Why does Islam degrade women by keeping them behind the veil?

Question

The status of women in Islam is often the target of attacks in the secular media. The ‘hijaab’ or the Islamic dress is cited by many as an example of the ‘subjugation’ of women under Islamic law. Before we analyze the reasoning behind the religiously mandated ‘hijaab’, let us first study the status of women in societies before the advent of Islam


1. In the past women were degraded and used as objects of lust

The following examples from history amply illustrate the fact that the status of women in earlier civilizations was very low to the extent that they were denied basic human dignity:

1. Babylonian Civilization:
The women were degraded and were denied all rights under the Babylonian law. If a man murdered a woman, instead of him being punished, his wife was put to death.

2. Greek Civilization:
Greek Civilization is considered the most glorious of all ancient civilizations. Under this very ‘glorious’ system, women were deprived of all rights and were looked down upon. In Greek mythology, an ‘imaginary woman’ called ‘Pandora’ is the root cause of misfortune of human beings. The Greeks considered women to be subhuman and inferior to men. Though chastity of women was precious, and women were held in high esteem, the Greeks were later overwhelmed by ego and sexual perversions. Prostitution became a regular practice amongst all classes of Greek society.

3. Roman Civilization:
When Roman Civilization was at the zenith of its ‘glory’, a man even had the right to take the life of his wife. Prostitution and nudity were common amongst the Romans.

4. Egyptian Civilization:
The Egyptian considered women evil and as a sign of a devil.

5. Pre-Islamic Arabia:
Before Islam spread in Arabia, the Arabs looked down upon women and very often when a female child was born, she was buried alive.


2. Islam uplifted women and gave them equality and expects them to maintain their status.

Islam uplifted the status of women and granted them their just rights 1400 years ago. Islam expects women to maintain their status.

Hijaab for men

People usually only discuss ‘hijaab’ in the context of women. However, in the Glorious Qur’an, Allah (swt) first mentions ‘hijaab’ for men before ‘hijaab’ for the women. The Qur’an mentions in Surah Noor:

"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do."
[Al-Qur’an 24:30]

The moment a man looks at a woman and if any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he should lower his gaze.

Hijaab for women.

The next verse of Surah Noor, says:

" And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons..."
[Al-Qur’an 24:31]


3. Six criteria for Hijaab.

According to Qur’an and Sunnah there are basically six criteria for observing hijaab:

1. Extent:

The first criterion is the extent of the body that should be covered. This is different for men and women. The extent of covering obligatory on the male is to cover the body at least from the navel to the knees. For women, the extent of covering obligatory is to cover the complete body except the face and the hands upto the wrist. If they wish to, they can cover even these parts of the body. Some scholars of Islam insist that the face and the hands are part of the obligatory extent of ‘hijaab’.

All the remaining five criteria are the same for men and women.

2. The clothes worn should be loose and should not reveal the figure.

3. The clothes worn should not be transparent such that one can see through them.

4. The clothes worn should not be so glamorous as to attract the opposite sex.

5. The clothes worn should not resemble that of the opposite sex.

6. The clothes worn should not resemble that of the unbelievers i.e. they should not wear clothes that are specifically identities or symbols of the unbelievers’ religions.


4. Hijaab includes conduct and behaviour among other things

Complete ‘hijaab’, besides the six criteria of clothing, also includes the moral conduct, behaviour, attitude and intention of the individual. A person only fulfilling the criteria of ‘hijaab’ of the clothes is observing ‘hijaab’ in a limited sense. ‘Hijaab’ of the clothes should be accompanied by ‘hijaab’ of the eyes, ‘hijaab’ of the heart, ‘hijaab’ of thought and ‘hijaab’ of intention. It also includes the way a person walks, the way a person talks, the way he behaves, etc.


5. Hijaab prevents molestation

The reason why Hijaab is prescribed for women is mentioned in the Qur’an in the following verses of Surah Al-Ahzab:

"O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad); that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
[Al-Qur’an 33:59]

The Qur’an says that Hijaab has been prescribed for the women so that they are recognized as modest women and this will also prevent them from being molested.


6. Example of twin sisters

Suppose two sisters who are twins, and who are equally beautiful, walk down the street. One of them is attired in the Islamic hijaab i.e. the complete body is covered, except for the face and the hands up to the wrists. The other sister is wearing western clothes, a mini skirt or shorts. Just around the corner there is a hooligan or ruffian who is waiting for a catch, to tease a girl. Whom will he tease? The girl wearing the Islamic Hijaab or the girl wearing the skirt or the mini? Naturally he will tease the girl wearing the skirt or the mini. Such dresses are an indirect invitation to the opposite sex for teasing and molestation. The Qur’an rightly says that hijaab prevents women from being molested.


7. Capital punishment for the rapists

Under the Islamic shariah, a man convicted of having raped a woman, is given capital punishment. Many are astonished at this ‘harsh’ sentence. Some even say that Islam is a ruthless, barbaric religion! I have asked a simple question to hundreds of non-Muslim men. Suppose, God forbid, someone rapes your wife, your mother or your sister. You are made the judge and the rapist is brought in front of you. What punishment would you give him? All of them said they would put him to death. Some went to the extent of saying they would torture him to death. To them I ask, if someone rapes your wife or your mother you want to put him to death. But if the same crime is committed on somebody else’s wife or daughter you say capital punishment is barbaric. Why should there be double standards?


8. Western society falsely claims to have uplifted women

Western talk of women’s liberalization is nothing but a disguised form of exploitation of her body, degradation of her soul, and deprivation of her honour. Western society claims to have ‘uplifted’ women. On the contrary it has actually degraded them to the status of concubines, mistresses and society butterflies who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketeers, hidden behind the colourful screen of ‘art’ and ‘culture’.


