HIJAB: Suppression or Liberation?

[Baashi]

HIJAB: Suppression or Liberation?

If it's a Liberation how come many Somali women r not veiled? What is their reasoning? If it is Suppression what is the case for it? When ppl (influenced by the media) ask u: is it like (Afghanistan): r women oppressed like that how do u respond? I would appreciate if Nomad ladies participate and enlighten us the problem they face when they put their hijab on...in schools or at work?

 

Feminism: does it inhibit or promote hijab?

 

Interestingly enough, I find an article that rationalizes and sheds a positive light on hijab on the grounds that real feminist r for hijab!!!!

 

I will share wit u..after ur input. The Islamic point of view of the subject is here

[Baashi]

Ms.Naheed Mustafa "My body is my own business"

Here is her take on this

[Dalni]

The enlightened and the well educated women of the west are nowadays discovering the lies of the western ideology, the ill-informed ones on the other hand believe that wearing Hijab for their self-respect is suppression.

 

The majority of those women who convert to Islam and wear the Hijab permanently, are those who with a broad knowledge of the position of women have seen the need to liberate themselves from the sinful practices of the morally corrupt western world. Many women have seen the moral decay of capitalisation or may i say liberalism, they have realised that women's body has become an object that is used to sell products, a fantasy tool instead, rather than being regarded as a human being. They are now waking up to the fact that its liberal economical aspects (capitalism) that exploits women and forces them to conform to the needs of the dominant male population, who percieve them as a desire object.

 

A woman is told to show her hair and body curves to the lusty eyes of men, they under go a hell lot of pain to get the perfect body that satisfies the male's fantasy. It is simply sin!

 

Women dont let sinful men take away your God-given right, the right to earn respect. Wear the Hijab to liberate yourself from the devil.

[Baashi]

True...

Education is not the driving force for those who embrace the hijab but faith is..

[SCORPION_SISTA]

Hey baashi.... Nice topic,

Hijab where do I start??? I guess in order to know whether Hijab is a liberation or suppression to women depends on what Allah had intended it to be and what had cultures, societies, and especially men turned Hijab’s purpose?

In my opinion as to what Allah was asking women to wear Hijab and other dress codes was for the protection of women cause really if all the population of the world is just women who the hell cares if one woman is half naked or not no one is jumping her cause she aroused them or what not (except lesbians but they are minorities), so it only leads to that men having so little control over their baser needs (be it to their sexual fantasies or thoughts that lead to sexual activity) which in terms lead to Xaram activities. Allah had the strong sex of the gender to make the ultimate sacrifice and cover themselves. To me, I think that feminists should support Hijab because feminist fights for the equal treatment of both males and females, and with them being covered women are not forced to use their bodies for advancements or in any demeaning ways. I mean come on, wearing a Hijab makes a woman less attractive than one who is not wearing one, cause let’s face it having hair around ones face makes a huge difference in their total appearance in the end. Therefore, women wearing Hijab are being listen to based on how they think etc and presents the image of a woman who is standing on her own two feet.

Why some Somali women don’t wear them? Hmm there are a lot of things that we suppose to be doing such as praying and what not and not all of us do so and they not doing it cause we think it is not liberating or good for us, it’s just each one of us arrives at the decision in different times. Another part I think is that what men have associated Hijab with is that if a Somali guy sees a women wearing Hijab their mentality toward those women change, they treat them with respect that they might not give to other non-hijab wearing women. And maybe those women that don’t wear it are protesting against that type of mentality or behaviors.

Allah has give all human beings the right to make choices when all options are provided and punishments are also outlined, it is not the right of another human to come and force a woman to wear something she does not choose to do so (such as maybe in Afghanistan and other Arabic countries) because that same people would not be standing in front of Allah for them on the day of judgment so all someone should do is teach a person the difference between right and wrong and let them make their choices and mistakes. Wearing Hijab and another stuffs should be done for the LOVE OF ALLAH nothing else not because of force or oppression NOTHING ELSE.

Dang I wrote too much I guess this is my 5 cents this time; I hope it makes sense to u baashi. PEACE

[Baashi]

Scorpion_sis,

Good points..and it makes sense to me and it is good to know how nomads rationalize this..thanx for sharing ur thoughts wit us.

[Blessed]

True liberation as it allows the women to be more then a mere object of desire.

[Baashi]

Ameenah,

U hit it on the head..mansha Allah!

And that is what it comes down to: Hollywood and advertisement industry looks at young women as a product and they exploit them..In acedamia there are Marketing classes (Business majors) that encourages the view that young pretty women r asset to tap on for advertisement purposes!

thanx Ameenah,

[Thinkerman]

Baashi for us as muslims this is a something that is Mandetory, well for our women folk, so it goes without a question that if they (our sisters)do fear allah then they should be obediant and follow allah's law's.

