Who is oppressed? What is freedom?

Question

Are Muslim women who wear Hijab really oppressed. Wearing it because they chose to wear it, because Allah told them to wear it. Allowing themselves to be evaluated because of their inteligence, skills and personality.

Or are they women who cannot walk down the street without every aspect of her physical self being ``checked out''?
Overweight adolescents hanging themselves and 13-year-old girls sticking their fingers down their throats.

What kind of freedom is this? Women are being used to sell products! Why do we allow ourselves to be manipulated like this? She is being coerced into selling herself, into compromising herself.

Wearing the hijab has given me freedom from constant attention to my physical self.

The Qur'an teaches us that men and women are equal, that individuals should not be judged according to gender, beauty, wealth, or privilege. The only thing that makes one person better than another is her or his character

Women are not going to achieve equality with the right to bear their breasts in public, as some people would like to have you believe. That would only make us party to our own objectification. True equality will be had only when women don't need to display themselves to get attention and won't need to defend their decision to keep their bodies to themselves.

Answer 1

It's an oppression if someone wear hijab because her family forces her, and it's an oppression if a country forces Women in there to wear hijab
It's oppression if someone or country forced Women to not wear hijab
It's not oppression when a Muslima wear hijab because She wants to wear.
Women has freedom when they can choose and decide by their selves to wear hijab or not

Answer 2

First of all, you are wrong on both the Hijab and the Equality between Men and Women.

Hijab: There is NO such thing in Islam, Modesty is what is prescribed and every woman must judge for herself what is modest, do you think if GOD does not force us to "Believe" He would force us to be dressed in one particular way?? Whoever wants to cover every inch of their bodies ... so be it and whoever does not ... so be it. God will Judge and the Quran in NO way forces the covering of the head ANYWHERE, the so called Hadith of the Prophet are invented. Cover yourselves so that you may not be molested .......... thats what women should.

Equality: I don't know which Quran you are reading but Men are given a higher rank over Women ALL over the place, that does not mean their should be injustice towards women ... it means MEN need to take care and respect the weaker of the pair from Mankind and be kind and understanding to their needs which are different to men. The Angels are on a higher plane of existence above ALL of the creatures GOD has created, so do they do injustice to us just because they are ranked higher than us?? NO, they only punish us when we do wrong AFTER GOD commands them to, but HE forgives most of the wrongs we commit ... becasue HE is the Merciful. In the same sense, since GOD is the highest, does HE go around opressing everyone? ...... some say He does ....... but they are ignorant, it is we that wrong ourselves and GOD never wrongs a single creature in the Universe.

So far are we from the truth today that sometimes I just feel like an idiot trying to explain to people the truth and sometimes I just pray to my LORD to send down the Messiah once again ........ MAY GOD HAVE MERCY.

Answer 3

Where are all these women walking around with their breasts out? The only time I've ever seen a breast in public was when a mother was breastfeeding. It sounds like you are scared of your body. I dress conservatively, because that's how I am, but I don't have to go to the Lengths of wearing a hijab.

If the quran teaches that men and women are equal, then why can't women drive in many muslim countries? Why can't they see a doctor who is a male? Why do they not get education past the fourth grade? That does not sound equal, it sounds oppressed.

If you choose to wear the hijab, that is your choice, but don't press your beliefs onto others.

Answer 4

Wearing a hijab by choice is certainly not opression. But a culture that teaches women that their faces are sinful, or that they must sit by and allow male relatives to kill their daughters because they fell in love with someone from a rival sect or something is oppression. Certainly if a woman chooses to honor her faith by covering her head before God, that is not oppression. If, however, such coverings are compulsory, as they were in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, where women could be stoned to death for showing an ankle while stumbling over a rock or something, it is oppressive. If you chose the hijab, then by all means, wear it with pride.

I'd like to add, though, that men like the one below are often speaking of how women should respect themselves by covering their bodies. Men are never asked to do this. If MEN could respect women, our body coverings would not be an issue. I certainly understand where he's coming from - thongs frighten me! - but speedos on men are pretty scary, too, and we don't make that an issue of self respect... that's just a "taste" issue.

Answer 5

Asalamu-Alaikum sister

Oppression is being bounded by societies doctrines of beauty. Being able to walk down the street showing everything to the rest of the world is not freedom but it's rather oppressive. Some woman don't mind of course, but these are the same women who are often the targets of rape, infidelity, misconduct and several negative points.

Is western freedom of clothing liberation of sexploitation? I often ask myself that. Although I have a lot of non-Muslim friends who don't cover and don't mind not covering.. I see them struggling to live up to the latest fashion trends, and many of the times being followed by strange men. Today in some societies, particularily in the West a woman can walk semi-naked in public, swim topless, patronise bars adn clubs, smoke, drink, dance in discos and have sex with anybody she feels like. She can even serve her boyfriend, like an unpaid prostitute, adn be free to murder her unborn child if she falls pregnant. She can also compete in the business world by using her body to promote comercial commodities. At the end of the day she will be regarded as a truly 'liberated' woman!!

A truly liberated woman always dresses decently and modestly. A true woman will never degrade her body and sell her dignity to the highest bidder. No woman is truly liberated is she is still the slave of her wayward consicence, bodily lust or infidelity. However, in Islam, women, whatever theri role as mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, command respect and have a constructive role to play in society.

It is so sad to see young girs putting all their effort into losin weight, and having the "perfect body"..

Inshallah Allah guides us all sister. Ameen

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 their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or those whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O you Believers! Repent all of you together to Allah, that you may attain success. (Al-Noor-31)

Answer 6

The hijab is one of the single most respectful religious garments there ever was and ever will be. Women who wear them have my respect always. And I am a Christian.

Christian women could learn much about respecting their selves from Muslim women.

Answer 7

Excellent presenting to the Islamic viewpoint, I completely agree.

Answer 8

it is better to ware the scarf than the bikini so ware it with pride and fredom of thought to do it

Answer 9

I am not a Muslim, but I agree with and respect the ideas that you have shared here. Thanks!

Answer 10

Well said sisters...