http://www.emory.edu/ENGLISH/Bahri/Veil.html
Women,
Islam, and Hijab
Background
The practice of hijab among Muslim women
is one based on religious doctrine, although the Qur'an does not
mandate it. Instead, it comes from the Hadith of Sahih Bukhari.
The Hadith, the "tradition of Mohammed," reveals the teachings of
the Prophet to believers. Bukhari's version of this text is
generally regarded as the standard one, although numerous versions
exist. In a very broad sense, the relation the Hadith has to the
Qur'an resembles the New Testament's to the Old in Christian
scriptures.
According to the Hadith, "My Lord agreed with me ('Umar) in three
things... (2) And as regards the veiling of women, I said 'O
Allah's Apostle! I wish you ordered your wives to cover themselves
from the men because good and bad ones talk to them.' So the verse
of the veiling of the women was revealled" (Bukhari, v1, bk 8,
sunnah 395).
Surah XXXIII, Verse 59 of the Qur'an is most often cited in
support of veiling. It states "O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy
daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks
close around them. that will be better, so that they may be
recognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever forgiving, merciful...."
(from A.Yusef Ali's translation of the Qur'an; other versions
translate the original Arabic as "veils" where Ali uses "cloaks").
The veil is not a uniquely Islamic convention; the practice has a
long history in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Catholic nuns
engage in the practice, of course, and there are several
references to the practice in both the Old and New Testaments
(King James Version). Ironically, the representation of veiling in
the Bible is much more problematic than those in the Qur'an or the
Hadith, because the Judeo-Christian sources imply that women
should be covered because of their inherent inferiority. I
Corinthians 11 (3-10) offers one example:
But I would have you know, that the
head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man;
and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying
having his head covered, dishonoreth his head. But every woman
that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth
her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if
the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn or shaven; but if
it be a hame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be
covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch
as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of
the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the
man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head
because of the angels.
For more information about veiling in
the Judeo-Christian Tradition, see
Women in Islam Versus Women in the Judeo-Christian Tradition: The
Myth and the Reality by Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem.
The Ongoing
Debate
Among Muslim women, the debate about hijab takes many
forms. Many believe that the veil is a way to secure personal
liberty in a world that objectifies women. Several women have
argued that hijab allows them freedom of movement and control of
their bodies. Understood in such terms, hijab protects women from
the male gaze and allows them to become autonomous subjects.
Others have argued that the veil only provides the illusion of
protection and serves to absolve men of the responsibility for
controlling their behavior.
Both positions assert that Islam is not responsible for sexism. In
fact, the Qur'an supports the notion of gender equality. As
scholar Fatima Mernissi puts it "the existing inequality does not
rest on an ideological or biological theory of women's
inferiority, but the outcome of specific social institutions
designed to restrain her power" (Beyond xvi).
Mernissi views the recent rise of women's repression in some
Muslim countries as a rejection of colonial influence:
The fact that Western colonizers took
over the paternalistic defense of the Muslim woman's lot
characterized any changes in her condition as concessions to the
colonizer. Since the external aspects of women's liberation, for
example, the neglect of the veil for western dress, were often
emulations of Western women, women's liberation was readily
identified as succumbing to foreign influences (Ibid, vii).
Although written in the 70's,
Mernissi's work sheds light on more recent events like the
reinstitution of mandatory veiling by Afghanistan's Taliban
regime.
Some Interesting Links
Hadith Service This service provides a great way of becoming
familiar with the Hadith and the role that it plays in the Islamic
faith. When you subscribe, you will recieve two to three surahs
per week via e-mail. Muslims and non-Muslims are encouraged to
participate.
The Virtual Library This database provides a good overview of
major issues concerning the Islamic faith.
The Qur'an This great resource provides the full text of the
Qur'an online.
The Hadith This database has the full text of Sahih Bukhari as
well as excerpts from other versions of the Hadith.
Arab Net If you are interested in just about any aspect of
Arab culture, you will find this website useful. Arab Net
provideds detailed information about several middle Eastern and
North African countries, including information about the status of
women in these countries.
Full-text
Articles on Women and Islam
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/humanrelations/womeninislam/
http://www.qucis.queensu.ca/home/fevens/women_art.html
http://www.unn.ac.uk/societies/islamic/about/women
http://www.kuwait.net/~rws/wi-toc.htm
Women's Issues in Third World Countries--Discussion on Hijab
Bibliography
All
of the following are the work of thinkers from the Arab community.
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Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate.
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Fernea, Elizabeth
Warnock and Basima Qattan Bezirgan, editors. Middle Eastern
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The Muslim Woman's Mode of Dressing According to the Qur'an and
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Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in a Modern Muslim
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-----. The
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-----. Islam and
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