9. USA has one of the highest rates of rape

United States of America is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries of the world. It also has one of the highest rates of rape in any country in the world. According to a FBI report, in the year 1990, every day on an average 1756 cases of rape were committed in U.S.A alone. Later another report said that on an average everyday 1900 cases of rapes are committed in USA. The year was not mentioned. May be it was 1992 or 1993. May be the Americans got ‘bolder’ in the following years.

Consider a scenario where the Islamic hijaab is followed in America. Whenever a man looks at a woman and any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he lowers his gaze. Every woman wears the Islamic hijaab, that is the complete body is covered except the face and the hands upto the wrist. After this if any man commits rape he is given capital punishment. I ask you, in such a scenario, will the rate of rape in America increase, will it remain the same, or will it decrease?


10. Implementation of Islamic Shariah will reduce the rate of rapes

Naturally as soon as Islamic Shariah is implemented positive results will be inevitable. If Islamic Shariah is implemented in any part of the world, whether it is America or Europe, society will breathe easier. Hijaab does not degrade a woman but uplifts a woman and protects her modesty and chastity.
http://www.islamdoor.com/

Answer 1

To daffy duck- women hve no scope in da corporate world huh? Current statistics underscore the significant improvement and the remarkable expansion of educational opportunities at all levels for Arab women in the last two decades. A new born girl in the Arab world today has much better chance than her mother to attend school and finish college. Arab governments are committed and determined to augment educational opportunities and to make them accessible to all eligible women. It is firmly believed that without emancipating women from the bondage of illiteracy no real political, social or economic development can take place.
Many Arab women already have distinguished themselves as poets, novelists, teachers, physicians, chemists, physicists, engineers, doctors, judges, lawyers, journalists, and Cabinet members.

Modesty is prescribed to protect women from molestation. Thus, the only purpose of the veil in Islam is protection. The Islamic veil is not a sign of man's authority over the woman, nor is it a sign of the woman's subjection to the man, on the contrary it shows respect and care for the woman.

I really dun care wat ppl think abt da veil. i had the choice 2 wear it n im doin so.atleast it keeps my dignity rather than being luked as a piece of meat nor my body is 4 sum1 2 x-ray thru.

Answer 2

well, not being Islamic myself, I don't have firsthand knowledge of how women really feel under Shariah. As a Christian, I do know that from my denomination, modesty is expected of me and I don't have a problem with that. I do think secular American culture is way to focused on the body, sex, etc. and I'm tired of it. It is such a temporary approach to life. But I do think that men bear responsibility for how they respond to women, even if the women are dressed scantily, they don't have to choose to act upon their own urges. I believe that faith and religion is in place to help us all (men and women) be better people and to keep us from sin. Does covering the woman's body entirely ensure that a man does not lust? No, because even if we appear "good" and "pure" outwardly, our minds and tongues are not. Whether a woman wears Hijaab or not does not degrade her. It is her behavior. At least, that's my opinion.

Answer 3

Lets face it, perverts are everywhere, and every time I turn around I am hearing about new fetishes. Its been my experience, that perverts dont care what you are wearing, all they care about is that you have a vagina, and they want to get to it by any means possible. Who is evil here? The woman who is dressed appropriately and minding her own business, or the nasty perve who knows shes female and could care less what she is wearing? So yes it is a punishment to be the one expected to cover something, when you have done nothing wrong. Why must women pay because men wont control themselves? I dont believe muslim women are safer under the veil, infact they have just as much a chance of being raped as a woman living in the west who doesnt wear a veil. And I agree with Daffy, alot of it isnt reported due to humiliation.

Answer 4

I just glanced through your "article"...
I deduce the following from it:
I don't believe Islam has uplifted women in any way at all...if anything Islam has just confirmed women's status as the master of the house.
Women in Islam have no opportunity to achieve their ambitions in the corporate world, politics(exceptions exist such as Benazir Bhutto but these exceptions are in too few countries), sports....you name it
Also, USA may have the highest incidence of rape, that's because it gets reported. A rape is a matter of great shame for a muslim family. It means there is no way a daughter/sister can now get married if it becomes public knowledge. So families will hide this fact.

Also, a woman's beauty should be admired. If some frustrated or immature man "teases" her, it is his problem, not hers. She knows how to defend herself in the 21'st century.

Answer 5

omg that's long. i didn't read anything but the question, but here i go anyway:
many muslim women today choose not to cover themselves except for the legs and arms to adopt to today's society.
men have sick minds (everyone knows that) so they cover themselves up. since they know men think "wrong" if they dressed up a lot around them it would be purposely trying to attract them, which isn't allowed in islam. they can dress up how they want around women, as long as they like cover their knees.
islam gives equal rights to both sexes.
i hate it when people judge this religion without knowing anything about it, just because they are weak enough to let the media influence them. islam is the fastest growing religion for a reason, you know... it might help to learn about it before making your own judgements about it.

Answer 6

just because Islam women wear the veil it doesn’t degrade them, it a decision they choose between them selves and their believer, so they choose to cover up them selves, doesn’t make them any more or less of a person, everyone has there own beliefs and each religion makes a decision for them selves on how they want to run there lives, so one should judge a person on there beliefs we are who we choose to be and choose to believe in whom ever we please, be your self believe in your self and don’t let anyone take anything away from you especially your respect..............

Answer 7

See answer included with question.

Answer 8

They don't want you to see some good azz and titz.

Answer 9

all religions, abuse from women, not just islam.