[Reader-list] Brouhaha Over the Veil

[Ateya Khorakiwala]

This statement :

"Personally, I find women dressed in the demure Muslim gown more
dignified than skimpily-dressed ones who blindly follow every Western
fashion and consider their own cultural traditions as 'primitive'."

The whole point is that women's bodies and what they wear is not for
you to judge, its not for you to decide what women look dignified in,
'dignity' is eventually just another word used to control women's
sexualities

On 7/23/07, MRSG <mrsg at vsnl.com> wrote:
>  The write up shows how islamic fundamentist ideology of subjugating women
> forcing women wearing hijab can be supported under the veil of intellectual
> discourse.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Yogi Sikand" <ysikand at gmail.com>
> To: <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Sent: Monday, July 23, 2007 12:58 AM
> Subject: [Reader-list] Brouhaha Over the Veil
>
>
> > Brouhaha Over the Veil
> >
> >
> >
> > Yoginder Sikand
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > The controversy surrounding recently-nominated President Pratibha
> > Patil's hotly contested statement on Muslims and the veil clearly
> > illustrates how Muslim women's dress has become a central trope in
> > contemporary discourses about Islam. Critics see the veil as
> > 'obscurantist' and 'patriarchal', while its defenders regard it as
> > protecting women from the oppressive male gaze. In this brouhaha over
> > the veil, the fact that there is no single definition of it, that it
> > has different meanings for different people and that what is
> > considered to be normative Islamic women's attire varies across
> > different Muslim ethnic groups and social classes is completely lost
> > sight of. Further, the important distinctions between the veil, the
> > burqa, the naqab and the hijab, all different forms of Muslim women's
> > dress, are overlooked.
> >
> >
> >
> > Interestingly, the Quran does not lay down any particular form of
> > clothing for men or indeed for women. It does not require Muslim women
> > to cover their faces completely and remain confined at home, this
> > being a custom that Muslims later took over from the Byzantine
> > Christians. Instead, it talks about the need for both men and women to
> > dress modestly. Modest appearance means that erogenous parts of the
> > body should be covered suitably. This modest dress, or hijab, meant
> > both for men and women, has been historically understood in diverse
> > ways in different Muslim communities.
> >
> >
> >
> > In medieval India, it was the general practice of Muslim elites, like
> > their Hindu counterparts, to veil their women and keep them concealed
> > behind the four walls of their homes. But, then, as now, this was not
> > the custom among the poorer classes, whose womenfolk were forced, by
> > sheer economic compulsion, to work outside. They donned different
> > forms of 'modest' Islamic dress other than the veil and did not
> > observe strict purdah. In large parts of rural India, for instance,
> > Muslim women wear the shalwar kameez and dupatta, which serves the
> > same function of 'modest' dress as the veil, at the same time as it
> > allows them to work in the fields.
> >
> >
> >
> > A few decades ago, shuttle-cock like veils were a common sight in
> > India, covering women from head to toe like billowing tents. This,
> > however, is rare now. Instead, new forms of the hijab have emerged,
> > often influenced by fashions elsewhere in the Muslim world. Far from
> > necessarily constraining Muslim women, they often facilitate them to
> > enter the public space and to go in for higher education and careers
> > that their mothers would never have considered. Many Muslim parents
> > feel comfortable letting their daughters go outside their homes to
> > study or work if they wear loose gowns that do not necessarily cover
> > their faces. Many Muslim women would feel more comfortable dressed
> > that way, regarding this sort of attire as protecting them from
> > unwanted male attention. This way of dressing is also a social
> > leveler, erasing class differences to a great extent, in terms of
> > external appearance. As many young Muslim women who voluntarily choose
> > to don this form of hijab see it, it saves them the trauma that many
> > other women have to suffer when they feel compelled to 'look good' in
> > public, thanks to the overbearing and relentless assault of the media
> > that projects Western women's clothing styles and the accompanying
> > add-ons—cosmetics, hair-styles, hair colours and so on—as defining the
> > parameters of feminine beauty.
> >
> >
> >
> > Although some Muslim clerics consider the face-covering burkha as
> > normative for Muslim women and insist that they should stay cloistered
> > in their homes, many others differ. These new perceptions are
> > reflected in the writings not only of Muslim 'modernists' but also of
> > a significant section of the madrasa-trained ulema, a number of who
> > have even started schools for Muslim girls. And it is not that all the
> > ulema would insist that Muslim women should necessarily dress in plain
> > black gowns. Interesting innovations are now being made with this
> > simple dress in terms of colours, shapes and styles, catering to a
> > clientele that seeks an Islamic approach to modernity.
> >
> >
> >
> > Personally, I find women dressed in the demure Muslim gown more
> > dignified than skimpily-dressed ones who blindly follow every Western
> > fashion and consider their own cultural traditions as 'primitive'. Far
> > from being regarded as shackling, many Muslim women who choose to
> > dress the Islamic way see their attire as liberating, allowing them to
> > preserve their modesty, as prescribed by Islam, as well as affording
> > them mobility outside their homes. However, in the heated debate about
> > Muslim women's dress it is often forgotten that the Quran also insists
> > on suitably modest dress for men. It is an indication of the
> > patriarchal nature of the debate that this crucial aspect is almost
> > forgotten, as Muslim women come to be seen as bearers of Muslim
> > cultural authenticity by criticsas well as defenders of the veil.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > The author works with the Centre for Jawaharlal Nehru Studies, Jamia
> > Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
> >
> > --
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-- 
Ateya Khorakiwala
Research Fellow,
Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture

www.ateya.blogspot.com