Fracas over a veil

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 27 February 2025 Four young girls in Jaunpur, UP, returned home in a huff without taking the exam when they were asked to remove their burqa. This has again catapulted the practice of wearing burqa and its significance in modern Islam and the perceived advanced society of ours. Well, nowhere does the Qur'an specify that women are to wear veils. It merely stipulates that women should dress modestly at all times. However, in some societies, female modesty has been judged to include covering the face to varying degrees, even so far as to using a semi-see-through veil that doesn't even have openings for the eyes. In very traditional areas all over the Middle East and North Africa, for example, one is still likely to see veiled women. But, in places like Indonesia or Malaysia, and the US, some Muslim women wear full-length robes and head scarves when they're in public or when any but women friends or their closest male relatives visit them in their homes. Many non-Muslims look disapprovingly on Muslim women, who choose to "cover" themselves, regarding them as reactionary or hyper-conservative. Like the rest of us, most Muslims would rather be judged by their character than by external appearances. It's important to appreciate how Muslims understand the primary intent of traditional teaching about such things as modest clothing, for both men and women: respect for the human dignity of each person. Many Muslims think some contemporary societies, including our own, show little respect for women. So much advertising makes it clear that women's bodies are either the commodity for sale or the chief enticement in marketing another product. It's hardly surprising that some Muslims seek support in their religious tradition for a more 'humane' and 'dignified' treatment of women. That said, a burqa or hijab is a mere piece of cloth. It's a religious totem and a flawed symbol of feminine modesty. This scriptural interpolation must be done away with and for that, Muslim women's active participation is a sine qua non. But ironically, women themselves want this desert practice to perpetuate till the Day of Judgement. When youngsters, esp. girls, assert themselves by flaunting their faith in such an adamant manner, it seems that education has failed to remove religious obscurantism. What must be flouted is being flaunted. Education has consolidated our obscure beliefs and practices in the new millennium. This applies to all; not just to Muslims. ----------- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/current-affairs/burqa-hijab-fracas-veil/d/134734 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism