Origins of Hijab

Dear Aiesha:

You are entirely correct in your views. This is exactly one of the points that I made in my paper. If you feel comfortable in hijab, it`s perfectly okay. And a non-hijabi sister (daughter) is not necessarily bad simply because she doesn`t wear hijab. My own daughter doesn`t wear hijab and some of her friends do. It`s personal choice. Some do to keep their Muslim identity, which is alright.

Wishing you well,

Mohammad Gill

I don`t get the point of the entire discussion :S I do hijab out of my own free will. Especially in America, it is as much representative of my identity as a muslim, as black hair+black nail paint+black facial make up is representative of a Goth-oriented average American.

Everyone has an opinion and a choice- if one person has the choice to NOT take hijab, then give me the choice to TAKE hijab. In my ideal Muslim community, everyone would just leave each other alone- alone to do as they please.

Unfortunately, that cannot be possible. Can`t have everything. Just as fundos preach complete hijab and call non-hijabi muslim females infidels, the extreme liberal people call me fundamentalist and opressed and whatnot. But does that make me one? I don`t think so. Does calling non-hijabi women bad muslimahs actually make them essentially satanic? Personally I believe that many non-hijabi sisters may even be better muslims- you can never tell.

Which is why we must not condemn a person based on rumors and our own observations, neither should we laud a person unnecessarily based on outer appearances. Only Allah can see beyond all hijabs and converings, and only He knows best.

Ralph,

But the people discussing all those things do indeed think like me. The conversations get disrupted when people like you bring in religion and invoke those people out of the blue.

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barachota:

I like your creative post. To be honest, it never occurred to me that way.

Mohammad Gill

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again, I think people are missing the point.

Poeple dont cover to avoid rape. They cover because they think its the obligation upon them being a muslim.

Vertex

That`s all right. The original point was that it is not easy to discuss too many other aspects of Islamic societies without some mention of religion because, according to many Muslims, ``islam is a total way of life.` These Muslims live by their understanding of Islam, not yours.

Ralph,

Well, yes. I am calling those Pakis ignorant. That i know Islam better than these people is somewhat funny, and pathetic. Doesn`t change the facts though.

Quite frankly, I could care less what the ignorant of the world think, be it you or anyone else.

Vertex

One can`t read Pakistani newspapers for a week without repeatedly reading the claim that ``Islam is a total way of life.`` Now, you are calling these people ignoramuses. You seem to know Islam better than other people. Or is it that the real Islam out there doesn`t fit what you would want the world to know about it?

Ralph,

``Islam is a `total way of life.` Nothing escapes the influence of Islam in Islamic countries, nor does anything in the life of a true Muslim. ``

Blah blah blah. With concepts like ``what has been explicitly forbidden is so, and what is not is allowed`` hardly makes for the kind of all-encompassing ``way of life`` ignoramuses like to tout when the religion itself doesn`t make these claims. It`s an even bigger ignoramus who takes up their word over the more reasonable ones...for obvious reasons.

Yet I would like to thank you for proving my point...

ZahraJ #122
You are welcome. Just fyi, in India, talking of women covering their heads is generally seen as trying to impose other peoples` authority on them. If the effort is to make women more free and safe, that has generally meant giving women a choice NOT to wear a headcovering.

India has not reached the stage where it can be said that women are already free and safe, so propagating the use of a headcovering is simply propagating an individual choice.

vertex #129

Lack of these things will be unthinkingly blamed on religion

Islam is a `total way of life.` Nothing escapes the influence of Islam in Islamic countries, nor does anything in the life of a true Muslim.

Are those claims false?

fuzair,

``Anyone want to debate tax policy? OR the private spaceflight? Or cold fusion? Or something else remotely useful and interesting?``

What for? Lack of these things will be unthinkingly blamed on religion, and in the end we`ll be right back here, among other irrelevant places. Such is the chowk way...

Zahra_j, atif, et al
I think maybe Zahra was trying to say rape also happens in these countries, not that rape only happens in these countries. No matter how much you cover yourself, you will always remain at risk of rape.
Faiza, I hope you were joking that you`re the only person who has the right to an opinion on this. Hijab affects us all. It creates the standard for a `good` woman, so that the morals of all others are suspect. I refuse to cover my head, even in a dargah. I have done so only in Sikh gurudwaras, where men too have to cover their heads. This is my opinion alone. If you feel safer in hijab, good for you, but we all have the right to an opinion on this.

``Mr. Hamidm, you find a naked man walking around with wsj in his arm and a hijabi woman equally offensive. Well said!

So the thing is that I find this bible / old testament derived notion of covering your genitals in public VERY offensive.`` (Atif)

I agree.....covering ur genitals in public on a Nudist beach WILL be VERY offensive.....

covering head and covering genitals are not two different things.....its not like comparing `pears and oranges`....depends upon location...... if a head is located where the genitals are -- that head should definitely be covered -- or if a genital is located where the head is supposed to be -- that genital must be covered.....too.