| Respect
For Niqab Author: A Abdullah Published on: January 21, 2001 |
There
are several points to address. First of all, although there are many
well-known, respected scholars who have declared that a woman may leave
her face and hands exposed in public, I have yet to hear of even one
who has said that it is disliked for a woman to cover even more of herself
by wearing a face-veil and/or gloves. In fact, what such scholars have
said is that at a minimum a woman must cover all but her hands and face,
and that her reward from Allah SWT will be even greater for taking extra
steps to conceal herself further. (And Allah knows best.) This is the
so-called "least-conservative" viewpoint, so it is difficult
to see how ordinary Muslims have come to criticize pious Muslim women
who are simply seeking the pleasure of Allah SWT by veiling themselves
fully. Think
about it carefully: would we ever think of criticizing a Muslim who
fasts extra days outside of Ramadan? Do we belittle the Muslims whose
prayers exceed the prescribed daily five? Are we upset when Muslims
give more zakat than required by Islamic Law? Of course not. We admire
such people for their apparent dedication to Allah SWT, just as we
should admire Muslim women who cover their faces for the same reason.
Whether they veil because they take the so-called "most-conservative"
viewpoint that covering the face is a requirement of Islamic Law, or
because they simply believe that they will earn extra reward from our
Lord and Creator for doing something more than they have been asked
to do is of little importance. Praise be to Allah, veiled women are
engaged in halal, and that is the bottom line. As
for the question of non-Muslims being "turned off" by Islam
upon seeing fully-veiled Muslim women, Muslims should not waste time
and energy worrying about such matters. To the contrary, some
non-Muslims are not critical of the face-veil at all and are so intrigued
by it that they actually become interested in Islam as a direct result
of seeing fully covered Muslim women. One
non-Muslim woman wrote about her impressions of the face-veil in our
local newspaper after crossing paths with a veiled woman on a busy city
street. The writer was struck by the confidence with which the Muslim
woman walked, seeing all that was around her, but not being seen by
others, secure in the knowledge that no man could make a lewd comment
to her about her shapeless body and invisible face. She confessed a
twinge of jealousy as she contemplated her own short skirt and tight
blouse, realizing in a split second that, no matter how much she tried
to convince herself otherwise, society's men were probably not judging
her solely for her intellectual and professional capabilities. She now
felt embarassed in front of the Muslim woman who must've, she imagined,
felt somewhat sorry for a "liberated" western woman like herself
who could not even make it from one end of the street to the other without
fear of harassment. ( Please note that these were
the writer's own sentiments and my intention is not to put her down
but to show that there is more to equal rights than rules and regulations:
it also has to do with belief, mindset and the reality of how men and
women interact with one another as opposed to how we think they should
in a perfect world.) Contrast
this powerful piece of writing to an article authored by a Muslim woman
in another newspaper. In it, the woman practically begged non-Muslims
not to judge Islam by the face-veil, which, she claimed, is a mere cultural
tradition having nothing to do with Islam. This article served to divide
local Muslims into two camps, understandably upsetting veiled women
and their families. Even if one wanted to take the "least-least
conservative" point of view and say that the veil is nothing more
than a cultural tradition, it should not be forgotten that such a tradition
has sprung forth from a culture of Muslims who are seeking the reward
and pleasure of Allah, Most High. We should, in fact, respect the sisters
who, in spite of the intense scrutiny placed upon them by Muslims and
non-Muslims alike, continue to veil, refusing to abandon a halal garment
which provides them (and the community as a whole) with extra doses
of security, honor and pride. Islam
is a light that Allah SWT puts into one's heart, and He will undoubtedly
help those sincere individuals who are seeking the Straight Path to
get there one way or another. It really has nothing to do with what
people "think about Islam." One of the best things we can
do as Muslims is to behave well, dealing with people kindly and fairly,
remembering that it is ultimately up to the will of Allah, Most Glorious
if a particular individual is to become a Muslim or not. We should never
think that we have to change the good things about ourselves in order
to attract new converts to Islam. This strategy is not only demoralizing
to one's iman, but it also does not work. In
conclusion, I would like to note that I do not wear the face-veil myself
(only the basic hijab) but that I do have enormous respect for the women
who cover their faces. I was prompted to write this article after hearing
from many of my fully-veiled sisters in faith that some of the harshest
criticisms they receive are from within the American Muslim community
itself and not from non-Muslims as they had anticipated before adopting
the veil. I really think that all Muslims should realize how much courage
and confidence it takes to veil one's self in modern-day America and
that we should be their best supporters in the struggle for the Muslim
woman's right to veil. |