Download The Veiling of Muslim Women

The Veiling of Islamic Women
Rachna Pannu
LB 492
Rachna Pannu
LB 492
Though the distinctive attire of the Muslim woman has existed almost since the
origin of Islam, it is only in recent times that it has become an issue dissected by nonMuslims. There are varying degrees of veiling which can include covering the head,
face and body for religious reasons. The veil that Muslim women choose to wear is a
personal choice, not a religious imperative. It is a choice made based on politics, social
influences, cultural customs and personal experience, not just religion.
The origin of veiling comes from the wives of Muhammad covering their heads
when strangers were around (Interview by Neal Conan). Because the wives of
Muhammad were considered the models of good Muslim women, other women took up
veiling in some manner. There are several different words used to refer to different
forms of Islamic veiling. One of the most common and ambiguous of them is the word
‘hijab’. Hijab historically referred not to a piece of clothing, but “a spatial curtain that
divides or provides privacy” according to the Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim
World. ‘Hijab’ is given the general meaning of modesty, privacy and morality. ‘Al-hijab’
means the “veil which separates man or the world from God”. However, the word ‘hijab’
is most oftenly used in the current context to refer to the physical veiling of women
either by covering their head or by coving their body including face and head.
One of the reasons given for why veiling is necessary is modesty. However,
modesty is an ambiguous term. Modesty in dress and modesty in behavior are two very
different things, and modesty in one manner does not guarantee modesty in the other
form. “A key chapter (sura) in the Quran referring to dress does not mention ‘modesty,’
for which Arabic word is istihsham” (Lazreg 20). As there is not a reference of modesty
in relation to dress, it seems more probable that modesty in the Qur’an is in relation to
2
Rachna Pannu
LB 492
behavior. The actual instructions in the chapters are “not displaying one’s breasts and
beauty, or drawing attention to oneself by stamping one’s feet, presumably to clank
anklets” (Lazreg 21). This precise and literal translation does not require women to
cover their hair or faces and can be achieved without doing so. It relies on a subjective
opinion by those who follow the instructions of the Qur’an. There are exceptions made
for some women. “Al Azhar University, the seat of theological knowledge,
acknowledged that poor women are not under the obligation to wear the veil or refrain
from work outside the home” (Lazreg 34). If poor women are exempt from wearing a
veil, but not thought of as immodest, but merely uncovered due to necessity, then why
should it be believed that veiling is the one true indicator of the modesty in a woman.
The veil can obviously be a burden or hindrance upon some women if the impoverished
are exempt.
In the Qur’an, modesty is emphasized for all Muslims, men and women, but there
is a discrepancy in the interpretation of what is modest for men and what is modest for
women. Men are not required to cover their head or be veiled. Making modesty a simple
question of whether or not a person is veiled has some issues as a logical argument:
Singling out women for veiling undermines the modesty argument for covering in
at least two ways: it emphasizes the differences between women and men in a
manner that unredeemable, and it makes women more, not less, visible. A man
does not wear a veil and does not have to be “modest” about being a man.
Furthermore, veiling obscures those who possess the monopoly over the virtue
of modesty qua veil and those who do not. (Lazreg 38)
3
Rachna Pannu
LB 492
Muslim men are not implored to stay covered and hide their beauty as women are by
those around them. There are no laws enforcing the attire of men in order to maintain
their modesty as there are with women in some majority Islamic nations. As the term
modesty is not used in reference to physical appearance for either men or women in the
Koran, it should not apply. However, if the term modesty is inclusive of the physical
appearance, not simply the attitude or behavior of Muslims, then it should be applicable
to all.
Another reason given for veiling is to protect women from being assaulted or
harassed by men. However, the veiling of most of the female body does not prevent one
from being subjected to some sort of offensive or uncomfortable advance from men.
Lazreg presents several first account examples of this in the book, Questioning the Veil:
Open Letters to Muslim Women: “Her boss had harassed her, and she thought that if
wore a veil he would leave her alone. But after a brief letup, harassment continued”
(Lazreg 42). And why should it stop? The lack of morals or boundaries of man are not
influenced by the physical modesty of a woman. And even women who were fully veiled
report being harassed: “An occasional merchant would thrust change in their hands in
such a way as to rub his fingers in the middle of their palms, an unpleasant experience
for a woman. Such a bold (yet all too common) gesture from a stranger was meant to
convey a man’s less than honorable intentions” (Lazreg 43). Another way that men
would take advantage of a veiled customer was to “invite a veiled customer to step into
a small backroom…however, the merchents’ considerate approach had less to do with
being culturally sensitive and more with peeking at the woman under the veil…and often
groping her” (Lazreg 42). If women with their bodies, heads and even faces covered are
4
Rachna Pannu
LB 492
being sexually harassed and assaulted, then they could not possibly protect themselves
with even more coverings. There is also the example of a woman who lost her job “had
been blamed by her colleagues for being too ‘provocative’ in spite of wearing a hijab
because, she argued, she vociferously objected to unsolicited passes made at her on
numerous occasions” (Lazreg 45). These incidents give fuel to those who claim that
hijab-wearing women are oppressed and lack the legal protections they are due against
unwanted advances. In this case, despite her wearing a hijab, she was labeled an
unmodest woman. “When a man says that the veil prevents sexual harassment, he
implies two things: first, the veil protects his sexual identity by signaling to other men
that his wife, sister or sometimes daughter is off limits to them; second, although there
is no guarantee that a woman will not be harassed, at least a maximal step has been
taken” (Lazreg 51). The implication here is that women must protect themselves from
harassment and there is a lacking in the obligation of the law to protect the women or
for men to abide by boundaries.
The intrusion of laws into the issue of veiling has taken the choice to cover up out
of the hands of those affected by it. In France, Turkey and many other countries, veiling
is not allowed in government and educational institutions. In France, “women are
presented with a choice…remove their headscarves because the French state
considers these signs of proselytism or leave school” (Lazreg 60). Turkey’s ban on
veiling includes “public workplaces as well as schools. When assertive
students…braved the ban, their government hounded them. Women were humiliated
into taking off their headscarves before university officials” (Lazreg 60). In the face of
such harsh enforcement, the choice of some women to not wear a hijab in public is no
5
Rachna Pannu
LB 492
longer a personal choice based on their religious beliefs, but rather a requirement due
to laws enacted resulting from the politics of that time. In contrast, Iran and Saudi Arabia
require women to cover up in public making this yet again a choice that is not purely
due to the religion of the veiled women. In addition, it forces these standards of
“modesty” upon non-Islamic religious minorities who also live in those countries. Even
for those that would wear the veil without the legal requirements to veil, this is a form of
discrimination. “A woman compelled by law to wear any form of veiling is also the object
of discrimination, given that the law does not codify men’s attire” (Lazreg 61).
Sometimes it is not the state, but the society within which Muslim women live that
influences whether or not they choose to veil. “Even though veiling involves willful
compliance, it always takes place in a social context and responds to social norms.
Social pressure to conform obscures the state purpose of the veil, modesty” (Lazreg
36). It is difficult to separate the social influences from personal religious decisions.
However, the presence of examples where there was a change in veiling as a result of
pressure from the local society are clear indicators that women may be influenced to
veil or unveil for reasons other than religion.
The changes in veiling may also be due to the changes in culture over time. For
example:
The reveiling trend in Europe and North America emerged as an outgrowth of a
movement that started in the Middle East in the 1980s…The veil appeared one
more time as a marker of difference from the globalized cultures of the ‘West’.
The tussle between Muslim minorities and European states brought to the fore
6
Rachna Pannu
LB 492
the veil, once again claimed as means of asserting and protecting cultural
identity. (Lazreg 56)
To use the veil as a symbol makes it indicator of Islamic faith. However, the use of
veiling in this manner implies a reaction that is voluntary against the prejudice and
hatred of others.
Because veiling is influenced to such a great degree by the environment within
which the Muslim women live, to say that their choice to veil or not is based on how
religious they are would be false. Just as there are many sects of Christianity based on
different interpretations of the same text, the Bible, there are also many different
opinions of what it means to be a good Muslim woman based on the religious texts of
Islam. However, from the evidence presented, it appears that veiling is more simply an
association with Islam due to its ties to the wives of the prophet Muhammad who have
been role models for Muslim women ever since. It is a choice that is made, voluntary or
not, depending on the circumstances.
7
Rachna Pannu
LB 492
Works Cited
creativecircle. Veiled Women. N.d. Deviantart. Apr. 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
Durham, W. Cole. Islam, Europe and Emerging Legal Issues. Farnham, Surrey,
England: Ashgate Pub., 2012. Print.
Joppke, Christian. Veil: Mirror of Identity. Cambridge: Polity, 2009. Print.
Lazreg, Marnia. Questioning the Veil: Open Letters to Muslim Women. Princeton:
Princeton UP, 2009. Print.
"Muslim Women, the Veil and Western Society." Interview by Neal Conan. Talk of the
Nation. NPR. Washington, D.C., 1 Nov. 2006. Radio. Transcript.
Tarlo, Emma. Visibly Muslim: Fashion, Politics, Faith. Oxford: Berg, 2010. Print.
8