|
|
|
|
|
|
IN DEFENSE OF
NON-HIJABI SISTERS
It had been ten years since she had set foot in a
mosque. Being at university had broadened her mind in many
ways, one of them being her reconnecting with Islam.
She had begun praying five times a day a month ago, and now
felt ready to pray in public, at the university's Juma prayer.
She paused and stood a few feet away from the women's entrance.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled the silk scarf out of her
purse and tied it carefully on her head. Her ponytail stuck out
a bit. She smoothed the creases on her long-sleeved beige shirt
and tugged at the bottom of it to make it longer over her
pants.
The prayer was great. She had never felt this sense of inner
peace.
Afterwards, she tried mingling with the sisters, but nobody
even looked her way. A few of them even pretended not to hear
her greeting. The only sister who did talk to her said in a
huff: “You know your prayer is not accepted in those pants and
that tiny thing you pass for a Hijab. I suggest you get more
Islamic knowledge and dress properly before coming back here.”
The words stung her like a million bumble bees. Too numb to
respond or speak, she charged out of the hall. Never again
would she associate with these people, she told herself.
And never again would she return to Juma.
*******************
Are you shocked reading about this incident? Don't be. It has
been a reality in almost every Muslim community in North
America.
This harsh judgment and intolerance shown towards Muslim women
who do not wear Hijab can lead to at least some Muslim women to
become alienated from the Muslim community, and could lead to a
loss of Islamic practice.
While Hijab is an obligation clearly ordained in the Quran and
Sunnah, the above-mentioned method of its enforcement and
encouragement is not Islamic, according to Muslim scholars,
researchers and activists. Muslims have to start seeing the
issue from a different perspective, they say.
SOME ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF NON-HIJABI
SISTERS
”I would say that the overwhelming majority of Muslim women I
have met who don't cover and who believe in God, believe they
should cover, but believe they're not ready yet,” says Sharifa
Alkhateeb, vice-president of the North American Council of
Muslim Women, in an interview with Sound Vision.
This reality indicates there is a seed of faith that needs to
be nurtured and encouraged. As well, it means these women need
all the support they can get.
Abdalla Idris Ali is a member of the Islamic Society of North
America's (ISNA) Majlis Shura, which debates Islamic issues and
establishes policy for the organization. He says what also has
to be remembered is that many Muslim women are coming from
cultures where the Hijab is not practiced, for whatever reason.
These sisters should not be condemned. Rather, Islamic concepts
like Hijab, should be explained to them.
Another possibility is that Muslim women who do not wear Hijab
are coming from families which are either not practicing Islam,
or are downright hostile to it.
In this situation, “it's actually a celebration that a young
Muslim woman wants to pray Juma,” says Kathy Bullock, who
started wearing Hijab two weeks after she converted to Islam.
“I think that's where the tolerance comes in.”
Another reason some Muslim women may find Hijab difficult is
because of the often negative ideas surrounding Hijab. For
instance, that wearing Hijab kills marriage and job prospects.
Muslim activists must seek to dispel such myths.
”There needs to be a lot more support for the women who decide
to cover,” says Bullock, who completed a PhD. about The
Politics of the Veil from the University of Toronto in January.
Bullock also gives a chilling warning to those who condemn non-Hijabi
Muslim women: “We might be wearing Hijab but we might be doing
something incredibly wrong which cancels out the reward [for
wearing it].” One of these things she mentions is arrogance.
WHY ARE SOME MUSLIMS SO SENSITIVE
ABOUT THE HIJAB?
Some Muslims seek to condemn non-Hijabis out of their
understanding of the Quranic injunction of enjoining the good
and forbidding the evil. Yet, they fail to take the right
approach in doing it, in accordance with the example of the
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), which was
one of kindness, gentleness and patience.
Interestingly, some Muslim men and women who criticize non-Hijabi
Muslim women seem to have different reasons for doing it and
varying ways of approaching a sister who does not wear Hijab.
“Unfortunately on the brothers' side there is a push to make
Hijab the marker of Islamic identity,” says Bullock. She also
emphasizes the hypocrisy of many Muslim men criticizing Muslim
women who do not wear the Hijab, while they themselves wear
tight jeans or pants, or short shorts. These forms of dress are
strictly prohibited for men in Islam. Yet, go to any Juma or
Jamaah prayer, and these forms of unIslamic dress can be easily
seen.
”I think some of the men put too much emphasis on the women
instead of looking at their own selves,“ she says.
However, Alkhateeb thinks most of the men are less vigilant
than the women about Hijab, partly because they figure the
women are going to take care of it.
She argues that the majority of the Muslim men who are over
concerned about with the issue of Hijab because they don't
trust themselves sexually, and fear their own reaction to a
woman who is not covered Islamically.
For women, weak self-identity and faith could explain the
harshness shown towards non-Hijabi Muslimas.
“It is so difficult to maintain the practice of covering,
emotionally, psychologically on the job and in everyday life,
you get so much negativity from other people that the reaction
of most of the practicing women and activists is to develop a
cocoon, a protective cocoon, and part of that protective cocoon
is in continually, verbally and in other ways rejecting what is
unlike yourself,” explains Alkhateeb.
“And that is to shore up your own self-identity. I think that
part of the reason they are so negative is because this is part
of shoring up their own self-identity and because there is a
hidden fear that if they let down their guard that they'll stop
covering. And if they allow any space in their mind to
alternative ways of thinking that their thinking will fall
apart. And that means that the underlying precepts and concepts
are not strong.”
WHERE DOES HIJAB FIT ON THE ISLAMIC
LADDER?
“While it is correct to say that Hijab is correct in the
teaching of Islam we tend to forget that there are many other
basic issues, why the over obsession?” asks Jamal Badawi, a
member of the North American Fiqh Council.
Part of the reason some Muslims treat non-Hijabis so harshly is
because of their lack of understanding about where the
obligation of Hijab ranks on the Islamic ladder.
A more correct approach would be gradual and would mean
implementing more important aspects of Islam, like Iman
(faith), and praying five times a day before moving on to
requirements like Hijab.
“We fail to see any Ayah (verse of the Quran) pertaining to
Hijab in the entire Makkan revelation that was given to the
Prophet, that's almost 13 years. The injunctions about more
detailed aspects relating to the righteous Muslim community
were revealed during the Medinan period. Some in the middle,
and later part of that period,” explains Badawi,
“This is a revealing lesson for us because it shows that Allah
knew in advance what injunctions He wanted to reveal,” he adds.
“Yet He delayed the revelation of those matters until many,
many years of preparation on the level of Iman, submission to
Allah, love of Allah and the sincere desire to voluntarily obey
Allah and His Messenger. Once that base was established it
wasn't difficult at all for the believing women to willingly
abide by the injunctions of Allah. “
Badawi says this is similar to how the Islamic commandment
forbidding intoxicants was introduced.
“The same process of preparation took place to the point that
when the final prohibition of intoxicants was revealed it
wasn't difficult for men to abide by that willingly and
immediately.” He explains this was especially difficult for
Muslim men, who were the ones reported more likely to consume
alcohol than women at that time.
“Some well-intentioned Muslims seem to miss these lessons from
the gradual revelation and become too legalistic to the point
of doing more harm than benefit, notwithstanding their good
intentions,” adds Badawi.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|