A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| The Hijab: my veil, my choice |
|---|
| Kathy |
| 03/28/04 at 08:12:57 |
| The Hijab: my veil, my choice by Malak Chabkoun – Staff Writer, The Sagamore March 23, 2004 Summer is just around the corner, and that means it's time for the fun, parties, beaches, and the questions. Every year, as summer nears, I get into gear to answer a lot of, "Aren't you hot??" or, "How can you be dressed like that when it's 90 degrees outside? I would never do it if I didn't have to!" or, "Man, you should take all those clothes off in this heat, you're in America now, you don't have to dress like that anymore!" Ever since I made the decision, yes, I chose this by my own will, to wear the Hijab, the Muslim women's veil and long dress, I've gotten a lot of looks, remarks, and well-meant advice. But, see, the thing is, I was born in Little Rock, Ark. I moved to Indiana when I was about two-years-old. The way I dress has nothing to do with where I'm from and everything to do with what God has commanded the Muslim women with. When I was getting ready to enter fifth grade, I begged and pleaded with my parents to wear the Hijab. They said I was too young. I said I was ready to do it. In the end, they relented, and it's been a decade now that I've been wearing the Hijab, and I haven't looked back. In fact, rather than limiting me, the Hijab has given me freedom. It has allowed me to build myself as a woman and to focus on my inner-self rather than my outer appearance. Don't get me wrong, outer appearance matters too, but it doesn't matter one bit if there is nothing substantial inside. I haven't been prevented from going to school and getting an education or working because I am wearing the Hijab or because I am a Muslim woman. Women were not created by God to be looked down upon or stepped on by men. They were not created to be slaves to what their society imposes on them. They were created by God to better society and to nurture future generations. God gave women the right to vote, the right to own property, the right to contribute to society meaningfully, long before men gave these rights to them through man-made systems. It is true that many women may be oppressed by men, but Islam is not responsible for this oppression. In the Quran, Allah says, "There is no compulsion in religion: truth stands out clear from error.?" Therefore, in Islam one cannot be forced to follow the religious guidelines, if someone is being forced, it is mere culture that is doing this. Not only that, Hijab is a reflection of faith and the choice should be in the hands of the woman herself. If she fully accepts Islam, she has chosen to accept this tenant of religion as well. Before Islam, the women who lived in the Arabian Peninsula had no rights, they were the property of their husbands as were goats and cattle. Then, Islam came by way of a prophet, and God restored to women their rights, and made them honored and esteemed members of society. In fact, as the Prophet Muhammad delivered his Last Sermon to the people, he gave them a reminder, "Treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. One time, a woman came to the Prophet Muhammad complaining about her husband's treatment towards her, and Allah revealed a whole chapter of the Quran, titled the Woman Who Pleads, acknowledging her complaint and giving her reassurance. Incidences such as these were not uncommon during the early Islamic period, women had been suffering at the hands of men for a long period of time and early Islamic leaders worked hard to make sure the oppression stopped. For this reason, when I hear about a woman being oppressed in a so-called Muslim country, I know that this while the act may be done in the name of Islam, it has nothing to do with what this religion is built on. Just as there is a stereotype that most Americans are materialistic, there is a stereotype that most Muslim women are forced to wear the Hijab. When you speak, however, to a Muslim woman, you will more than likely find she is proud to be obeying God and no one else in choosing to dress the way she does. Because I know the true foundations of Islam, I don't view my veil and long dress as awkward or demeaning. I view it as a protection of that which God has given me, a protection of my physical and mental capacities. The veil has given me self-respect and allowed me to value myself as a woman. My Hijab may cover my hair, but it opens my mind. http://www.sagamore.iupui.edu/33_26/viewpoints/hijab.html |
| Lets get Creative about Covering |
|---|
| bismilla |
| 04/01/04 at 01:03:44 |
| [slm] :-) There are a million threads on Hijab, so i did not want to start a new one. Hope you don't mind me adding this here Sr. Kathy. You see, the Governments of the world appear to have this obsessiosn with a piece of material about 110 cm². What i have been wondering is, why don't we get technical and creative? ;) We could have HOODS sewn in abaya's for example. If you wear your hooded track top will you be requested to remove that too? What about those Mohair shawls during winter? Also, when the order for covering was given, the woman used their BEDSHEETS. OK, that might be a tad impractical, but in the face of adversity, it might not be such a bad idea!!? Also, Allah SWT told us to Cover..and other than the crucial basics, we are permitted to cover according to the various cultures & climates we come from. So lets looks at our cultures for inspiration. Like the Venda women have these beautiful Kaftans and turban style head gear here. I am sure that can be nicely adapted to fit into a Hijabi's wardrobe Insha Allah :) So...do you have an idea about covering that keeps in mind the command of Allah and incorporates your culture? I just think that Allah SWT has given us an opportunity that we seem to be overlooking - to get creative - ways in which we can side-step the bans and still come out victorious for the sake fo Allah, Insha Allah. Also, here's a site i came across yesterday, detailing new ways to use the good ol' scarf. http://www.headwearheaven.com/Islamic%20Headwear%201%20piece%20Styles.htm |
| 04/01/04 at 01:06:04 |
| bismilla |
| Re: The Hijab: my veil, my choice |
|---|
| al-ajnabia |
| 04/01/04 at 18:26:54 |
| [slm] Well, the way I see it it needs to be obviously islamic otherwise it will be seen as potentially inaproriate atire for a sane woman. when I began to cover I experimented with ways of covering that covered my awra but didnt look islamic, but I was hospitalized three times involuntaily and each time my tendency to wear more clothing than atmospheric conditions required was cited as evidence that I could be a threat to myself and others. In each situation my doctors were either jewish or hindu and the questions Iwas asked were related to terrorism, but because my dress was not obviously islamic they could hide better how they were using the health care system for extrajudicial incarceration. They listed my belief in Islam as one of my many delusions, all of which have in time proven true. The drugs I was forced to take (I could have refused and did refuse but was injected and threatend with six months to a year in state instatutions if I did not cooperate and take what they gave me and sign whatever I was told to sign) slurred my speech and made me irratable, they made it very dificult for me to expalin that this was a mistake or to explain my beleifs calmly and rationally, and now i know it was no mistake. I honestly flet like they were experimenting to see what drugs they could use to brainwash muslims, and every drug they gave me made me suicidal, and gave me tremors and partial paralysis of the face almost immediately. It is very important that people know exaclty why you cover and that you are not somone they can quietly dissapear into the miasma of state hospitals where there is no habius corpus and little way to get out without losing six months to a year of your life over nothing. And in that whole time you may very well never see another muslim who can speak up for you. And they will feed you pork every night. Discalimer: if anyone is really truely crazy go ahead and go to the hospital. |
| Re: The Hijab: my veil, my choice |
|---|
| bismilla |
| 04/02/04 at 00:12:36 |
| [slm] Sr. Pebble I salute your strength and am sorry for the hard time you had. :( I know what face paralysis and slurred speech is all about, i have been inflicted with it as well, (although not with medication and certainly not by anyBODY). You know, i am very afraid for people placed in medical care and where there is no one to stand up for them, especially when they are not in a capable state to stand up for themselves. How do you suppose we go about helping in such a case...or attempting to change such a situation, Insha Allah. How would you define "Islamic" attire? |
| 04/02/04 at 00:13:36 |
| bismilla |
| Re: The Hijab: my veil, my choice |
|---|
| al-ajnabia |
| 04/02/04 at 08:29:43 |
| [slm] The last time this happened to me I was wearing ahijab pinned under my chin and a long sleve shirt and jeans, this wasnt enough. I had also worn shaylas, but no body was willing to show me how to wear them. After that time I took it off and started wearing "normal" clothing because I was afraid of waht they could do to me perminatly. I also neary killed myself flushing the drugs out of my system with a bottle of evan williams. The drugs have a hangover effect that cause worse problems than they are said to cure and I was sure I would get over that (and I had talked to others in similar situations but not muslim who knew that alchohol flushes out these drugs)if I could just get all the time released stuff they say isnt in there out of my system. I promise you, alcholol poisoning was not near so bad as what I felt befor that. But I nearly asperated as I had no one to baby sit me. NOw I have been wearing hijab for just over