Living Beneath The Veil
By Maryam Azwer
My name is Maryam. I am a Muslim, I am Sri Lankan and I am a journalist. And not one of these three identities challenge the fact that I wear a headscarf. The first one encourages it, the second one is indifferent to it. And so is the third.
As a girl growing up among a minority in this country, I’ve had to answer my fair share of Islam-related questions: Why do you pray five times a day? Do you really fast for one month? What does ‘halal’ mean?
And (because I do it) the more popular: Why do you cover your head?
Not the prison its made out to be and The ‘ninja’ look is in!Not the prison its made out to be and The ‘ninja’ look is in!
My usual answer would be: Because I’m a Muslim, and I believe that my religion asks me to do so.
But that of course, is just putting it in a nutshell, and isn’t enough of an explanation. So my religion asks me to do it. Why?
Islam places great importance on modesty, particularly in the case of women. The dress code I follow, the hijab, according to Islam, serves to protect a woman and preserve her dignity. The term hijab could refer to the headscarf, or to the general Islamic manner of modest dressing.
Across cultures, opinions have differed as to what exactly the hijab entails, and whether it really is compulsory upon all Muslim women. To my understanding, Islam has prescribed for women a dress code that does not attract too much attention to her body, and covers her entirely, save for her face and hands – a practice which I have adopted. Others believe a Muslim woman’s dress code would extend to the outer cloak, or abaya, and sometimes even the niqab (face-cover). Many women however, even those who wear them, do believe the abaya and niqab are optional aspects of the hijab.
Sometimes, this answer still isn’t enough to satiate one’s curiosity: alright, so maybe there’s some logic behind it. Maybe Muslim women like to be modest, and maybe that’s a good thing. But why cover up so much? Don’t you feel hot? Aren’t you sad that you have such nice hair but it all goes under that scarf? Doesn’t it restrict you?
I will admit, embracing the hijab isn’t always a piece of cake, and there is a sacrifice involved. For any Muslim girl, making that decision can at first seem like a mental tug-of-war.
Let’s face it: girls like to look pretty. They like to dress up. They like to flaunt their new hairstyles, or their pretty pink nail polish. They like people (particularly the opposite sex) to notice them.
Which is why when one comes across a covered up Muslim girl, it’s quite understandable that one would conclude that the poor thing was forced into the black tent-like covering by her father/husband/brother/uncle/imam at the mosque.
What some people don’t realise is, that it is possible for a girl – a walking, talking, complete with emotions, twenty-first century girl – to want to, of her own free will and through her own understanding, embrace an arguably old-fashioned dress code prescribed by a 14 century old religion.
The hijab has, in recent times, become more popular, for several reasons. Some see it as a trend: donning the headscarf and calling it your identity does sound appealing, and ‘cool’, particularly to the young. Some may even do it to fit in, and to feel more accepted by their community. Many girls and women say they find security in the hijab in these not-too-secure modern times.
Others have embraced it for more serious reasons – because they really do believe it is an important part of their culture, or like in my case – religion. Perhaps it has come about through increased awareness and knowledge of Islam; women and girls are learning for themselves what the hijab is all about, or for that matter, what Islam is all about, and opting to embrace the dress code. The way I see it, the hijab is no more an “I do it because my father made me” custom. Girls today – yes, even the conservative Muslim ones – are often at liberty to choose. Those who don’t want the hijab, stay out of it, those who do, embrace it – and because it is their choice, they are more likely to stick by it.
And at the end of the day, the hijab does not prevent me from being who I want to be. Society, in my opinion, has been more or less tolerant of my hijab. I have been able to carry out both my higher education and my profession with little trouble. Non-muslim friends have shown some curiosity at first, but accept and respect me for who I am. As far as I know, Sri Lanka’s majority non-muslim population displays little or none of the apprehension the Western world shows towards the hijab.
The truth is, I don’t feel oppressed, and wearing the hijab does not make me feel sad. If it did, I wouldn’t be doing it. The hijab, I believe, only restricts what my religion prohibits anyway (such as getting too friendly with non-family members of the opposite sex) and does not get in the way of my leading an otherwise normal life. It does get warm sometimes, but it hasn’t killed me or caused a heatstroke. I doubt it ever does.
In saying all this, I have drawn conclusions from my own experiences, starting off as a student in a conservative Muslim girls’ school, right on to college, and from there to the media industry.
In order to see if my opinions tallied with those of other members of the female Sri Lankan Muslim population, I recently spoke to a number of Sri Lankan Muslim girls and women of varying ages, some of them professionals, and all of whom said the hijab, abaya or niqab was their choice. They spoke on why they made this choice, whether or not it was an impediment to their professions, and whether it restricted a girl from being, well, a girl.
“After I started wearing the niqab, I did get stared at sometimes. For instance when I was hanging out at the beach with my friends, or at a shopping mall or a bus stop,” says Shamsul Arif. “I get the feeling that people are sometimes thinking ‘How come a girl like that is out here? Aren’t they supposed to be confined to their homes?’ But I do have my freedom, and wearing the abaya and niqab does make me feel safer moving around in the outside world.”
Interestingly, some women even say they experience a certain freedom despite being covered up. “It does seem rather restricting, but I realised that after I started covering my face, I receive less lewd comments from boys who hang out in public places. Now I only get ‘ninja’ comments and those aren’t too bad, they’re easy to ignore, and you’re free to be yourself,” laughs Hafsa Thameem, a school teacher.
Others were of the opinion that the hijab helped maintain a sense of professionalism at the workplace. Minha Jinnah is a software engineering student presently interning at a leading software company in Colombo. “The hijab has benefited me in a working environment,” she says. “I feel I am judged on what I am capable of doing, rather than for what I look like.” A colleague of hers who covers her face, claims that her employers are even “cool with it”. “The younger generation is more accepting of the way I dress, than the older generation,” she observes.
As for personal lives, Shifani Reffai, founder of women’s rights organization, Reach Out, had this to say: “I do know many Muslim girls who like to dress up, and they do. The thing is, our culture is such that most of our [girls’] time is spent among family or girl friends, and we aren’t required to cover up when we’re with them.” Hifza Khiard, a student of Islamic Finance, had more to add: “It [the hijab] does not necessarily stop you from dressing up or looking smart. Of course, depending on how seriously you take it, you’re not supposed to look too attractive either, but for those who are interested, the abayas and scarves come in so many different fashions today.”
