Senan 1 Naseem Senan December Dr. Rajan Veiling Intertwines With Culture and Religion In recent years, there has been numerous of conflicts and debates over a headscarf, known as a hijab. Hijab literally means curtain or separation. Did you ever wonder why and how a piece of cloth has become such a controversial topic to cause huge commotions especially in the European region? Learning the history of how veiling came about as well as learning why people veil clarifies the misinterpretation the media has portrayed on Muslim women who wear the veil and answers many unanswered questions. Because women, regardless of religion, wore or still wear the veil for different intentions and motives, it has caused such a confusing situation in all societies, which is why everyone should educate themselves before making a hasty claim or decision. A common misconception is that only Muslim women wear the veil when in fact many other religions veil with a wide range of incentives. The veil is also a cultural significance. Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, and Hindu wore or wear the veil for a wide range of reasons. The number of women veiling has tremendously increased all over the world which is why it has been such a focal problem in European countries such as France, Germany etc. Many people are trying to comprehend why some women veil if no religious scripture specifically proclaims women to cover their hair. Since the 1990 s, French sociologists have studied the lives of veiled Muslim women and data results conclude that there is a range and variation in motives and meanings attached to the hijab (Bowen 70). With careful examination and research around the practice of the donning of the hijab or head-scarf by Muslim women, one comprehends the motivations that are scriptural, social, political, or even historical in nature. Such a broad
Senan 2 understanding then explains why there are negative stereotypes attached to the women who choose to wear the hijab. If Muslims were not the first to wear the veil, then who introduced it? The veil is also mentioned in the Middle-Assyrian Laws (750-612BCE), more than twelve hundred years before the advent of Islam. Judaism was the first religion to oblige women to veil; however, many wore it with different intentions and motives. Some Jewish woman wore it to express their religious beliefs while others wore it for cultural, social or political reasoning. Some Jewish women only revealed their hair to their husbands indicating they wore it out in public. The Song of Songs reads: Your eyes are like doves behind your veil (Balchin Song 4:1). Even though women from ancient Near East covered their hair before walking out the house for cultural reason, the Bible suggested the veil is part of the religion. Talmud and Midrash are early classical rabbinic literature that enforced women to cover their hair for religious purposes. For centuries, hair has been viewed as a beautiful aesthetic part of a woman. Songs of Songs seems to suggest that hair is a beauty enhancer: Your hair is like a flock of goats from Gilead (Balchin Song 6:5). However, the Mishnah claims the covering of hair is a Jewish custom rather than the Law of Moses. Consequently, you will encounter Jewish people that do not wear the veil because they believe it is only customary. Then, Christianity formed and accepted the veil as part of their religion. Around the 17th and 18th century, Catholic women commonly wore mantilla to cover their hair. The veil for most Catholic women was only worn during prayers: Any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings shame upon her head (David K. Lowery 11:5). Because the veil was only requested to be worn during prayers, women only wore it in churches and not out in public.
Senan 3 After Christianity, Islam formed and the revelation of Quran was revealed requesting woman to conceal all their adornments. But what exactly are the adornments? Universally, women used to veil themselves outside of their home which is why there is no exact statement in any holy book ordering women to cover their hair: And draw their head covers over their necks and bosoms (Pickthall 24:31). Back then, the issue was not with women not covering their hair, but with women not covering their chest. Nevertheless, I doubt that all women veiled so why doesn t the Quran specifically command women to cover their hair? However, God commanded women to cover their chest using the head scarf suggesting that Muslim women already wore it: And tell the believing women not show of their adornment except only that which is apparent, and draw their head covers, over their necks and bosoms and not reveal their adornment except to their husbands (Pickthall 24:31). The quote in the Quran further explains to women that only certain people can see their hair; thus not only did they wear the veil during prayers, but wore it out in public: Not to show adornment except to their husbands, fathers sisters In Islam (Pickthall 24:31). Being a Muslim veiled woman, I wear the hijab solely for religious purposes because in my heart I believe it was implied in the Quran. For others, wearing the veil is more for modesty reasoning rather than religious motives. The term hijab encompasses more than a scarf or a dress code; it denotes modest dressing. Rousselle, a cultural historian, said modest women wore the veil. Although the veil was a symbol of subjection, it was also a badge of honor, of sexual reserve, and hence of master of the self (A History of Women in the West 315). Then again, others wear the hijab as a reminder of how they are supposed to conduct in society. The hijab encompasses modest behavior; it is an act of modesty. Some Muslim women believe the hijab helps guide them from committing unlawful or silly acts such as; having sexual
Senan 4 intimacy with someone other than a spouse, stealing, lying, cursing etc. It is inaccurate to say that all girls who wear the hijab are righteous because there are some veiled girls worse than girls who do not veil. If someone is wearing the veil, but is not modest in behavior, then that person only displays external modesty and not internal modesty which is worst. Unfortunately, wearing the hijab means representing other veiled girls. Last year, someone approached a veiled girl in Fairfield University asking why she has a boyfriend and then he came and told me that all veiled girls are hypocrites. I asked him why, and he replied, Isn t the point of wearing the hijab is to subdue attention from men, then why does she wear the hijab if she has a boyfriend? I replied, Just because you witnessed one veiled girl with a boyfriend does not mean the rest of us have one. I don t. That is when I realized societies will closely examining me because I wear the scarf: I have to always be on my best behavior because I am not only representing myself, but also all the Muslim women. It is a heavy burden on veiled Muslim girls because they will always be in the public eye as if society is waiting for them to mess up leaving them with no room for error which is inhumane. Fariba, one of the veiled woman interviewed stated, Before I wore the veil I was Fariba and after I wore it I was Islam. If I do something bad it is not Fariba who behaves badly or is impolite, it is Islam (Bowen 80). On the other hand, many women wear the veil for safety. If a man was to approach signified that the wearer was a respectable woman and that no man dare approach without risking grave penalties (A History of Women in the West 315).Men are much likely less to harass a woman wearing a headscarf. Men s sexuality is wild, nearly uncontrollable, that a woman who is not probably robbed will create desire beyond proportion, and that therefore, the solution is to cover women, and keep them away from men (Heath 124). However, it is unfair that women have to cover up so that men do not get aroused. Women get aroused as well, so how
Senan 5 come men don t have to veil? Whether a person wants to dress modestly or not it should be a personal choice. In Western societies, women s sexuality is exploited imbedding the idea that women go further in life through concealing their bodies. Because a man s desire is fulfilled though women, a woman s body has an empowerment over a man. Desires are fulfilled through woman: if you want to buy a car, half naked women are standing next to it in an ad, beers are sold through woman because woman are viewed as sexual objects, pornography is a multibillionaire industry selling desire for men through women, as well as prostitution (Tarlo 54). Hijab frees a woman from being thought of as a sexual object of desire or from being valued for physical appearance, or body shape. Rather, they are noticed for their minds and personalities. A hijab liberates women from the need to conform to unrealistic stereotypes and images dictated by the media. Women wearing hijab have expressed that dressing modestly and covering their hair, minimize sexual harassment in the workplace. Muslims masking their sexuality actually gives them more freedom. O Prophet, tell the women of the believers to draw their outer garments about themselves is better so that they may be recognized and not molested (Pickthall 33:59). Even though many Muslim women wear the hijab for safety reasons, France believes Muslim girls are more prone to experience hazardous situations then girls without scarves. They claim headscarves to be a liable health risk in gym and science class. Hijab, also, easily triggers commotions leading veiled girls to get bullied, which causes distribution and chaos in schools. After 9/11, it is unfortunate to admit that many people feel unsafe to be around a veiled girl because it screams Muslim. The French government strongly believes that only negative outcomes have resulted because of the hijab such as anti-semitism, Islamic fundamentalism, growing ghettoization, and disorder in classrooms (Bowen 1). Because France has outlawed girl from wearing the hijab in public schools, many Muslim girls were expelled for
Senan 6 refusing to take off the scarves (Bowen 83). Girls who wish to cover their hair and who are not allowed to do so in school are at risk for not going to school at all. Also, the covering of the face has caused so many problems and it has the potential to increase crime rates rapidly. A thug can decide to dress up as a fully covered Muslim woman, rob a bank and get away with the crime because he/she face was covered and no one can identify him/her. Just because some people cover more than others, it does not mean that person is more religious because internal is more important than external spirituality. You could be covered from top to bottom and if you re a bad person, you re a bad person (Hoodfar 378). God did not command women to cover their face so there should be no issue when France decided to ban the face covering. The primary reason why numerous of people are against the veil is because the number of women veiling is tremendously increasing while some view it as a sign of oppression. There are about four to five million Muslims residing in France, one million are of Muslim religion and the rest are of Muslim culture (Bowen 50). There are 13 to 20 million Muslims in Western Europe and Islam is the second most commonly practiced religion there (Ribeiro 245). Thus, France and other countries want to prevent communism from occurring because they do not want to support the act of fathers, brothers, or husbands forcing women to wear it. Some girls are too frightened to go against their family s orders because they do not want to face the consequence. A television show called Degrassi depicts an Indian Muslim girl who takes off the veil once she is in school. One day her parents caught her in the act and beat her. Because families impose the hijab on their girls, they are most likely to take it off. No girl should wear it if they don t believe in it or else they will be miserable. France is aware that some women get punished if they do not wear the veil because that frequently happened in other religions. Jewish husbands were recommended to divorce their wives if the women did not publicly wear the veil because it
