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The respect of mother’s goes even further, my late father once told me. He quoted Prophet Muhammad’s message to one man when asked: “O Messenger of God, who among the people is the most worthy of my great company?” The Prophet said, “Your Mother.” “Who else is next” said the man? The Prophet replied by saying: “Your mother.” “Then who else?” The man asked once again, and Prophet Muhammad replied: “Your mother.” After the fourth time, only then did the Prophet say “Your father.”
As mentioned earlier in my example of Saudi Arabia and how women follow strict rules, things have changed somewhat in other countries. In legal terms, the tendency in Muslim countries has been to ameliorate the position of women, but that change is coming slowly but surely. Most countries still dictate their laws according to the Shari’a as the basis of their legal systems; others combine religious and secular law. Arab countries reinterpret the Shari’a in order to accommodate it to contemporary needs rather than reject it altogether in favour of foreign legal systems.
In the late nineteenth and twentieth century major changes were seen with respect to the position of women. Education of women was key in certain Muslim countries. In some Middle Eastern countries women have been integrated into the labour force in many forms. In such countries as Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia many women are employed in industrial labour. More and more women in Cairo are going to university in order to become young professionals. I think that it’s great to see women working and getting better educations rather than be a “stay at home moms”, so to speak.
Women saw themselves as playing a valued, legitimate, and overly important role in the family and social life, one that differed from but was complementary to that of their male counterparts. The veil is usually taken as a symbol of the domination of women by men, but in fact it symbolizes the complexities of their relationships. Wearing the veil was not, and is not, universal among Middle Eastern and Muslim women. From my understanding, it is commonly worn by urban and middle-class women. The question of the hijab has been a controversial one for centuries to come. The word hijab is derived from the Arabic word hijaba meaning to hide from view or to conceal. In present times, the context of the hijab is the reserved covering of a Muslim woman. What is the extent of the covering of the veil? The Qur’an states in Surah 24- an-Nur: “Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed Allah is acquainted with what they do. And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not display their adornment except that which [ordinarily] appears thereof and to draw head covers over their chests and not display their adornment [i.e., beauty] except for their husbands” (Qur'ān 24:30-31).
The veil is also understood by many as a type of shield, protecting women from aggressive men, and society versus the dangers of temptation given by women. Although it conceals and secludes some women, it also creates a type of mystery and intrigue. This gives women the freedom to move as they may with respect, which then creates a form of ambivalence in terms of purity and passion, autonomy and subordination, and dependence and independence. The styles of Western clothing are a completely new and intriguing invention. Looking at the clothing of women as recently as seventy years ago, we see clothing similar to that of the ‘oppressed’ style of hijab. Muslim women who wear hijab do not find it impractical or interfering with their daily activities. The problem is that people in the West have the wrong perception. The veil or hijab is not a ‘covering’ dress but more importantly, it has its meanings with respect to women’s conduct, etiquette, speech and look in the open public. It is one of the great ironies of our world today that the very same headscarf revered as a sign of 'holiness' when worn for the purpose of showing the authority of man by Catholic Nuns, is reviled as a sign of 'oppression' when worn for the purpose of protection and dignity by Muslim women. Go figure? Clothing is something that covers our body, nothing more, nothing less, its only one facet of the total being. The clothing of men should not be like the dress of women, nor should it be tight or provocative. A Muslim should dress to show his identity as a Muslim. Men are restricted to certain things as well, such as not being permitted to wear gold or silk. On the flip side, women are entitled to wear both. For both men and women, clothing necessities are not meant to be a form of control but rather a fashion in which society will function in a proper, Islamic manner.
Bibliography
The Qur’an: Arabic Text with Corresponding English Meanings. English Revised and Edited
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Comments
Enlightened Muslims! Ayman El Hakea | Jun 16th, 2004
Dear Omar, Assalamu 'alaykum my brother..
you are, with the help of God, one of those few enlightened Muslims today!
Jazak Allahu khayran, and keep up good work.
Well Said Rana Lotfy | May 10th, 2005
Thanks for clearing some ideas that are usually misunderstood by non Muslims.
Keep up the good work
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