Wednesday, January 30, 2008

The Veil: Showing off vs. Being!

The title is not really mine, it's inspired by the final words of an American lady who converted to Islam in this video that I am showing you today. The lady is talking about the veil from a very personal level. That's an insider's look at the veil, or Hijab, in Islam. Non-Muslims might think of the veil as oppressive (that's what one American female friend told me). That's indeed a weird concept. It ignores the defintion of oppression, which implies forcing and imposing. Why would wearing the veil be oppressive when Muslim women do it by choice?! It's as free as going naked on the beach, one woman "wants" to reveal her body, while the other "wants" to protect it from the staring eyes! There should be no talking about oppression here. Seeing western women opt for the veil is even more of a proof that it's their free choice to wear the veil, because they do that when they belong to a culture that doesn't recognize or respect the veil. They don't have any other motive than their pure free desire. Watch this video, it's one account of what a western woman feels and thinks about wearing the veil. She ends her video by saying something profound about wearing the veil: it's for women who are more interested in being than in showing off!



Final note: A woman can be Muslim and not cover her hair, however a good Muslim woman would not reveal much of her body, the same way conservative women of other religions do. This post is primarily concerned by the attack of the veil as an oppressive form of religious practice. I must also say that I am categorically against covering a woman's face in the name of hijab/veil and I personally see it as an anti-islamic dress.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I haven't watched the video clip but I wanted to answer the question you're asking as to why the non-muslims consider the viel oppressive. It's related to your final note, it's not the Hejab or the absence of it that determine the faith. In other words, it's being done out of faith not being forced in women of that faith. The latter is the wrong understanding that many people have.
Greetings, Adel from Chicago

مواطن مصرى نايم said...

الله ينور عليك ايه الجمال ده
لا بجد روعة
ربنا يوفقك
احلى حاجة انك عايش فى امريكا
كده بتكون اقرب منهم

Mohamed Shedou محمد شدو said...

Adel

thanks for your comment ya adel, glad to see you here.

مواطن مصري نايم
اهلا بيك يا باشا واهلا بالمصريين النايمين
:)
اسعدني اعجابك بالتدوينة
ربنا بس يدينا القوة واقدر اكتب اكثر في المدونة دي

Gannah said...

جزاك الله خيرا و جعل هذه المدونة فى ميزان حسناتك و الحقيقة البوست قال اللى كنت باقوله لاى حد يسألنى عن حجابى لما كنت عايشة فى انجلترا و اتمنى ان مدونتك توصل لكل مسلم مغترب لان المصريين فى الغربة محتاجين يعرفوا كتير عن دينهم و ازاى يردوا على الاسئلة اللى ممكن يتسألوها.انا سعيدة جدا بوجود شباب مثلك و برغم انى اجيد الانجليزية الا انى حبيت اعلق بالعربى و خاصة انى مش عارفة اذا كان زوارك من العرب او من غير العرب . و شكرا

Mohamed Shedou محمد شدو said...

gannah

شكرا على تعليقك يا جنة والحقيقة انا مقصر في حق المدونة دي
لكن ان شاء الله ربنا يعين واكتب فيها كل اللي انا عاوز اكتبه لان فيه حاجات كتير لسه عاوزه تتقال

وانا هنا بتوجه اساسا للقاريء الغربي عشان كده لغة المدونة انجليزي
وطبعا اللي بيقراها كده وكده ناس عرب وناس تانيه مش عرب ممكن يلاقوها في مدونات البحث مثلا

شكرا على الزيارة وان شاء الله هبقى متابع لمدونتك