a year and jilbab for almost as long, and only the problem people claim that I am not muslim now, also the last time I was in the hospital I metioned that one off the people who had been denouncing my sanity was a person who had been making passes at me and was an instructor of mine the previous semester. They hadnt had this information. but this was after I had been drugged and the damage done, but they let me out the next day. The only thing that can be done for all people int his situatin is heathcare reform, and by this I dont mean giving a blank check to doctors, because they will beat the bushes for people to authorise charges over. I have never been prescribed a drug which did not have slipping sales, or from a company whose stock was not down at the time. I worry most about the people with Muchhousens by proxy, the people whose relative drug them and claim they are crazy. I also have this problem. In the hospital they teach you there are consequences to tryingto explin some things to people. You never say "my mother is hurting me" if you wish to get out ever. You have to quit saying that or they wont let you out. You have to denounce that you said that or they wont let you out. Now I wear niqab. It is the end of the semester and the people who harm me always increase their efforts at theis time. I am used to sleep dep, and being drugged, but my facial expression shows a lot of tenison. I feel safer if It cant be seen. Since I am indeed muslim, it is a suport and a comfort to me int he trobles I face, and it turns out it wont change my prospects for employment, and I have some supportive professors and administrators now, who wont let me be pressured to take it off, and who check to make sure I am still wearing it. Never give up, say what you have to say to get out, bide your time and keep trying to be heard, but be careful about going back to the hospital because it ruins credibility and that is hard to overcome. Dont start a complaint with "a whole lot of jews seem to be harrassing me" because that sounds crazy, but if it is true, try to work it in gradually, or start with hindus if you have those too, everybody knows aparently that hindus can have real problems letting a muslim pass unmolested. i get groped by hindus if I ride the public bus and had to pay a lot of money for a college bus pass to get away from them. You just have to be smart, but if you see an angle to expose this problem, go for it, but watch your back. There are may people who see "crazy" people as their personal money trees, and a lot of those "crazys" only saw something they shouldnt have. |
| Re: The Hijab: my veil, my choice |
|---|
| Ankabut |
| 04/02/04 at 12:49:27 |
| [slm] WHY DO I WEAR HIJAB? By Sultana Yusuf Ali (A 17 year old Toronto high school student) I probably do not fit into the preconceived notion of a ‘rebel’. I have no visible tatoos and minimal piercings. I do not possess a leatherjacket. In fact, when most people look at me, their first thought usually is something along the lines of ‘oppressed female’. The brave individuals who have mustered the courage to ask me about the way I dress usually have questions like: “Do your parents make you wear that?” or “Don’t you find that really unfair?” A while back, a couple of girls in Montreal were kicked out of school for dressing like I do. It seems strange that a little piece of cloth would make for such controversy. Perhaps the fear is that I am harbouring an Uzi underneath it. Of course, the issue at hand is more than a mere piece of cloth. I am a muslim woman, who like millions of other Muslim women across the globe, chooses to wear the hijab. And the concept of the hijab, contrary to popular opinion, is actually one of the most fundamental aspects of female empowerment. When I cover myself, I make it virtually impossible for people to judge me according to the way I look. I cannot be categorized because of my attractiveness or lack thereof. Compare this to life in today’s society: We are constantly sizing one another up on the basis of clothing, jewellery, hair and makeup. What kind of depth can there be in a world like this? Yes, I have a body, a physical manifestation upon this earth. But it is the vessel of an intelligent mind and a strong spirit. It is not for the beholder to leer at or to use in advertisements to sell everything from beer to cars. Because of the superficiality of the world in which we live, external appearances are so stressed that the value of the individual counts for almost nothing. It is a myth that women in today’s society are liberated. What kind of freedom can there be when a woman cannot walk down the street, without every aspect of her physical self being ‘checked out’. When I wear the hijab, I feel safe from all of this. I can be rest assured that no one is looking ‘at’ me and making assumptions about my character from the length of my skirt. There is a barrier between me and those who would exploit