle east and the number of single mums in world west is greater than the middle east ...Islam doesn't want any that happens..you will say that single mums can be after love story then they left eachother but some of them is result of the assault right??...so the hijab is the save that the jewel can be put and the key with her husband and parents because her husband has rights on her and her parents won't do anything harm to her...why he said to men to run away from them because looking at woman in not respect look is fault and Allah will be angry from him....see Islam didn't mean that woman are meat and men are beasts but it is a way to protect them from eachother so to be honest some of men are beast and want sex no matter the girl agree or not right?? as Allah(God) created girls to be honest even if she was ugly in face ...Allah(God) created them charmed right??...and the hijab has a story and why Allah(God) said so but really i don't remember but i think because a woman was walking a part of her leg was showed and men looked at her...so Allah(God) wanted to protect her..and by the way Prophet Mohamed said no beliver can learn from this world if the beliver be harmed from the bad people..and Islam wasn't aganist of learning woman and helping her husband and parents and that's from modulus of leting her out in the world but everthing with limits for both men or women i think that's right...that all i can say about the hijab..i wish i said it in better way...
about the punish...i am with you it is harm but when you do something wrong and you know that God will be angry from you...you mst be punished...if the punishment was greater the more you fear to do it...if you did things make God be angry from you..you will be in hell so you don't think to do it so you won't go to hell ...it is like that but some people forget God and do wrong things so they must be punished,jail by 2 years say he can say it's ok stay 2 years and return stealing right??? but if you knew that your hand will be cur ohhh i will be afraid and won't do it..
and Islam respects the way the people thinks but if it is aganist the Islam so we have to live a way that we can have the contentment of Allah(God) and can live with the society and not to be in a closed room because if the way they think not like the way we think...in sura (109:6) God said "6] To you be your Way, and to me mine" that was said to qurish that worship to some stones but i amnot telling you or the world west are like them but it was said if their any different in views that was the goal of the sura...i wish that you understood the point and sorry for example of the bikini :D i wished my english isn't bad as the check spelling doesn't want to work.