[Reader-list] Brouhaha Over the Veil

Mon Jul 23 09:07:55 IST 2007

Yogi Sikand & his likes are Supporting muslim fundamentalism under the pretext of preserving secularism/liberalism/pluralism etc. etc. 
Vedavati> Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 08:41:58 +0530> From: mrsg at vsnl.com> To: ysikand at gmail.com; reader-list at sarai.net> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Brouhaha Over the Veil> > 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 critics as well as defenders of the veil.> >> >> >> >> >> >> > The author works with the Centre for Jawaharlal Nehru Studies, Jamia> > Millia Islamia, New Delhi.> >> > --> > _________________________________________> > reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.> > Critiques & Collaborations> > To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with > > subscribe in the subject header.> > To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list> > List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/> > > _________________________________________> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.> Critiques & Collaborations> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header.> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list > List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>
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