Sarah Buhary, a mother of two teenage daughters, says her girls had a very positive attitude towards their hijab and abaya. “I know they sometimes like wearing Western clothes under their abayas, and they feel good about it, no matter that no one else can see it,” she says.
It’s a feeling I can relate to. Somebody once asked me why on earth I, a girl in hijab, would get a funky hair cut and don a pair of colourful earrings. What was the point, they wanted to know, when nobody could see it? I told them I did it for myself and nobody else, and that it made me feel good.
I’ll admit, statements like that do sound odd, but it’s true – it’s something a lot of hijab and abaya-clad girls feel: the thrill of doing something for yourself, without a care in the world of what anyone else will – or can – think of you.
Perhaps it means the boys in my class would never know if my hair is curly or straight. It probably also means I’d lead a safer, far less ‘interesting’ life than the girl next door but I can live with that. Because at the end of the day, I have an education and a job, I’m able to give back to society. I am loved and accepted for who I am, by the people who matter, I’m happy, and above all I have an identity. What more could a girl ask for, really?
Stepping Out With Security, Respect And Grace
Recent trends suggest that a large number of Sri Lankan Muslim women and girls have opted for the Islamic dress code, when compared with the past. Educationist and activist, Dr. Jezima Ismail, attributed this to a sense of security the headscarf brought about. “It hasn’t proven to be an impediment to many educated Muslim women today, and has in fact facilitated mobility. For instance, there is no harassment on buses. And once it [covering one’s head] becomes a routine, you are comfortable with it. People are very respectful of it, and there is a great deal of religious tolerance,” she said, adding, “I personally feel that there is also something graceful about the covering of the head.”
Dr. Mareena Reffai, of the Al-Muslimath Foundation, said that the rising popularity of the hijab in Sri Lanka was partly due to increased awareness, and partly due to it being a trend itself. “Not only are Muslim women embracing it willingly, but there is also very little opposition to the hijab.” Any opposition that does exist, claimed Dr. Reffai, could be a result of negative attitudes originating in the western world. “It could also be because the Muslim community here is a closed one. The people sometimes keep only to themselves, which is wrong. We should be able to go out and explain what we do,” she said.
I believe in eqaulity in sexes. In this context I feel that coving face is a life sentence for a muslim woman worse than slavary as we know as they become social outcasts.
I have no problem with hijab but your face is your ‘passport’ to humane living in the society. Once you cover the face there is no life outside your home. You can not work in a public place, your are disengaged from society as no one knows you, hence no point in studying, you have no identity, forget about sports, a doctor treating you may not know you next time which is dangerous,
you can not voice your opinion in society as no one knows you etc etc.. and to me life is not worth living in such situation!
As a non muslim , I really struggle to understand the religion.
How can you have woman priminister in a country like Mrs Butto and on other hand groups like Talaban doesn’t want women to be educated, go out side freely, These are extreme ends of the spectrum !!!
Similarly radical muslims kill humans in the name of the religion while many others say the religion preaches love, compassion and respect.
Many Imams preach hatread against others but if any other religious priests/ monk preaches such, they will be removed from their temple or church immediately but lack of hiarachial body/ person means that some radical imams continue to preach hatred causing current terrorism.
Muslims need to explain to the society once and for all where they stand whether its nicab or any other controversial aspects as above !!
Hello brother/sister pol sambola. It is very much understanding the way you think about this about the Islam religion and the Muslims as a whole. Cos this is the way that the face of the Muslims have been shown in the so called non biased International Media. Let me tell you a story… Once upon a time there were a flock of sheep in a country and one of these sheep had a an incurable diseases which usually others feared of. Also this sheep does not say baaaa…… It say only boobooo…… So there were these wolves in this same country side which were waiting from a long time to get the hands on the sheep… So what they did is they exploited this situation and showed to every humans this unusual sheep as the face of the sheep flock.. And they really made everyone beleive as this to be the sheep not knowing that out of the thousands of sheep in the flock this is only one spoilt black sheep…. So what the wolves did is that keeping this black sheep as the reason they made it an excuse to hunt down all the other sheep which were innocent. The people not knowing the truth also supported the wolves to continue their brutal hunting of the sheep. But the black sheep was still kept alive so that the wolves always could use it as the reason…..
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Dears brothers and sisters hope this story would give you the truth of the Muslims that is facing now…… Hope you all would understand…………
A Muslim Youth
There is no evidence in Islam to cover the face. But Arab countries having sand storm, due to that they may close the face.
@Pol Sambola,
Let me elaborate on a few points.
1. It is not compulsory for a Muslim woman to cover her face and hands according to Islam but she needs to cover the rest of her body when she meets some stranger (male) or goes out. Some Muslim women prefer to cover their face and hands, that is just their preference.
2. Rape and Molestation among Muslim women are really low comparing to Women of other communities and religion, because the Hijab is meant to protect women and not oppress them.
3. Black sheeps are present in every religion, and you know that very well. Robbers, Murderers, Rapists are there among Buddhist, Hindus, Jews, Christians, Catholics, and even Muslims. So you cannot judge a religion by a few hate preachers and fanatics, rather you need to read the sacred religious scriptures about a religion to know its teachings. Islam really teaches love, compassion and respect, you can see it in the teachings of Islam.
4. Islam is an Arabic word which means submission to God Almighty. The root word of Islam relates to “salam” which means peace. So Islam as a whole would mean “Peace acquired to the willful submission to God Almighty.
Good coment. I agree with you some of your coments. No life when you cover your face (I too feel not worth living). But islam not instructed to cover your face or forearms. in the name of islam you can’t hurt not only human but even any living creature.
over all good article. Thanks to sunday leader.
before makin any statements u shud first get ur facts right….wer is it written dat a women can uncover her face?wen the actual beauty of a women lies in her face as the quran says “And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; ….. that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands…” (Qur’an 24:30-31) …..wen u truly understand the meaning and purpose of veiling,u may feel that it is actually “worth living for”…
“Changes introduced to some of the religious systems And Introducing Universal Religious System” – regi
See this “Book” by all. If not,at http://www.authorhouse.com
by regi (Reginald Thiviamanoharan Nallathamby )
nice article…i think the veil = safe dress to a woman in this modern world
A wonderful piece of writing! Honesty, you ladies in “hijab” do create a positive, caring and honorable sentiment within us, the men, and indeed “hijab” does serve its state purpose.
