muslim women not required to wear veils, Queen Rania of jorden

[FatB]

ROME (AFP) - Islam does not require women to wear veils, Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan has said in an interview, calling on Muslim moderates to "make their voices be heard."

 

"Islam neither requires one to be practising, nor to dress in one way or another," the stylish 36-year-old queen told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera during a visit to Rome on Friday.

 

"So imposing the veil on a woman is contrary to the principles of Islam," said Queen Rania, who is in Rome for the launch of a Group of Seven (G7) programme to develop vaccines against diseases that are endemic in poor countries.

 

"Unfortunately, after all the suspicion weighing on Islam, many people have begun to consider the veil as a political problem, but this is not the case," she told Corriere. "Wearing the veil is a free personal choice."

 

Queen Rania urged "all moderates to stand up and let their voices be heard."

 

She added: "Many people are frustrated in the Arab world. Many give in to the anger because they are accused of violence. But instead we should get up, explain who we are and what we believe in.

 

"Over the last three years, most victims of terrorism have been Muslim. So there's not a war between Muslims and non-Muslims, but between extremists and moderates of all the religions," the queen said.

 

"What is important is not to live in fear. The most dangerous (thing to do) is to give up and lose hope. The main enemy is not terrorism or extremism, but ignorance," she said.

[Taliban]

Queen Rania is a "moderate" Muslim, therefore, her opinion about hijab isn't credible.

[rudy-Diiriye]

taliban and u is fake muslim! so what gives.

[Taliban]

Originally posted by rudy:

u is fake muslim!

Please let's talk, discuss about or criticize our opinions, viewpoints, thoughts, iwm-- not about who we might or could be when we don't even personally know each other. I talked about and criticized the Queen's opinion on hijab; I didn't attack or criticize her person. Thank you.

[Aisha]

^^If I were you rudy......I'd be carful who I call a "fake muslim"! It might come back to you.

 

Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan said the same thing on oprah! May Allah guide her and remove her ignorance!

[king_450]

 

 

You mean like these!

 

 

[Khayr]

Wow...Rania, what a Mujtahida such innovative qiyas. :rolleyes:

[Hunguri]

Rania,Abdul, and even the late King Hussein. They are/were all seculars, who are wordly rather than people with their true Spritucall Islamic believes. To be honest, Yeah any thing! but relegion must not be a tool used to carry out your personal satisfaction. Be in beauty,dressing,sociall life. You name it!

[N.O.R.F]

Another case of i'm educated (not in Islam) so i can disagree with the scholars. Its everywhere.

[Haneefah]

Perhaps by veil she is referring to the niqaab used to cover the face and not the head covering, in which case her assertion of it being a personal choice would hold valid.

 

However, what I don't quite understand is her urging of the so called 'moderates' to stand up. Against what? For whom?

"Islam neither requires one to be practising, nor to dress in one way or another,"

 

And here, she completely lost me :rolleyes: She maintains that ignorance is the root cause of the problem, yet this comment of hers indicates her high level of ignorance about this religion that she's seemingly trying to portray in a positive light.

[Naden]

Her statements about religious practice and wear are valid. Hijab or niqab, a particular dress is not required but a manner of dress and, most importantly, behaviour admonished. Also, people can choose to believe or disbelieve in the entire message/faith so practice, which is secondary to belief, is optional as well.

[N.O.R.F]

Are you saying to simply believe and not practice is ok?

[NGONGE]

Originally posted by Northerner:

Another case of i'm educated (not in Islam) so i can disagree with the scholars. Its everywhere.

The problem is with the scholars though, not Rania and her ilk. Besides, you’ll probably find that there are some scholars that agree with the Queen here.

 

Incidentally, North saaxib, what scholars do you usually agree with? The Saudi (general Gulf) scholars or the Azhar scholars of Egypt?

 

ps

I don't think she's best suited to speak to the world about Islam, however, I think her position invariably forces her to deal with all sorts of questions from the press.

This is assuming that she did not eagerly volunteer these answers.

[N.O.R.F]

Saxib, I cant say i've been exposed to one school more so than the other but then again I grew up in the KSA (very short), have cousins in their 3rd year at Medina and have a general soft spot for the place. I also have an uncle who is a Al Azhar graduate. That’s my ‘exposure’. Save the general Maliki/Hanbali differences, the more detailed differences between the two (who agrees with what and who doesn’t endorse what) I’m not entirely aware of. I can’t say I agree with a particular scholar(s) opinion because he is from the KSA or Egypt. I cant say I’ve been keeping tabs on scholarly opinions of late.

 

Now I’m not aware of any scholars who have stated/endorsed that’s it OK to simply believe and not practice (i stand to be corrected) hence my earlier statement. I’m aware of differences in other subjects but not the 'practicing' of Islam.

 

I know the shamis (she Filastini i think) tend to be more 'liberal' though.

[NGONGE]

^^^ Sounds like you're as confused as the rest of us.

 

As for the practising parts, I think (and I’m guessing here) it might have something to do with the differences between those scholars that regard someone that does not practise as an apostate and those scholars that regard them as, simply, lapsed Muslims (the Queen is probably stretching that last point to suit her own ends).