Senan 7 would mean they are choosing to disobey the law: And what (is deemed to be a wife s transgression against) Jewish practice? Going out with uncovered head (McEleney 5:18). The punishment for Catholic women who did not veil inside a church would have to shave her head: For if a woman is not covered, let her be shaven (David K. Lowery 11:16). Consequently, people sympathize for the girls who are helpless and forced to wear it. Since countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar impose women to veil, the French government believes Muslim women are influenced by the neopatriarchy. Muslim women who do not veil in certain Arabic countries suffer a major consequence and punishment. However, the people imposing religion on others are less religious than the people who do not follow the laws because forcing anyone to do anything is prohibited in Islam. The Quran clearly states that there is no compulsion in religion (Pickthall 2:256). If someone forces a woman to wear it, it is a form of oppression, but seminudity also can be oppressive if someone forces a woman to adapt to that style. It is amazing how France is against oppression; however, banning a person from dressing however they please is a form of oppression especially if women wear the veil for religious purposes. Even though Tunisia and Turkey are Muslim countries, they banned the hijab because they want to be alliances of France. Overall, no government should ban women from wearing the veil nor impose women to wear it. There seems to be a cultural valiance of the veil both in Islamic and Western cultures. Women should have the free will to dress as they desire and without getting scrutinized about it. Another reason why France opposes the hijab is because Muslims are branding the scarves as their identity. Some girls wear the scarves to make a conscious statement in segregating themselves from non-muslim women while others wear it to indicate that she is now a woman because she is going through puberty; thus, ready for marriage. Wearing the hijab
Senan 8 increases potential suitors for women: Maryam, one of the veiled woman that was interviewed said, But when I began to wear it they proposed marriage and I know one or two women who put it on in order to get married (Bowen 80). The hijab is considered a cultural artifact because it is widely displayed to make different statements. The French government has not outlawed the hijab only, but also the Jewish yarmulkes and large crosses worn by Christians. An essential fact that is frequently overlooked is the attempt of Muslim girls trying really hard to incorporate Western dress style with their religious dress code because veiled women are becoming socially isolated since they look different. Arabs particularly the younger generations are very attracted to and appreciative of American culture and its products, including entrainment, music, clothing and liberal ideals by the West, while others have become conservative and religious (Ribeiro 58). Muslims are willing to modernize but not at the expense of diminishing their religious morals and beliefs. Although there is a widespread animosity toward American across the Arab world, many Muslim women embrace aspects of American life, and American culture. Many Muslim girls do not cover because they fear being made fun of so how exactly does the Islamic culture clash with other cultures if many Muslim hesitate dressing how they should or the amount of effort they put into stylizing their scarfs. There are varieties of hijabs and styles which heavily depend on the culture of an individual. For instance, depending on where a person is from, some reveal a section of hair while others completely cover all strands of hair. For instance, you will encounter with a lot of women revealing some parts of their hair in South Asian countries like Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Bangladesh because that style has always been a part of the South Asian culture whereas women in Arabic countries do not show any section of their hair. Arabic people believe that showing partial parts of hair defeats the purpose of wearing it. Because some Muslim girls do not wear
Senan 9 the veil for religious purpose, they beautify their hijabs by bedazzling the scarves as well as purchasing the latest name brand scarf in attempt to keep up with society s fashion. So what other reason would a girl veil if she is not doing it for religious purpose? Well, many girls wear the veil to fit in with their community. A woman asked why she wears a hijab and she replied, Because I want to be with the crowd (Hoodfar 380) The uncovered women reveal that the hijab gives covered women social status in some Islamic circles (Campo 297). Even though some women don t like the hijab, they wear it in order to have respect and friends from the community. Nevertheless, women who wear hijab insist that the advantages far outweigh any disadvantage conjured up by media bias or general ignorance. Consequently, many people like to refer to hijab as a personal choice. It is a personal choice when one chooses to submit to God rather than the fashion of society. It is a choice to be beautiful to God, rather than to people. And it is a choice to cover and dignify the body God gave you, rather than give in to a culture that teaches women they are to be sex objects who sell their bodies to market beer. Women who choose to wear hijab do not make the decision lightly. In fact many women testify that they faced great animosity from their Muslim or non-muslim families when they decided to cover. Hijab should not just be seen as a cloth one puts on the head or as a religious symbol. Rather, hijab is a symbol of modesty, submitting to God and not society, act of belief, an act of expressing one s religion, and a cultural artifact that has existed for centuries.
