The
Veil - Women In Islam
Is
it true that there is no such thing as the veil in the Judea-Christian
tradition? Let us set the record straight. According to Dr Menachem M.
Bayer (Profess. Of Biblical Literature at yeshiva University. The Jewish
woman in Rabbinic literature, it was the custom of Jewish women to go
out in public with a head covering, which sometimes, even covered the
whole face leaving one eye free.76 he quotes some famous ancient Rabbis
saying," It is not like the daughter of Israel to walk out with heads
uncovered" and "Cursed be the man who lets the hair of his wife be seen
a woman who exposes her hair for self-adornment brings poverty ". Rabbinic
law forbids the recitation of blessing or prayers in the presence of a
bareheaded married woman since uncovering the woman's hair is considered
"nudity".77
Dr Brayer also mentions that "During the Tannaitic period the Jewish woman's
failure to cover her head was considered an affront to her modesty> When
her head was uncovered she might be fined four hundred zuzim for this
offense." DR Brayer also explains that veil of the Jewish woman was not
always considered a sign of modesty. Sometimes, the veil symbolized a
state of distinction and luxury rather than modesty. The Veil personified
the dignity and superiority of noble women. It also represented a woman's
inaccessibility as a sanctified possession of her husband.
What about the Christian tradition? It is well known that Catholic Nuns
have been covering their heads for hundreds of years, but that is not
all. ST. Paul in the New Testaments made some very interesting statements
about the veils:" Now I want you to realize that the head of everyman
is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is
God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors
his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered
dishonors her head-it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman
does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is
a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or shaved off, she should
cover head ..Among the Canon laws of the Catholic church today, there
is a law that requires women to cover their heads in church.82 Some
Christian denominations, such as the Amish and the Mennonites for example,
keep their women veiled to the present day. The reason for the veil, as
offered by the Church leaders, is that "The head covering is a symbol
of woman's subjugation to the man and to God", which is the same logic
introduced by St.Paul in the New Testament.
From all the above evidence, it is obvious that Islam did not invent the
head cover. However, Islam did endorse it. The Quran urges believing men
and women to lower their gaze and guard their modesty and then urges the
believing women to extend their head covers to cover the neck and the
bosom:" Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and
guard their modesty .And say to the believing women that they should lower
their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their
beauty and ornaments except what ordinarily appear thereof; that they
should draw their veils over their bosoms "24:30,31). The Quran is still
clear: "O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women
that they should cast their outer garments over their bodies (when abroad)
so that they should be known and not molested"(33:59)
This is the whole point, modesty is prescribed to protect women from molestation
or simply, modesty is protection. Thus, the only purpose of the veil in
Islam is protection. The Islamic veil, unlike the veil of the Christian
tradition, is not a sign of man's authority over woman nor is it a sign
of woman's subjection to man. The Islamic veil, unlike the veil in Jewish
tradition, is not a sign of luxury and distinction of some noble married
women.
The Islamic veil is only a sign of modesty with the purpose of protecting
women, all women. The Islamic philosophy is that it is always better to
be safe than sorry. In fact, the Quran is so concerned with protecting
women's bodies and women's reputation that a man who dares to falsely
accuse a woman of unchastity will be severely punished:" And those who
launch a charge against chaste women , and will produce not four witnesses(to
support their allegations)-Flog them with eighty stripes; and reject their
evidence ever after: for such men are wicked transgressors"(24:4)
Compare this strict Quranic attitude with the extremely lax punishment
for rape in the Bible:" if a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged
to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the
girl's father fifty skeles of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has
violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives"(Deut.22:28-30).One
must ask a simple question here, who is really punished? The man who only
paid a fine for rape, or the girl who is forced to marry the man who raped
her and live with him until he dies? Another question that also should
be asked is this: which is more protective of women, the Quranic strict
attitude or the Biblical lax attitude? Some people especially in the west,
would tend to ridicule the whole argument of modesty for protection.
Their argument is that the best protection is the spread of education,
civilized behavior, and self restraint. We would say; fine but not enough.
If "civilization" is enough protection, then why is it that women in North
America dare not walk alone in a dark street-or even cross an empty parking
lot? If Education is the solution, then why is it that a respected university
likes Queen's is has a "walk home service" mainly for female students
on campus? If self restraint is the answer, then why are the cases of
sexual harassment in the workplace reported on the news media every day?
A sample of those accused of sexual harassment, the last few years, includes:
navy officers, Managers, University professors, senators and the President
of the United States!
It is one of the great ironies of the World today that the very same headscarf
revered as a sign of "Holiness" when worn for the purpose of showing the
authority of man by Catholic Nuns, is reviled as a sign of "oppression"
when worn for the purpose of protection by Muslim women.
By: khalifanancy
The
Veil, Women In Islam by Dr Sharif A. Azim presented by khalifanancy. www.the-slam-way.com
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