It’s a well known fact that women in Islam are required to wear the hijab. Islam did not invent the head cover however Islam did endorse it.
Although Hijab is an obligation, it is beneficial and liberating for women. We are no longer judged based on our bodies which society changes the ‘ideal body’ every few years from curvy to skinny, to strong over skinny. Only a few years ago size 0 was the normal. How are women of all different backgrounds supossed to achieve society’s goal of looking like a Victoria’s Secret Model?
Society constantly tells women they are not good enough; they need to diet more; dress more provocatively and work as hard as men in order to be successful. They are prisoners in their own land. Subhan’Allah. Islam relieves women from these worldly pressures, you simply dress to cover your body, you don’t have to feel ashamed if you are not “good enough” and you don’t have to show off if you feel like you are “good enough.” This is equality.
What about the Christian tradition? It is well known that Catholic Nuns have been wearing hijab for hundreds of years, however the reasoning behind the ‘vail’ in Christianity is vastly different. Let me explain:
St. Paul in the New Testament of the Holy Bible states: “Now I want you to realise that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of every woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays with his head covered dishonors his head. And every woman who prays with her head – uncovered – dishonors her head; she should have her hair cut off, or shaved off. A man ought not to cover his head since he is the Glory of God; but the woman is the Glory of man.” The verse goes on, I urge you to open your Bible and check. It is clear that St Paul’s rationale is that the veil represents a sign of the authority of the man over women.
Let’s skip to today’s world. 60% of people in the UK are Christian (i.e 36 million) That means that the majority of British people accept what is written in the Bible and openly declare that they are Christian which is far superior and much less oppressive than those wicked Muslims…
Recent statistics show men working full-time in the UK earn on average £29,441 per year and women in the same full-time jobs earn only £23,889. Why is it after 103 years of fighting for equal pay women are still paid less than men??
Islam totally rejects the idea that men are worth anymore than women in any form. Modesty is for both genders. Modesty encompasses: your walk, your talk, your dress, your thinking and your actions.
Society and the Secular way of the West is suffocating Muslim women worldwide, holding onto our beliefs is becoming more and more difficult, we look more and more strange, to the planet. So hold onto your faith, like a rope, on one end is Allah holding on and on the other end, is you.
I am not denying that some cultures and some “Muslim countries” do not follow Islam efficiently therefore there are oppressed women, prejudiced men and sometimes unfair treatment however, this is not Islam.
To sum up, The word hijab comes from the Arabic word “hajaba” meaning to hide from view or to conceal. Wearing hijab is an instruction Allah has given Muslim women as a source of liberation, protection and dignity… “So that she may be known (as a free respectable woman) so as not to be annoyed.” Surah 33 Verse 59; Holy Qur’an.
Women are not going to achieve equality by putting our bodies on display. True equality will be had only when women don’t need to display themselves to get attention and won’t need to defend their decision to keep their bodies to themselves.
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ShukrallahBlog 