Why the Veil Liberates Women !

Good article by Omer Iqbal
Last month, newspapers all over the world broke the story of Faiza Silmi, a Muslim woman who was denied French citizenship on grounds of her ‘radical’ practice of Islam. On top of that, French minister for urban affairs, Fadela Amara – herself a Muslim – called Ms. Silmi’s face veil “a prison” and a “straitjacket.” This is despite the fact that Ms. Silmi wears it out of choice.

The concept of veil is quite misunderstood both in the West as well as amongst some Muslims. Sydney Morning Herald published a great article by Naomi Wolf exploring the motivation of wearing a veil among Muslim women – the article is a very good one and worth a read for anyone trying to understand the issue. The author recognized that Muslims differentiate between private and public life when it comes to sexuality. Modesty is a cherished value for both men and women in public. In an Islamic society, partners exclusively belong to each other. Explaining the concept, Ms. Wolf writes:

The West interprets veiling as repression of women and suppression of their sexuality. But when I travelled in Muslim countries and was invited to join a discussion in women-only settings within Muslim homes, I learned that Muslim attitudes toward women's appearance and sexuality are not rooted in repression, but in a strong sense of public versus private, of what is due to God and what is due to one's husband. It is not that Islam suppresses sexuality, but that it embodies a strongly developed sense of its appropriate channelling - toward marriage, the bonds that sustain family life, and the attachment that secures a home.

A family forms the foundation of a society, and it ought to be preserved. Modesty is one of the means, and perhaps the most important means, of achieving that goal. And headscarf is one of the many components of that modesty. However, it is not only headscarf that is the focus of Islamic teachings - it is in fact modesty. For this reason, in its order, Quran first addresses males and tells them to "lower their gaze and guard their modesty" and then moves to address women. Exploring the headscarf, the author narrates:

Many women said something like this: "When I wear Western clothes, men stare at me, objectify me, or I am always measuring myself against the standards of models in magazines, which are hard to live up to - and even harder as you get older, not to mention how tiring it can be to be on display all the time. When I wear my headscarf or chador, people relate to me as an individual, not an object; I feel respected." This may not be expressed in a traditional Western feminist set of images, but it is a recognisably Western feminist set of feelings.

The author also recounted her experiment of trying out a headscarf in shalwar kameez, dress worn by men and women in eastern countries. Her experience and learning are worth a read as they shed light on the feelings of a western non-Muslim woman in veil for the first time.

http://blogs.omeriqbal.com/news#128