Senan 10 Work Cited Page Balchin, J. A. The Song of Solomon. The New Bible Commentary: Revised 579-87. 3rd ed. Donald Guthrie et al. eds. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970. Bowen, John Richard. Why the French Don't like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2007. Print. Campo, Juan E. 1996. Islam in California: Views from the Minaret. The Muslim World. 86(3-4): 294-312. David K. Lowery, 1 Corinthians, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. Walvoord and Zuck, NT ed. (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1983). Heath, Jennifer. The Veil: Women Writers on Its History, Lore, and Politics. Berkeley: University of California, 2008. Print. "History of Women in the West, Volume II: Silences of the Middle Ages [Paperback]."History of Women in the West, Volume II: Silences of the Middle Ages: Christiane Klapisch-Zuber, Georges Duby, Michelle Perrot, Arthur Goldhammer: 9780674403680: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.
Senan 11 Colonial Hoodfar, Homa. 1993. The Veil in Their Minds and On Our Heads: The Persistence of Images of Muslim Women. Resources for Feminist Research 22(3/4):5-18. McEleney, Neil J. [Pamphlet Bible Series, Old Testament. New York: Paulist, 1960. Print. Pickthall, MArmaduke William, and Mohammed Fateh. Holy Quran. Delhi:Taj, 1983. Print. Ribeiro, Aileen. Fashion in the French Revolution. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1988. Print. Shirazi, Faegheh. The Veil Unveiled: The Hijab in Modern Culture. Gainesville: University of Florida, 2001. Print.
Senan 12 Bibliography Balchin, J. A. The Song of Solomon. The New Bible Commentary: Revised 579-87. 3rd ed. Donald Guthrie et al. eds. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970. This source informed me that hair was viewed as an aesthetic beauty. Bowen, John Richard. Why the French Don't like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2007. Print. This source was very helpful because it contained so much information that helped strengthen my claims. This was relevant to my paper because it provided case studies, informed me why France outlawed the hijab, how the hijab is a cultural artifact, discussed the responsibilities veiled girls take on when deciding to wear it. Campo, Juan E. 1996. Islam in California: Views from the Minaret. The Muslim World. 86(3-4): 294-312. Provided me with evidence that some women veiled in order to fit in with their community or else they will berejected from the Muslim society. David K. Lowery, 1 Corinthians, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. Walvoord and Zuck, NT ed. (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1983). This source stated that Catholic women only veiled during prayers.
Senan 13 Heath, Jennifer. The Veil: Women Writers on Its History, Lore, and Politics. Berkeley: University of California, 2008. Print. Discussed the importance of women covering up in order to not seduce men. "History of Women in the West, Volume II: Silences of the Middle Ages [Paperback]."History of Women in the West, Volume II: Silences of the Middle Ages: Christiane Klapisch-Zuber, Georges Duby, Michelle Perrot, Arthur Goldhammer: 9780674403680: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012. It gave me statistics of how many Muslims live in the European region and claimed that Muslims are very attractive to the Western culture. Hoodfar, Homa. 1993. The Veil in Their Minds and On Our Heads: The Persistence of Colonial Images of Muslim Women. Resources for Feminist Research 22(3/4):5-18. Made an excellent claim how a kind person who is not veiled is better than a women who is veiled with an evil heart. McEleney, Neil J. [Pamphlet Bible Series, Old Testament. New York: Paulist, 1960. Print. Informed me that Jewish men divorced their wives if the women removed their veils.
Senan 14 Pickthall, MArmaduke William, and Mohammed Fateh. Holy Quran. Delhi:Taj, 1983. Print. Provided me verses from the Quran commanding women to dress modestly. Ribeiro, Aileen. Fashion in the French Revolution. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1988. Print. Offered a percentage of how many Muslims settled in European countries. Shirazi, Faegheh. The Veil Unveiled: The Hijab in Modern Culture. Gainesville: University of Florida, 2001. Print. The Veil Unveiled related to my essay because it informed me that some Muslim girls wore the hijab to emphasize their social statues. Also, the veil is seen as a cultural artifact rather than a religious symbol for Hindus which is a common misconception. Tarlo, Emma. Visibly Muslim: Fashion, Politics, Faith. Oxford: Berg, 2010. Print.