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* 5 Comments More...<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1496> Islamic Ideology *The Beauty of Islam that attracts intellectuals like Kamala Das <http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1503>* Kamala Das had converted to Islam on 12 December 1999. Kamala Suraiya - her Islamic name - was considered to be one of the finest authors. She was also a good poet. Known as a tradition-defying iconoclast, she had sought to convince her readers that inequality among humans is most inhuman. After a long creative life and having pondered over the ideology of Islam and presumably comparing it with other religions, for a long time, she decided to take refuge in Islam. After her conversion in a grand ceremony organized at Chohi in Kerala, she observed in a T.V interview: “I didn’t accept Islam under any pressure; it’s my spontaneous and personal decision. So I don’t care about any criticism, Islam is the most precious treasure for me and it is dear to me more than my life”. -- *Maulana Nadeem Al-Wajidee *Translated from Urdu by *Syed Raihan Ahmad Nezami* More...<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1503> Islamic Society *Pakistan: Where have we gone wrong? <http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1502>* *By Irfan Siddiqui, a Pakistani columnist* ** ** ** ** ** ** 1 Comments More.<http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1502> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
