[Reader-list] reader-list Digest, Vol 48, Issue 23

[ratnesh shukla]

 It is beyond my comprehension how can one justify a burqa covered woman
feeling liberated.Burqa indeed obstucts liberty of a woman's self
expression.So far as non-discriminatory nature of burqa is concerned which
abolishes class and other such identities I hope Mr Y Sikand would be
similarly supporting such uniformities in other walks of life like housing ,
food etc.Life is an extremely diverse thing in every field including
clothing.Advocacy of uniformity in any field is advocacy of fascism.

On 7/23/07, reader-list-request at sarai.net <reader-list-request at sarai.net>
wrote:
>
> Send reader-list mailing list submissions to
>        reader-list at sarai.net
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>        https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>        reader-list-request at sarai.net
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
>        reader-list-owner at sarai.net
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of reader-list digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Kashmiri filmmaker Arun Kaul passes away (Aditya Raj Kaul)
>   2. Brouhaha Over the Veil (Yogi Sikand)
>   3. Re: Brouhaha Over the Veil (MRSG)
>   4. Re: Brouhaha Over the Veil (Ateya Khorakiwala)
>   5. Re: Brouhaha Over the Veil (Vedavati Jogi)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 21:20:52 +0530
> From: "Aditya Raj Kaul" <adityarajkaul at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Reader-list] Kashmiri filmmaker Arun Kaul passes away
> To: reader-list at sarai.net
> Message-ID:
>        <e7e803a30707220850m44659b22l987ca2cb7efb6dc4 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> *Kashmiri filmmaker Arun Kaul passes away*
>
> New Delhi, July 21 (PTI): Noted Kashmiri filmmaker and screenplay writer
> Arun Kaul died here today after a prolonged illness.
>
> Kaul, 74, is survived by his wife and two sons. He breathed his last at
> the
> All India Institute of Medical Sciences this morning after being
> hospitalised for nearly a month.
>
> Kaul, who was running "Vyeth" (Kashmir name of river Jehlum) Television,
> shot into fame when his film "Diksha" won the best film award for the year
> 1992.
>
> He has been a screenplay assistant of veteran film maker Gulzar for the
> films 'Lekin' and 'Ijaazat' besides having written the screenplay for the
> film star-studed "Chandni" of Yash Chopra.
>
> He has also produced a film named "Ek Adhuri Kahani" directed by Mrinal
> Sen.
>
>
> His television documentary "Dharma Kshetra" won the NFDC Award in 1986.
>
> In mid 1990s, his production house, Vyeth Television, started "Kashmir
> File"
> on Doordarshan in which the excesses committed by militants were
> highlighted.
>
> The programme was closed after its anchor reporter, Saiuddin Shafi, was
> gunned down by militants in broad daylight for raising voice against the
> terrorists.
>
>
> *--
> Aditya Raj Kaul
> Blog: www.kauladityaraj.blogspot.com
> Website: www.adityarajkaul.tk*
> -------------- next part --------------
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> URL:
> http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20070722/b8767fcf/attachment-0001.html
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:58:27 +0530
> From: "Yogi Sikand" <ysikand at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Reader-list] Brouhaha Over the Veil
> To: reader-list at sarai.net
> Message-ID:
>        <48097acc0707221228t33f04cb3y4a1180f2a075755d at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="WINDOWS-1252"; format=flowed
>
> 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.
>
> --
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 08:41:58 +0530
> From: MRSG <mrsg at vsnl.com>
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Brouhaha Over the Veil
> To: Yogi Sikand <ysikand at gmail.com>, reader-list at sarai.net
> Message-ID: <002d01c7ccd7$3c9f5b60$b2c641db at MRAY>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="utf-8";
>        reply-type=original
>
> 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/>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 08:50:16 +0530
> From: "Ateya Khorakiwala" <ateya.k at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Brouhaha Over the Veil
> To: reader-list at sarai.net
> Message-ID:
>        <b23971c80707222020t7616ef3qc4550e781fb14c5e at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="WINDOWS-1252"; format=flowed
>
> 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.
> > >
> > > --
> > > _________________________________________
> > > 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/>
>
>
> --
> Ateya Khorakiwala
> Research Fellow,
> Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture
>
> www.ateya.blogspot.com
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:37:55 +0000
> From: Vedavati Jogi <vrjogi at hotmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Brouhaha Over the Veil
> To: MRSG <mrsg at vsnl.com>, <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Message-ID: <BAY126-W36AB26DA6098DBDE5FC7D2C0F70 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
>
>
> 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/>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Catch the cricket action with MSN!
> http://content.msn.co.in/Sports/Cricket/Default.aspx
> -------------- next part --------------
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> URL:
> http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20070723/5fe7b8a8/attachment.html
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> reader-list mailing list
> reader-list at sarai.net
> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
>
>
> End of reader-list Digest, Vol 48, Issue 23
> *******************************************
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/attachments/20070723/36b83385/attachment.html