 

My on prespective and expierences on this is quite simple, dispite the fact that some may say that it is a wrong way of viewing things.

 

The way i have viewed a muslim women wearing a hijab and dressing modestly over the rest of her body has been that i view her as a sister, so i respect her, her modesty and as a result i cant but treaty her like a my own sister.

As oppessed to the muslim women who doesnt wear the hijab and doesnt dress modestly over the rest of her body i sometimes cannot but fall foul to the whispers of shatan and Druell over her exposed body.

 

"To me, I think that feminists should support Hijab because feminist fights for the equal treatment of both males and females, and with them being covered women are not forced to use their bodies for advancements or in any demeaning ways."

 

I agree SS they should support and promote modesty for women as a means of protecting their rights, alittle bit of modest from the ladies in most western countries could go along way to improving alot of ppl's behaviour's.

 

Ameenah I couldnt agree more here.

 

wa aleikum salam and Ramadan Mubaraak Nomads.

[Paragon]

Hmm.... What was the topic about?

 

Oh yeah it was about XIJAAB!

 

I nowadays call it "The weapon", the empowerment of the female population. It is confidence in one way, it tells the man, "Oi! deal with me and who i am but not how i look and what i wear!". Quite a strong arguement there eh!? I find that very fair, you know, when liberialism actually take all powers from the female population, Islam is giving back powers to females and many more rights too. You see!, Islam actually gave this rights back to women 1400 years ago. Amazing isn't it? Most females are only trying to understand why women dont have enough powers to make them equal to men? They are actually rolling their eyes in disbelief!!! Feminists ask, why are we (women) treated like this? And i will tell'em, "coz you made me treat you as an object you see?" So, if women want empowerment they have to learn what their rights are and what are the abuses agaisnt them. The Xijaab is the first weapon for a woman's self-empowerment.

 

I talk too much i know, but excuse moi

[Baashi]

Shujui-1,

That makes sense.

I was expecting to see a nomad who points out that there r women who don't wear the Hijab(as we come to know it) but r decent, law abiding, humble, and everything u expect from true muslima. They wear traditional clothes and their understanding of Islam is consistent with our parents understanding...but when u looked at the directives u begin to see some inconsistencies.

 

The same is true about men especially those of us who play soccer...and summer time..shorts r popular.

 

Ramadan kariim. Charity to ur relatives who r in need or in a refugee camp is desirable...consider it.

[Captivating_SouL]

In definition suppression means'-conscious and forceful action to put an end to something, destroy it, or prevent it from becoming known.

 

Liberation'-gaining equal rights for a particular group by setting its members free from traditional socially imposed constraints such as those arising from sexual or ageist stereotyping.

 

And for you nomads who think' a sistah without a hijab will be viewded less differently' are wrong. I'm not arguing in saying' wearing the hijab is less by all means but really it all comes down to how you carry yourself as sistah' brotha and so far. Nevertheless' i seen a lot of sistah who pretray themselves as "innoicient, relgious person" but in reality' that's all a face. But if you guys would of connected "how one carries oneselve to how one maybe viewd" than i won't have anything to argue....... so just because someone looks respectble, innocient doesn't necessary mean it's the true self they are appearing to the public.....what happen' thought looks can be deceiving...?

[Baashi]

True,

How one is perceived and the true nature of that person are not always a mirror image! But why would any sista wear Hijab in the west when there is no incentive to do that? Faith is the answer.

thnx for ur input.

[Baydan]

Liberation ofcourse, the west are seeing that in their own eyes nowadays. Have you all noticed it is actually more women that are reverting to Islam then men?if I remember correctly I believe the stats had said something along the lines of 1-4, man-woman ratio.

 

Brown-Sugga

Look at it from the broader prespective view. It isnt about whether the women that dont cover are all bad but rather what these women are subjugated to and proving the point of whose the oppressed. Incomparison it shows that the uncovered women come out as the burdened ones in terms of meeting up the ever fluxuating of the society's expectation on what an ideal beautiful woman should look like e.g the hassle the emotional strain women undergo to loose/gain wieght in order to look pleasing to the male eye; western women are always being exploited as sex objects. Plain to see that not the hijabis but the uncovered (in this context uncovered is used as a term to identify the western women or the unbelievers) who are the oppressed.

[Captivating_SouL]

Baydan,

unquestionably hijab by far has create us an identity in which we some take for granted,; but i believe you missed my theory of this topic...like i said earlier' hijab+ how one carries his/herselve has a greater massage than simply wearing a hijab without digity.

 

Baashi' in reference to what you said- i believe that not only has faith motivated our true soul but hereafter it'selve...the challenge of reaching jahna.

 

one xxxxx