Islam, Women and Feminism *Friday, Jun 26 2009* Don't ban the burqa, question it <http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1496>
Should Mr Sarkozy ban the burqa from France? Definitely not. Because bans are undemocratic and an unqualified attack on individual freedom. Should we however use this opportunity to question the efficacy of the burqa, the chador, the veil or what you will? Definitely yes. Specially since the burqa isn't just another piece of cloth but has a lot of ideological and cultural connotations to it. The French President himself has termed it a symbol of subservience which has no place in a secular state. Doesn't it have religious connotations, you may also ask? But hey, just let's keep religion out of this. Primarily because, as scholars point out, the Quran makes a mention of modesty rather than the word 'burqa' when it comes to women's apparel. The veil has more a cultural significance in Islam than a theological one. The Quran categorically mentions that "the best garment is the garment of righteousness." (7:26) And righteousness may or may not be interpreted as the burqa, depending on the personal choice of the person. -- *Nikhat Kazmi *--- *Burqa is integral to Muslim identity* First part of Sarkozy's statement. The burqa is not a symbol of religion. The burqa, in fact, is integral to the Muslim identity as laypersons know it. But do the scriptures, the Koran, in particular say that women must wear burqa? I spoke to a couple of friends and Sarkozy's so wrong. The Prophet certainly advised Muslim women to protect their dignity. That a woman's dignity lies in her own hands and it is best that she have a chador when stepping out of the house…. Conditioning or choice, many Muslim women bond with their burqa. It's as much a style statement as a proud marker of identity. It gives them ‘security’, they say in a world that has become overtly sexualised. It's their choice to wear their identity on rather long sleeves, but that's none of my business. -- *Nandita Sengupta* 4 Comments More...<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1496> Islam, Women and Feminism *‘Burqa helps, makes me feel powerful’ <http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1500>* I am wearing this out of choice. If somebody forced me to wax my legs and wear a bikini, I would have been a prisoner. My hijab lets people just focus on my work and my values, than on my body.” Shaista says, “I think those who are forced to wear the hijab are enslaved.” But banning any kind of clothing, says Maria, is a “violation of human rights” and such statements are “irresponsible”. “Sarkozy should know if such practice is being followed for thousands of years, it has some use, otherwise it would have died out,” she says. -- *Irena Akbar* 3 Comments More...<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1500> Islam and the West *Sarkozy and the burqas <http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1501>* Nicolas Sarkozy’s problem is that he hasn’t read enough Hegel. ... For Hegel this isn’t real freedom, because our wants and desires are determined by society. By those lights, a western fashion victim is as much a sartorial prisoner as a woman in a burqa. By real freedom, Hegel meant not doing whatever one wants but having the freedom from societal conditioning by using reason. If you come across someone who manages to be really free in this sense then send me their names so we can celebrate their escape. -- *Stuart Jeffries* 1 Comments More...<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1501> Urdu Section *Taliban biggest heroine smugglers in the world <http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1499>* *By Asad Mufty, Amsterdam* More.<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1499> -- Syed.Asadullah -- Syed.Asadullah --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Asalam o Alaikum, You Are Receiving This Message, Because You Are A Member Of FOCUS ON ISLAM, A Google Group [..:: The Best Group For Nice Islamic Mails ::..] \/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<>\/ You can Post Your Comments and Suggestions to Me [Moderator of this Group] on this email address: [email protected] To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.google.com/group/focusonislam/ To post messages/mails to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] Please forward our Mails to Your friends, and convence them to join our Group. Wanna subscribe to this group, send email to [email protected] \/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<>\/ *********************************************************** The Official Website of Group is LAUNCHED, http://www.geocities.co -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