“Changes introduced to some of the religious systems And introducing Universal Religious System” – by “regi” (Reginald Thiviamanoharan Nallathamby).
This has reference also to E.mail by me to “Times Sinhala BBC & Mirror ” which has “Budhist Wesak & Norwegian day on 17.05.2011 for e.mail – Regi” reference to this “Book” at http://www.authorhouse.com.
Thanx to the article. But not explain the Halal. What is the Halal 1400 years ago implemented? Catholic also comments much appreciates to lean the two religion
thanx a lot to Sunday leader.you gave a rare chance which we Muslims getting in prominent media like you to express the truth and positive approach of innocent Islamic voices.west media most bias and propagating anti Islamic issues in front page with bold letters.in sri lanka too i see this bias habit.whether people agree or disagree that is their personal matter.but the subject is crystal clear.i expect few more chances to provide such writer in future.
As a fact I know there are lots of Arab girls study in India. When they are in India they shred hijab and wear jeens and cap like baseball cap.And enjoy their life to the max. But if u look at their passports u can see they all in hijab. This is the best example wt these girls want to do when their bullying parents are not around. Unfortunatelly they have to go back to their dens and live like slaves for the rest of their lives.But no doubt college days are golden days of their lives. Coz there might be few who wear it by choice.
Ya may be it happens,but its not the fault of the religion. Here I blame the parents, not for being bullies but for failing to teach their children the concepts of Islam. There may be some young people who are not strong enough to have control over themselves when they are exposed. Anyway jst a few black sheep like this cannot make others believe that Islam is the fault..There are thousands of muslim girls getting higher education in the proper way & remaining good muslims. Ones who wear it by choice are the ones who know what Islam is. I,my family & friends are happy being good muslim women,we have no grievances because we know what we are doing.
JUST WANT TO KNOW HOW COME IN USA, UK, GERMANY, SRI LANKA MUSLIMS ARE ALLOWED TO WEAR HEAD SCARF, HAVE LOUD SPEAKERS IN THEIR MOSQUES ETC.
HOWEVER IN COUNTRIES LIKE SAUDI, MALDIVES – WHY CANNOT NONE MUSLIMS EVER CARRY A STATUE (EVEN A ONE INCH SMALL STATUE) OR BUDDHA OR CHRIST, NO BIBLES OR RELIGIOUS BOOK. WHY THIS HYPORCRAZY???
you feel so is bocz you are a racist,
Good job. keep it up!
The face is the passport to the out side world. Your job, contribution and the place society, identity, emotions, interactions, your education, your thoughts and concerns, your smile, your purpose in the world etc etc.
Niqab takes away all these from some muslim women. They are relagated to non entities of society. Equality of sexes is taken away from them. Rightly France and Belgium have banned it.. Other countries too look at it seriously.
Great job maryam
If you say so.I don’t know how Religious yo are.There is a very good answer if you can see Peace TV.You can get answer like to you and for the others.
If not read the Qur-an you can find answer.Still your are not later.
Hope to get a anwser.
http://www.maliktsl@yahoo.com
malik i expected this critics will show their head from the well.just forget it.it co exit with the existence of this universe. did u notice one joke Muslim woman herself not worries about her slavery ,these critics worrying much…….
Islam is a complete way of life, and its teachings provide guidance to both men and women on how to conduct our lives with modesty, dignity and respect. As for ensuring modesty, dignity and respect, both men and women have been provided broad guidelines with respect to their clothing. For women in particular, the hijab is only one part of the many ways to maintain modesty, dignity and respect. The inspiration for the hijab comes from both the Qur’an and the Prophetic tradition.
We read in the Qur’an, “O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them (when they go out or are among men). That is better in order that they may be known (to be Muslims) and not annoyed…” (Qur’an 33:59). The “mothers of the believers” are the wives of our beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, and are addressed first in this verse, followed by the daughters of the Prophet and then the believing women in general.
In addition, since a piece of cloth of some aspect of a person’s garment alone will not fulfill the purpose of ensuring modesty, dignity and respect, Allah Almighty also provides equitable behavioral injunctions to both men and women. Again, we read in the Qur’an, “Say to the believing man that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands…” (Qur’an 24:30-31)
And Allah knows best
You guys pray in Arabic without knowing its meaning. Parotting???
Well Thambiya….I tell you, we learn our religion from chilhood & we have enough translations to know what we are praying.
I ask you, Does every Budhist know Pali or does every Christian on earth know english to read their Holy Books ? Well, they too will need translations.
Or do you do the parotting ??????
Maryam, That’s a strange kind of a letter. When you suggest you are safer, because the boys in your class have no idea about your hair, you ignore a few points. One is, you indirectly suggest that the boys in your class are sexual predators and more importantly you place yourself as a woman below your fellow men. You are a successful woman who has the power of the pen, whether you wear hat or a hijab or anything else, you are safe and you are secure, well compared to lot of men in the country. There are thousands of men who are discriminated against all norms (not because of the race but the social standard), especially they have no strength to get anything done legally and also subject to police brutality day by day. This is the ground situation whether you are Muslim, Sinhala or even a bird. For example, I am so scared to drive past Kadugannawa because every time the two traffic police guys see us commoners, they stop the car and accuse of something demanding money.The world is opening up like never before and hiding your hair will not give you a special protection. If you think perverts always look at women’s hair and try to attack, you are in a cloud cuckoo land. My advice is, practice your religion, don’t try to justify it. Religions are based on beliefs not science, so you don’t necessarily need to explain them. Either you believe it without hurting others or leave it.
The scientific analysis Dr. Jezima Ismail gave you is even hilarious. There are women in Japan, China and India, who used to cover their bodies up completely, wear hardly any clothes these days. What that means to her, I wonder! Just tell her please, if more women wear Hijab’s today, the reason possibly could be that there are more Muslim women in the country or with all the discussions happen in the world today, may be they want to protest against those who wrongly put all Muslims under Bin Laden’s umbrella. But that’s only if more women wear Hijabs today than before, but there is no basis for such statistics. Nobody has scientifically done any survey. Contrary to your assumption, I believe fewer women wear such attire these days than in 1970s as a percentage. There are so many Muslim women I know now in the country who do not wear Hijabs or even a scarf. The best example is the senior most woman in the AGs department.
Ruwan your one ignorant pathetic little toad living in a puddle. looks like qualifications come cheaply these days, The world sympathises with apes like you.
Greetings, Professor.
Firstly, I would like to state that your comment is rather disjointed.
I believe you have not truly understood the intent of this article. I would suggest you read it once more, this time with more open-mindedness.
I think when the author says she feels safer because the boys in her class have no idea about her hair, she isn’t simply referring to the boys in her class, but to any male who might have a dishonest intention. And it is not just the concealing of the hair that would make her feel safe, but also dressing in modest clothing and not unnecessarily revealing her beauty. I hardly think she is suggesting, indirectly or otherwise, that the boys in her class are sexual predators. It would seem only natural for a male to feel the inclination to, at the very least, let his gaze rest for an immoderate duration on a woman who happens to be dressed in tight-fitting, revealing clothes, with her features enhanced with the help of all the make-up they have these days.
As your name seems to suggest, I take it you are of the male gender yourself, so let me ask you this: given that there are two women before you who you know absolutely nothing about, one with the appearance I have just described and the other clothed in the modest Hijab or Abaya. Now tell me, Professor, which one of these women would you find your gaze unconsciously wandering towards? Which one of these women would you “appreciate” the appearance of? You see, this is the kind of unwanted attention those of us who clothe ourselves modestly wish to avoid. We don’t need to be a form of refreshment or entertainment for the eyes of random men on the roads, on public transport, at our schools and work-places.
So, no, Professor, the boys in the author’s class might not be sexual predators, but there are plenty of men out there who are. And we do not feel the desire to fall victim to them.
As for your suggestion that the author places herself as a woman below her fellow men, I can’t seem to be able to find any point in the article that would agree with this.
“May be they want to protest against those who wrongly put all Muslims under Bin Laden’s umbrella”? Seriously? I am sure this would sound absurd even to your ears. Let me assure you once and for all, Professor, that the reason we Muslim women and girls proudly wear our Hijabs.our Abayas and our Niquabs has nothing whatsoever to do with Bin Laden. We have been dressing modestly before anyone ever heard of Bin Laden and we will continue to do so when he is long forgotten.
It may be difficult for you to grasp, but many of us don the Hijabs, Abayas and the Niquabs of our own free will. Maybe you would prefer your women-folk to wander the outside world immodestly dressed, attracting unwanted attention to themselves, but kindly excuse us for not feeling the same.
My dear Felicity, I am truly sorry if I offended you with my comments. You got me completely wrong, but please be rest assured, that was not my intention. I have no issues with your clothes, my comments should only be taken in the context of debating the article. I am glad the writer gets your backing; I am sure many others like the article too. As I said, my point was, you do not have to justify what you wear, or your clothes, it is your choice as you say. While you argue on the safe-side of your clothes, a woman in a bikini might argue on the advantage of her exposure to sunlight which enriches her with Vitamin D and importantly, maybe she could run faster in the case of an attack or an earthquake (some people do run during earthquakes!!). Whatever it is, I am not convinced whether there are any statistics to support the argument that women are subjected to any less intimidation, rape and abuse of women in Muslim countries or Muslim-dominated regions in our own country than anywhere else. I have recently read a very cruel fate a man had to meet, who made an attempt to abuse a woman in his neighbourhood in Bangladesh. What most women (of any religion) in the country need is respect and courage regardless of what they wear. Why do you have to worry too much about what others views on your clothes, and who glances at you, as long as you are confident and everybody respects each other? As I said before, I have no problem with anybody’s clothes, I was only criticising the writing in the article, not the religion or the clothes. I have no views on what women or even men should wear, or even what not to wear! More importantly, we do have the religious freedom, whatever one does should not matter to the other, you do not have to justify your religious beliefs
Hello Prof Ruwan – I would really like to see your comments on ‘re-naming roads’ published elsewhere in the same edition.
I like to read yours and Muza’s comments but you guys dont write much these days.
@Prof.Ruwan Ferdinandez
Kudos to you. Im a muslim myself and fully endorse your comments. Youve shed a lot of light with very well structured lines of argument …………..until the very last sentence which simply blows the wind off your sail ,throwing you flat-faced on the beachead. The reason? The senior most woman in the AGs department is purely a political appointee and such sychopants will do anything for personal gain…. even if she has to attend sittings fully covered behind a veil. In fact it might even suit her convenience better knowing the quality of judgement that can come from such appointees. As for Jezima Ismail, the little-knowing self-appointed spokeswoman of the muslim community,the least said the better.
Salmans, Thanks but you surely talk about facts you know. Mine was just an observation, that nowadays there is this woman and a few others who would not publicly wear a Hijab or anything like that. May be she or the other women I refer to here are not representative of the religion but what I said was, it is different from the days I grew up in 70s – 80s. I may be wrong but I was only disputing random statistics of Dr. Jezima Ismail.
Hussein, Yes we don’t meet often enough now, time constraints is one but news these days is not news anymore, is it?
as usual i read some racist / ignorant comments…no one can help.
If you are so worried and scared about facing the world with its male “sexual predators” why don’t you wear a white bed sheet as your regular mode of attire ? Black absorbs the heat whereas white reflects it away. I guess thats the reason your muslim brethren wear white dresses in the arabian countries.
Guess that you havent noticed that the males wear white where as the female where black brother…. As Im in an Arab country I know it you know
Interesting read. I however disagree – when a woman claims she has to cover her hair to be protected and respected – it is a shame, and reflects badly on the society she lives in. This is going down the path of claiming that rape is actually the fault of the the victim. Does this mean that the women who wear the Hijab do so to be protected from and gain the respect of lewd and sexist men? I believe the best approach to lewdness and sexism is not covering up women to ‘help’ the menfolk but to stand no nonsense and report sexist comments and lewd behavior to the authorities and punish the perpetrators. Every woman deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, because she is worthy of it, irrespective of her choice of clothing. It is high time we as women expect this from our society. Also increased awareness? I believe the increase of Hijab is due to the petro dollars flowing into Sri Lankan mosques and communities and increased influence of Wahhabism as opposed to the more tolerant and progressive Sufi brand of Islam prevalent in Sri Lanka a few decades ago. Also, though it is fair to say a sizable percentage of Muslim women wear the hijab//niqab of their own free will, coming from a muslim family influenced by Wahhabism I would like to point out that many women and children I know have been coerced into wearing Hijab and Niqab. Regardless of the justifications, the Niqab prevents a woman being an equal and functional member of the society she lives in and imposing/recommending such restrictive clothing on a minor/woman is a form of abuse. It does not matter if the recommendation comes from a religious text or religious authority. We have banned domestic violence even though the Quran recommends ‘gently’ beating your ‘disobedient’ wife, haven’t we?
i cnt help but laugh out loud at ur comments…u r sayin dat no matter if u wear a mini skirt or a modest covering,wen a roadside romeo harasses a woman,it is not because of her dressing but for the sheer sake of harassment….y do u think girls dress up like bimbettes n go out and about flaunting all they hav got?IT IS TO GET NOTICED,TO BE LOOKED AT AND BE ADMIRED !!nwen they do get that attention dey r soooo craving they r supposed to take action n “report sexist comments n lewd behaviour to the authorities”….gimme a break!
A conversation between a Mufti and a Reverend
Reverend: What is your occupation ?
Mufti – I’m into a Big Business!
Rev – But what business exactly ???
Mufti – I Deal With God
Rev – So you are a Muslim religious leader? Well, I have one problem with you Muslims; you oppress your women!
Mufti – How do we oppress our women ???
Rev – You make your women cover up completely and you keep them in their homes!
Mufti – Well I too have a problem with you People!! You Oppress MONEY.
Rev – What??? How can one oppress MONEY???
Mufti – You keep your money hidden away in Wallets, banks and safes! You keep it covered up. Why don’t you display it in the public if its a Beautiful thing?
Rev – It will get stolen, obviously ..
Mufti – You keep your money hidden because it’s so valuable, we value the True worth of women Far and Far more .
Therefore, these precious jewels are not on display to one and all, they kept In Honour and Dignity!
HERE IS YET ANOTHER VIEWPOINT OF THE HIJAB
=====================================
“The Hijab: Is it Religiously mandated?”
By Farzana Hassan and Tarek Fatah
“The hijab has nothing to do with moral values. A woman’s moral values are reflected in her eyes, in the way she talks, and in the way she walks. They put on a hijab and go dancing, wearing high heels and lipstick. They wear tight jeans that show their bellies. They do this in Egypt.”
The words of 75-year old Nawal Al-Sa’dawi, Egypt’s leading feminist on Al-Arabiya TV on March 3, 2007, reflected her bitterness at how the covering of a women’s head has been misrepresented as an act of piety and the most defining symbol of Islam.
All Canadian women have at some time in their lives, chosen to wear a head cover. In blinding snow storms or in freezing rain, the covering of the head, irrespective of what religion one practises, is crucial to one’s survival in a harsh winter. Halfway across the world, in the deserts of Arabia, whether one was a Muslim or a pagan, the covering of one’s head and face was at times an absolute necessity, not just when facing a blistering sandstorm, but anytime one stepped out of the home in the searing sun
What was essentially attire necessary for a particular climate and weather, has today been turned into a symbol of defiance and at best a show of piety by Islamists and orthodox Muslims.
There is not a single reference in the Quran that obliges Muslim women to cover their hair or their face. In fact the only verse that comes close to such a dress code is (33: 59 ) which asks women to “cover their bosoms”.
Yet, Islamists and orthodox Muslims have in the last few decades made the covering of a women’s head the corner stone of Muslim identity. Not only has the head cover been pushed as a symbol of piety, only the Egyptian and Saudi version of the head cover–the Hijab– is considered worthy of respect while any head cover that originates in the Indian subcontinent, the sari or the dupatta, has been relegated as a less authentic cover in Islam.
There is no denying that through history, Muslim women have chosen to wear the hijab for reasons of modesty. Today, some wear it for just the opposite reason–to look attractive. In the Middle East and Canada, it is not uncommon to see young women wear desginer hijabs to partake in the latest fashion trends, belying any attempt at modesty or anonymity.
Other than fashion, in recent times this supposed symbol of modesty has assumed a decidedly political and religious tenor, dominating the debate on civil liberties and religious freedoms in the West. Opposition whatsoever to the Hijab is viewed as a manifestation of “rampant” Islamophobia.
Allegations that Muslim culture, religion and practice are coming under constant scrutiny and censure are made anyitme the issue of Hijab is discussed. This was the oft-repeated argument when young Asmahan Mansour was barred from a Soccer league in Quebec, as she refused to remove her hijab while playing the sport. Recently the Quebec government also moved to disallow fully veiled Muslim women from voting, as they would not be able to identify themselves adequately.
The Hijab controversy is unfortunately being presented as a worldwide conspiracy against Islam, trigerring an even more hardened reaction. Muslims begin to ask why the kippah for example, is never a subject of controversy, or the Sikh turban or the nun’s habit? What is it about the hijab that so promptly raises eyebrows?
The piece of cloth becomes a subject of controversy also because those who favour its use are governed by the view that it is religiously mandated. They also regard its use as their democratic right. To dispense with the garment while playing a sport would amount to committing a sacrilege. Not so with the kippah, as there is no comparable stringency attached to its observance. Therefore, if participation in a soccer team required the removal of a kippah or a turban, the players would probably comply without much ado. In case of the Muslim girl however, who believes the apparel is obligatory, it becomes a matter of defiance to Allah’s laws. But is it?
A dispassionate inquiry into historical precedent may very well lead to the conclusion that the Quran does not mandate the hijab. The khimar for example, the predecessor of the hijab was worn by Arab women before the Quran’s stipulations on modesty of dress and demeanor. Verse, 33:59 did not introduce the garment , rather it modified its use when it said that Muslim women must “cast their outer garments over their bosoms”, as previously they were left bare, though decked with jewelry and ornaments. The intent of the verse was obviously to exhort believing women to cover their nakedness rather than their hair, which was left partially uncovered even though the khimar was a head dress. Moreover, the khimar, which the Muslims inherited from pre-Islamic times, was never rooted in religious precept. It was rooted rather in custom. Later modifications for its use were introduced into Islamic practice when the religion spread into Byzantine and Persian territories, where once again the head dress was prevalent as a social custom.
The khimar was also a symbol of class and distinction rather than a religious precept in pre-Islamic and early Islamic history evidenced by verse 33:32 of the Quran which states: “O consorts of the Prophet! you are not like other women”. Indeed there existed a hierarchy of sorts where slave women were actually barred from veiling. A peep into Islam’s formative years also reveals the precedent set by Omar Bin Khattab, the second caliph of Islam in meting out harsh treatment to slave women who donned the veil. It is quite obvious therefore, that the veil was not based on religious precept. Why else would it be enforced so selectively?
Therefore, to turn the hijab or khimar into a religious and political issue belies its original intent. Muslim women who so vociferously defend its use may hence be well -advised to undertake an objective study of its history to determine if they must decide to wear it or not.
Farzana Hassan is the President of the Muslim Canadian Congress and author of Islam, Women and the Challenges of Today. Tarek Fatah is the founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress and author of Chasing a Mirage: An Islamic State or a State of Islam, to be published next year.
Covering whole does not prevent women from being sinful. This dress evolved out out practicable necessity to live in harsh dessert climate where anybody who have been to dessert would understand. Being sinful is nothing to do with religion and its all about basic human feelings. Having worked in countries where sharia law is practiced I can say sure there are women who abuse this dress and commit adultery without getting caught. If you just search internet you will find thousands pics and clips where abaya or nikab clad women in compromised positions. Has this dress prevented them from doing what they did?
Arabs cover their face due to sand storms and desert sands,Sri Lankans cover as a Arabic Fashion,it’s nothing to do with religion.If you are planning a highwar robbery this dress may be ideal too!!!!!!!!!!!
Arabs cover their face due to sand storms and desert sands,Sri Lankans cover as a Arabic Fashion,it’s nothing to do with religion.If you are planning a highway robbery this dress may be ideal too!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
Well..even if the muslim woman chooses to follow the Arabic fashion,it’s her choice.
We can see most of the Sri Lankans running behind western culture & dress, to the displeasure of the older generation , who say its just contrary to their customary practices regarding dress & behaviour.
If the Arabic style is ideal for highway robbery…where are the followers of the western culture (which is opposite to the customs of Sri Lanka) heading to ??
Having read and analyzed the Quran for couple of times, In my understanding, Islam is pretty much fundamentalistic in contrast to other religions like Christianity, Roman Catholic , Judaism….etc. In fact, it is so obvious that the way that they live or behave in society while accepting the fundamentals of polygyny (marry and live with more than one woman..), Pork forbidden, beheading the criminals in public, Referring Non-Muslims as Kafirs and more importantly, Promoting their women for living beneath the Veil for the whole life!. Ultimately, the conclusion is: All religions are powerful Intoxications thus once you get addicted it is extremely hard to give up it. You will die with it but never escape from it…!
Note:[I am a Buddhist, and Buddhism is absolutely not a religion but a universal theory of explaining the contexts of mind and matter hence it cannot be categorized under the topic of Religions.]
According Islam and the Almighty God, women are precious like Gem and Diamond… and Gold Jeweleries. They are to be protected and always to be kept in a safe place… I am asking my non-muslim brothers and sisters…where do u keep your gold Jewellary…in the Verandah? in the Dining room table? Do you? No..No way …becoz they are highly valuable items and and you know how important they are in your life…while you store them very protectively, still you will wear them whenever you go out but it will always be with you….
So Islam give due respect to women thus giving them a dress code. whoever respect them as women they will just adhere and its only gonna benefit them in their life….
Only women who does not have respect, will uncover their body for others (human and un-human being) to enjoy….
It really surprises me on how stubborn certain people can be, even after so many Muslim women who cover themselves give testimonials saying that it is their own choice to wear a hijab, abaya or niqab and the many benefits that they attain from the religious practice.
well, i suppose the ignorant people need somewhere to display their ignorance
This woman should be lucky she was not in france. Because they will put her in jail for her veil. And serves her right for creating mischief. If she was so modest why doesnt she close her trap and be a good housewife. or even train to be one. Why must she create an unnecessary sensation living in a muticultural society/. Im a muslim myself and strongly object to people like this woman creating social problems for everyone. With or without her veil i dont think anyone will care looking twice at her. So why bother.
oh how silly and ignorant you are
@obama watever.u shud hav been born in another century for havin such ignorant views,the point of living in a multicultural society is being able to practise ur religion and ur culture uninhibitedly and maryam is simply highlighting the same fact…in fact she is happy donning her hijab as she like all muslim women who wear hijab,feels protected.n i am curious to know how can social problems b created by a woman wearing hijab of her own free will?
I think the veil is very sexy and promiscous, where would a belly dancer be without a veil ?? Muslim women must continue wearing veils even in bed so that their husbands will not look at any other women.
It’s a great article, and this Shows that Most women who wear Abaya and Niqab are not forced in to it, it’s their choice according to their belief. I’m NOT saying that there aren’t women who are forced into it. I guess there might be about 10-20% in that category – after-all religion is understood by different ways by different people.
It’s sad to see that STILL even after reading this Some can’t digest the idea of women being covered up.
If a person wishes to stay alone -It’s her wish. If a person wishes to cover up it’s same – after all it doesn’t matter for them whether others know who she is or not.
Any person with a common sense would know a woman who is covered up more has less possibilities of being subjected to harassments.
Why do people worry about individualities who are happy with the way they are ??
Islam doesn’t give equal rights to both sexes ; It can never be – It’s not practical- But Islam provides women the best rights ever – and I’m talking about ISLAM not Cultures – Islam based on Quran and Sunnah doesn’t do ANY injustice to women by anyway – I can prove that Insha Allah
Dr Ruwan Ferdinenz
Why are you going in for conspiracy theories when in fact what she says is this hijab prevents males from getting indecent thoughts to their minds. BMW advertises their latest car with a women in shorts. the ad says “Test drive her now”
Are they meaning the car or the woman. What a lewd advertisement. Professor
for moment think if it is your daughter or a near one in that ad how will you feel.
Are women so cheap. Hijab prevents all that
ha ha. give me a break muslim. like you muslim men really respect women. lol.
ha ha. Give us a break kevin. I doubt you know any real practicing Muslim men. Know your facts before you go mouthing others off
Well written Sister. Thank you.
Have you cosidered the possibility of some of the above mentioned in the article not even adhering to the ‘Hijab’
Opinions should be genuine!
Grete Mariyam, Allah Bless you.
Prof.Ruwan Ferdinandez,
You do not seem to have grasped the gist of this article. So let me make an attempt to explain it to you.
First of all, open your mind and stop taking everything so literally. When she said she was probably safer because the boys in her class had no idea what her hair looked like, I think the author was just stating an example here. It is not just the covering of our hair, but also the fact that we wear modest clothing and do not cover our faces with all the make-up you find these days that ensures we lead a safer life. You say, ” If you think perverts always look at women’s hair and try to attack, you are in a cloud cuckoo land”, and I repeat, it is not just the covering of the hair that is being referred to in this article.
I highly doubt the author was suggesting, indirectly or otherwise, that the boys in her class are sexual predators.But there is no denying the fact that there are plenty of men out there with not-the-purest of intentions.
Your name seems to suggest that you are one of the male gender yourself, so let me ask you this professor. Consider the hypothetical situation where you find two women before you, who you know absolutely nothing about. One of them dressed in the tight-fitting, revealing clothes that seems to be the fashionable thing these days, the curves of her body outlined perfectly by these clothes, her beauty enhanced by the skillful use of make-up; whereas the other woman is dressed in loose-fitting clothes (possibly an Abaya), the only parts of her body visible to you being her hands and her face (free from the touch of all that make-up). Now tell me, professor, which one of these two women would you find your eyes unconsciously wandering towards? Which one of these women, professor, would you find yourself “appreciating” the “beauty” of? I hardly think there would be a doubt in any of our minds what the answer will be. Try to understand that we clothe ourselves thus in order to avoid such unnecessary attention.
Strange as it may seem to you, professor, most of us Muslim women and girls don our Hijabs, our Abayas, our Niqabs of our own free will. And we do it with pride. We do not wish to be the source of entertainment for the eyes of random men on the streets, on public transport, at our schools and at our workplaces.
As for your suggestion that the author places herself below her fellow men, I cannot find any such reference in the article that would prove your point.
So in conclusion, professor, you may have no qualms that your women-folk may step out of the house dressed in an immodest manner, but kindly excuse us for not sharing your views.
Assalamu aleikum(May peace be upon you)
Dear brothers and sisters,
When we who wear the hijab/niqab say “it is comfortable” u people say ” no! it is not comfortable”
when we say ” it is not slavery” you say ” no! It is slavery”
when we say ” it protects us” you say ” no it doesn’t protect you”
when we say ” we like to wear it” you say ” no you don’t like to wear it”
Actually what is wrong with the people, I don’t know..and what wrong can a hijab/niqab do to you,it CANT EVEN HARM A FLY!! Then why make a problem out of what is not problematic! May peace and blessings of Almighty God be on all the human beings!
If your are ugly and overweight, it’s a good idea to cover up. However if you got the goods show it off lady. Who wouldn’t like to lay eyes on good looking pretty thing? Nothing wrong in admiring unless you are gay or jealous fat women.
well you see, Raja, as difficult as it may be for you to believe this, we do not believe we have been placed on this earth for any random person to feast their eyes upon. This is the degradation most women these days subject themselves to, putting themselves on display for all the sleazy eyes in the world, and this is something those of who wear the Hijab wish to avoid.
Realaty is you are driven by obsession with your suppressed hard-line religious belief. If you are that concern and worried by the predators, there is a place where they’ll adore you for your Hijab. It’s called Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia. So WHY are you living with predators where you are not even welcomed?
Roshan, are you Gay?
Dear Maryam,
Thanks for writing on behalf of us, the veil clad muslim woman. I too am a professional and I too wear the hijab. My parents or husband didn’t force me in to it. To be honest I actually adopted the hijab because of all the “ahh nangi, hello fathima, etc” comments i used to get on my to classes or school. and it used to drive me wild and make my day bad. As someone who has been on both sides of the fence, i find life easier with the hijab. no one bothers me with rude comments any more. and its great!
i am given prominence because of my abilities not because of what i look like. my colleagues listen to what i say, rather than look at my attributes when i talk (you can deny it, but trust me it happens). my peers and my bosses hardly notice it and they move with me for who i am. I am glad they are open minded, tolerant and basically nice people who respect my choice and my right to wear what i want.
For the most part I believe the article boils down to the subject of choice. Regardless of the diverse cultural or social attitudes towards the hijab/niqab it is important to understand that in the eyes of the writer, the attire is emblematic of modesty and affords a sense of respectability. This is duly supported by perceived religious justifications. Also no assertions were made that choice of clothing defined character.
A commendable stand which has to be respected.
Accordingly I fail to see how the connections to forced adherence to religion and extremism were made. In any case just to address that issue I’d say Islam is largely misunderstood religion by the myopic, which includes a great many of its followers.
well said, AB!
it is immaterial the advantages and disadvantages of wearing Hijab.
It is a way of life and you will get the benefits in this world and world after this if you do this for the Creator.
Our creator knows best for us… who else.
Hijab has nothing to do with Islam, its part of the Middle Eastern Culture. Even Mary wore a hijab.
Islamic world faces the biggest problem of drawing a line between arab culture and Islam often gets mixed up.
This is a form of suppression of women my Arab macho men.
Do the readers know that a muslim bride need not sign a marriage certificate even in Sri Lanka. The father or a close relative can give her in marriage without her signing anywhere. This is the type of gender eqaulity our muslim brothers are talking about.
what I fail to understand if why all these people seem to have to problem with all the scantily clad women you find everywhere these days, but seem to get all worked up when the Hijab and modest clothing is mentioned. How many times do you have to be told? WE DO IT OF OUR OWN FREE WILL! WE ARE NOT BEING OPPRESSED!
Sheesh, so much thick skin.
I wonder why all these men are so against women covering themselves. If its practised by people who want to ….what’s up with them. Is it because they want to feast looking at the women’s body. I don’t understand.
After reading the article ‘Living beneath the veil ‘ published by The Sunday Leader & the comments made by some, I choose to write this. I have been engaged in my profession as a teacher for nearly two decades and have had the opportunity of meeting and interacting with people of all walks of life and it has helped me immensely to have a clear picture of life and living itself.
I am not one who dons the niqab but I am in the clan that covers the whole body along with the headscarf , at the same time I am in full support of any woman who chooses to wear the Abaya or the face veil. As a muslim woman I can assure that living within Islamic limits, I am quite happy and content and I do not feel inferior in anyway and it has never proven to be an impediment or a hindrance to my progress.
I choose to write this not to justify my religion but because there is so much controversy about the dress and freedom of the Islamic woman.There is a misconception that the Islamic woman is under oppression and that she is unhappy. Well , there is many a woman who is subject to oppression and unhappiness but not every such woman is a muslim. This happens because of the individuals involved. It is a general problem faced by some females around the world.So we cannot say it is Islam, the Islamic dress of a woman or the place of a woman in Islam.The cause of this are some individuals,( may be muslims or not) their attitudes and their outlook in life. The psychical aspect crops up at this point and the help of psychiatrists has to come in.