me. I am first and foremost a human being and not vulnerable because of my sexuality. One of the saddest truths of our time is the question of the beauty myth and female self-image. Reading popular teenage magazines, you can instantly find out what kind of body image is ‘in’ or ‘out’. And if you have the ’wrong’ body type, well, then, you’re just going to have to change it, aren’t you. After all, there is no way that you can be overweight and still be beautiful. Look at any advertisement. Is a woman being used to sell the product? How old is she? How attractive is she? What is she wearing more often than not? That woman will be no older that her early 20s, slimmer and more attractive than an average woman, dressed in skimpy clothing. Why do we allow ourselves to be manipulated like this? Whether the 90s woman wishes to believe it or not, she is being forced into a mould. She is being coerced into selling herself, into compromising herself. This is why we have 13-year-old girls sticking their fingers down their throats and overweight adolescents hanging themselves. When people ask me if I feel oppressed, I can honestly say no. I have made this decision out of my own free will. I like the fact that I am taking control of the way other people perceive me. I enjoy the fact that I don’t give anyone anything to look at and have released myself from the pendulum of the fashion industry and other females. My body is my own business. Nobody can tell me how I should look or whether or not I am beautiful. I know that. I am able to say no comfortable when people ask me if I feel and though my sexuality is being repressed. I have taken control of my sexuality. I am thankful I will never have to suffer the fate of trying to lose weight or trying to find the exact lipstick shade that will go with my skin colour. I have made choices about what my priorities are and these are not among them. So next time you see me, don’t look at me sympathetically. I am not under duress or a male-worshipping female captive from those barbarous Arabic deserts. I’ve been liberated. (Published in Toronto Star: Young People’s Press) Thought I'd share this. Ankabut :-) |
| Re: The Hijab: my veil, my choice |
|---|
| Khariya |
| 04/03/04 at 00:06:23 |
| [slm] One of the nicest things about wearing hijab is the amount of respect you receive from non muslims. I have had countless people apologize for cursing around me,and giving me their seat on the bus, and just generally being respectful around me. :-) |
| Re: The Hijab: my veil, my choice |
|---|
| Rabia |
| 04/22/04 at 13:43:46 |
| As Salaamu Alaikum, I feel bad for any sisters who encounter negative experiences as a result of wearing hijab or niqab. For the most part, I've only had very, very positive experiences. I'm from Washington, DC and a lot of people know about the high crime rate down there. I'm not sure if it's as bad as it used to be, after awhile, you get used to it and is no longer an issue that is discussed. Alhamdulillah like Sister Khariya, I generally receive kindness and respect, even from nonMuslims. I can walk through the worst neighborhoods there and men who I witness harrassing young women wearing close to nothing or just not donning Islamic attire, usually step back as I approach and greet me kindly. Many even tell me to stay strong! For me, the hijab is a safe guard. :-) The only time that I was harrassed was a few days after the World Trade Center bombings. As I walked from the train station with the man that I was considering marrying and his sister we passed a man sitting on a bench. On my way back, I passed him again but was alone and he said something so nasty that left my heart hurting for him. I wasn't offended because I knew that he was speaking out of ignorance. And before that, I had to change dentists because every time I would visit him, who would make crude comments about my hijab. Once he even tried to snatch it off. Astagfiru`allah, I could have told the brothers in my juma`at, but I chose not to. As for all of those remarks regarding being hot in the summer and having to wear hijab, I always recall what my cousin once said to someone: "It might be hot out here with me wearing this, but it'll be a lot hotter in the hell-fire if I don't!" MaSalaam |
| Re: The Hijab: my veil, my choice |
|---|
| al-ajnabia |
| 04/22/04 at 14:09:46 |
| [slm] for me the most pleasant thing about wearing niqab, is that when someone does say something nasty about it,they cant see the look on my face and it steals a lot of the joy in harrasing me for them. But for the most part it has been great. last friday I had to supervise an english class that was taking a test. It was the first time I ever was in charge of a real class of esl students and i did just great. there was a moment of initial shock for my students but then I let my demeanor speak for itself and everthing went well, alHAMduallah. |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |