Why does Islam degrade
women by keeping them behind the veil?
Answer.
The status of women in
Islam is often the target of attacks in the secular media. The HIJAB or the
Islamic dress is cited by many as an example of the subjugation of women under
Islamic law. Before we analyse the reasoning behind the religiously mandated
HIJAB, let us first study the status of women in societies before the advent
of Islam.
1. In the past women were
degraded and used as objects of lust
The following examples
from history amply illustrate the fact that the status of women in earlier
civilizations was very low to the extent that they were denied basic human
dignity:
1. Babylonian
Civilization:
The women were degraded
and were denied all rights under the Babylonian law. If a man murdered a woman,
instead of him being punished, his wife was put to death.
2. Greek Civilization:
Greek
Civilization is considered the most glorious of all ancient civilizations. Under
this very glorious system, women were deprived of all rights and were looked
down upon. In Greek mythology, an imaginary woman called Pandora is the root
cause of misfortune of human beings. The Greeks considered women to be subhuman
and inferior to men. Though chastity of women was precious, and women were held
in high esteem, the Greeks were later overwhelmed by ego and sexual perversions.
Prostitution became a regular practice amongst all classes of Greek society.
3. Roman Civilization:
When Roman Civilization was at
the zenith of its glory, a man even had the right to take the life of his
wife. Prostitution and nudity were common amongst the Romans.
4. Egyptian Civilization:
The
Egyptian considered women evil and as a sign of a devil.
5. Pre-Islamic Arabia:
Before
Islam spread in Arabia, the Arabs looked down upon women and very often when a
female child was born, she was buried alive.
2. Islam uplifted women and gave
them equality and expects them to maintain their status.
Islam
uplifted the status of women and granted them their just rights 1400 years ago.
Islam expects women to maintain their status.
Hijab for men
People usually only
discuss hijab in the context of women. However, in the Glorious Quran, Allah
(swt) first mentions hijab for men before hijab for the women. The Quran
mentions in Surah Noor: "Say to the believing men that they should lower
their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them:
and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do." [Al-Quran 24:30]
The moment a man looks at a woman and if any brazen or unashamed
thought comes to his mind, he should lower his gaze.
Hijab for women.
The next verse of Surah
Noor, says:
" And say to the believing women that they should lower
their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty
and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should
draw veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their
husbands, their fathers, their husbands fathers, their sons..." [Al-Qur'ân
24:31]
3. Six criteria for Hijab.
According to Qur'ân and Sunnah there are basically six criteria
for observing hijab:
1. Extent: The first criterion is the
extent of the body that should be covered. This is different for men and women.
The extent of covering obligatory on the male is to cover the body at least from
the navel to the knees. For women, the extent of covering obligatory is to cover
the complete body except the face and the hands upto the wrist. If they wish to,
they can cover even these parts of the body. Some scholars of Islam insist that
the face and the hands are part of the obligatory extent of hijab.
All the remaining five criteria are the same for men and women.
2. The clothes worn should be loose and should not reveal the
figure.
3. The clothes worn should not be transparent such that one
can see through them.
4. The clothes worn should not be so glamorous
as to attract the opposite sex.
5. The clothes worn should not
resemble that of the opposite sex.
6. The clothes worn should not
resemble that of the unbelievers i.e. they should not wear clothes that are
specifically identities or symbols of the unbelievers religions.
4. Hijab includes
conduct and behaviour among other things
Complete hijab, besides the six
criteria of clothing, also includes the moral conduct, behaviour, attitude and
intention of the individual. A person only fulfilling the criteria of hijab of
the clothes is observing hijab in a limited sense. Hijab of the clothes
should be accompanied by hijab of the eyes, hijab of the heart, hijab of
thought and hijab of intention. It also includes the way a person walks, the
way a person talks, the way he behaves, etc.
5. Hijab prevents
molestation
The reason why Hijab is prescribed for
women is mentioned in the Qur'ân in the following verses of Surah Al-Ahab: "O
Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women that they should
cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad); that is most
convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Al-Qur'ân 33:59]
The Qur'ân says that
Hijab has been prescribed for the women so that they are recognized as modest
women and this will also prevent them from being molested.
6. Example of twin
sisters
Suppose two sisters who are twins, and
who are equally beautiful, walk down the street. One of them is attired in the
Islamic hijab i.e. the complete body is covered, except for the face and the
hands up to the wrists. The other sister is wearing western clothes, a mini
skirt or shorts. Just around the corner there is a hooligan or ruffian who is
waiting for a catch, to tease a girl. Whom will he tease? The girl wearing the
Islamic Hijab or the girl wearing the skirt or the mini? Naturally he will tease
the girl wearing the skirt or the mini. Such dresses are an indirect invitation
to the opposite sex for teasing and molestation. The Qur'ân rightly says that
hijab prevents women from being molested.
7. Capital punishment for the rapists
Under the Islamic
shariah, a man convicted of having raped a woman, is given capital punishment.
Many are astonished at this harsh sentence. Some even say that Islam is a
ruthless, barbaric religion! I have asked a simple question to hundreds of
non-Muslim men. Suppose, God forbid, someone rapes your wife, your mother or
your sister. You are made the judge and the rapist is brought in front of you.
What punishment would you give him? All of them said they would put him to
death. Some went to the extent of saying they would torture him to death. To
them I ask, if someone rapes your wife or your mother you want to put him to
death. But if the same crime is committed on somebody elses wife or daughter
you say capital punishment is barbaric. Why should there be double standards?
8. Western society
falsely claims to have uplifted women
Western talk of womens liberalization
is nothing but a disguised form of exploitation of her body, degradation of her
soul, and deprivation of her honour. Western society claims to have uplifted
women. On the contrary it has actually degraded them to the status of
concubines, mistresses and society butterflies who are mere tools in the hands
of pleasure seekers and sex marketeers, hidden behind the colourful screen of
art and culture.
9. USA has one of
the highest rates of rape
United States of America is supposed
to be one of the most advanced countries of the world. It also has one of the
highest rates of rape in any country in the world. According to a FBI report, in
the year 1990, every day on an average 1756 cases of rape were committed in
U.S.A alone. Later another report said that on an average everyday 1900 cases of
rapes are committed in USA. The year was not mentioned. May be it was 1992 or
1993. May be the Americans got bolder in the following years.
Consider a scenario where the Islamic
hijab is followed in America. Whenever a man looks at a woman and any brazen or
unashamed thought comes to his mind, he lowers his gaze. Every woman wears the
Islamic hijab, that is the complete body is covered except the face and the
hands up to the wrist. After this if any man commits rape he is given capital
punishment. I ask you, in such a scenario, will the rate of rape in America
increase, will it remain the same, or will it decrease?
10.
Implementation of Islamic Sharee'ah will reduce the rate of rapes
Naturally
as soon as Islamic Sharee'ah is implemented positive results will be inevitable.
If Islamic Sharee'ah is implemented in any part of the world, whether it is
America or Europe, society will breathe easier. Hijab does not degrade a woman
but uplifts a woman and protects her modesty and
chastity. 