Wearing the Abaya or Hijab is not to keep a woman confined to her home but it is worn to make her feel safer to move around, to give her the freedom of education,freedom of carrying out her duties of a good mother etc.
Professor Ruwan Ferdinandez in his comment to the above mentioned article says that all men are not sexual predators. When we wear the Islamic dress to protect ourselves , we don’t mean that all men are sexual predators. In fact we believe that majority of the men are decent and well behaved.We appreciate and respect them and do not for once worry about them because we know we are safe with them. All we worry about is the minority of men who happen to be indecent , the perverts, some may even be termed maniacs. These are the culprits by whom women are being subject to harassment. A decent man would admire the beauty of a woman and his decency would stop him at that but, is every man on the face of the earth so ? We are quite aware of what is happening in the world around us. If all the maniacs could be cured , well it would be a different setting of the whole story, but is it possible ?
We all know that one big problem faced today is burglary. All the attempts by the police ,vigilance committees etc to protect the public and their property , cannot prevent burglars from breaking into houses, not only in the nights but even in broad daylight. So people take measures to protect themselves by putting up big gates , building high walls around their beautiful houses, fix alarm circuits , intercoms and keep the doors locked even during the day, unable to get even fresh air and they sacrifice their freedom to a certain extent for their protection. Why ? Because burglars cannot be eradicated. Likewise, if perverts and sex maniacs cannot be eradicated , we women have to sacrifice our freedom to a certain extent to protect ourselves. As we all know prevention is better than cure.
I read many an opinion that Islamic attire disengages a woman from society, that they have no identity so on and so forth, but today nothing is carried out looking at you in person , everything depends on documents & records like, the identity card , passport , certificate of birth , certificate of marriage etc and if necessary physical checking is carried out by men for men and for women by women, so identification becomes no problem. So I shall say that, even if one is NOT dressed in Islamic attire it wouldn’t take you any further.
From my childhood I’ve been lucky enough to have got the chance to mingle and live in a multicultural society and I have the utmost respect to every other religion and community as Islam teaches me.I like to mention this with all my respect to the Buddhists ,recently I saw a board on the gate of a temple mentioning that no woman should enter the premises dressed in trousers , tight fitting clothes or short skirts. Most of the schools have laid down the rules to mothers to be dressed modestly in accordance with the customs when entering the school premises. Does this mean that all men who come to the temples and schools are sexual predators ? Its only more than obvious that they are only trying to introduce modesty and good values, especially among the younger generation.I bow my head to this.Not only muslims but every sensible human being would agree that women have to dress modestly , but who will decide what this point of modesty is, because a dress thought to be modest by one person may not be thought to be modest enough by another. Here it becomes a matter of opinion.This is where Islam comes in specifically mentioning the dress code of a woman. Sadly to be misunderstood by some.
If it is thought that a woman has the right to show her face,take any haircut according to trends, wear makeup,any shades as she pleases,wear clothes of any shape or colour,even black if she desires , I do not suggest such a person is bad but I ask if this can be accepted ,why can’t a woman choose to wear a black Abaya or even a face veil if she so wishes.I don’t see why there’s such a big controversy about it.
Much is said that showing a woman’s hair will not cause any harm but as it is , it is one part that makes a woman attractive , hence the whole idea is to reduce this attraction. I definitely think a loose garment and headscarf can undoubtedly reduce much distraction among men and boys whether it be in a classroom, office or a crowd. Here again I mention that it’s not all but a fraction of men who are vulnerable to a woman’s body.A woman’s hair as beautiful as it is , may be a problem sometimes eg;( this could be taken in lighter vein) We have seen when travelling in buses , people have the hair of some women flying on to their faces much to their inconvenience. How many would like it I wonder. I have even heard a few men admitting,true to their conscience, that they are much more comfortable when amidst women in loose and inexposing garments than the contrary.
On many an occasion when travelling in a hired vehicle especially a tuk tuk , I’ve had my heart in my mouth when the driver suddenly diverted his attention from the road ahead, to gaze at a shapely woman he is passing. Well, if she happened to be fully covered in a loose garment ,I wonder if this would happen.
Being in my profession , I’ve met many an aspiring parent who are much worried about too much exposure their adolescent children are facing today. Well , whatever their worries are, I definitely don’t think the Islamic woman’s attire to be a reason or cause for their anxiety.
If there is any muslim woman who says that she’s miserable because she has been forced to wear the Islamic attire thus curtailing her freedom, I am sad to say that it has not been introduced to her properly.She has not understood the reasons behind it.It is the responsibility of every parent to make aware to their children the islamic values and practices.They should be spoken to well in advance before coming of age about the advantages of these practices. Any woman who knows the advantages will definitely opt for it, as it will also show her the disadvantages of not practising it.
When we talk of women’s freedom,we must know what this freedom we are talking about is. What do we really want ? Is every woman who has this so called freedom able to enjoy it without a problem?
To the information of some , I like to mention that a woman in Abaya is not donned in it twenty four hours a day. She puts it on,only when she gets about. She wears it over a decent set of clothes of her choice and even jewellery to her liking.While in this decent set of clothes she is free enough to mingle in her family circle , among all women,of course her husband , her father , brother, father in law, nephew , step son , maternal and paternal uncles and all those whom she has mahram, that is all those of blood relationship and fosterage. In the rightful attire she can travel , get education or even enjoy good entertainment accompanied by a mahram for protection. What more exposure does she need ? Other communities may not have something called mahram, but nevertheless , aren’t the young girls always accompanied by an elder for protection.
Islam also specifically mentions the duties of the men towards their women and vice versa. Good muslim men are bound to keep their women happy but, if any individual does not abide by these, it is not the fault of Islam , Here again we can say such black sheep are found in all communities.
In Islam men and women have equality in basic humanity , rewards and punishment , religious obligations , education , fair share of wealth , social responsibilities etc. Well, as a muslim woman I feel that all these rights are adequate enough for me to lead my life comfortably. “What more do I want?” I ask myself.
Well done, Ruzaika Hassan! MashaAllah
Watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l9v6nbcHKA&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLBE254C8EB4047590
Then everyone will be able to understand it, InshaAllah