NOT ALL WOMEN ARE OPPRESSED

Sister Fatima Asmal

While many people may view the Muslim woman as an oppressed object, she in no way feels insignificant or mistreated. In a society ridden with myths about Islam, the most misunderstood aspect of the religion is the role of the Muslim woman. People, misinformed by movies like “Not Without My Daughter” in which the Muslim man is depicted as a heartless tyrant, generally view the Muslim woman as a deprived, suppressed and pathetic little creature.

A media, which passes off incidents of female genital circumcision in Egypt - which is often confused with the Islamically legislated female circumcision - as an Islamic practice, further contributes to this shallow notion.

The Muslim woman who dresses Islamic has had to learn the hard way: she is often the target of open ridicule - in the form of rude gestures, as well as sarcastic comments. Women who veil their faces have become quite accustomed to having a wide variety of unimaginative nicknames including ‘ninja’ and ‘boogyman’ thrown at them. They also smoke blown into their faces, and parents threaten their children with “I’ll call that ghost for you.”

As a Muslim woman, I have often been termed a fundamentalist. I sometimes get the impression that people see me as a rather un-liberated person. What most people forget is that the western concepts of fundamentalism and liberation differ from the meanings Muslims attach to these words. All practising Muslims are fundamentalists in the sense that they adhere to the fundamentals of Islam. It is the west, which has twisted the word ‘fundamentalism’ around to denote something violent.

As for liberation, the average Muslim woman already feels liberated. She was liberated more that 1400 years ago when the last prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SallAllaho alaihe wa sallam) informed mankind of her rights, through the Quraan which was revealed to him, and through his own behavior and attitude towards women.

These rights include the right to vote, the right to inheritance, the right to rear her children, the right to seek a divorce on justifiable grounds (for example, extreme cruelty), the right to choose her husband as well as the right to education. The Muslim woman is also under no obligation to change her name at marriage, and she may propose to a man she wishes to marry.

One of the most important rights she enjoys is the right to protection and respect. It is in relation to this right that her dress is prescribed to her by the Quraan in various verses, one of which instructs her not to show off any of her adornment, “except that which is apparent/or may ordinarily be revealed.” Although some Muslims interpret this verse to mean that the face can be left uncovered, the pious Scholars produce overwhelming evidence to prove that the covering of the face in the presence of strangers is compulsory. It is agreed that the dress of a Muslim woman should be loose and non-transparent. The head, bosom, arms and legs also have to be covered.

These dress codes are not a means of restricting her; they are a means of protecting her from all forms of sexual harassment and to prevent men from harboring sexual thoughts about her, something which is abhorred in Islam. She is instructed to cover her body because there is no need for everybody to see it.

The Muslim woman who observes these dress codes does so, not out of some cultural or fashion adherence, but because she wants to fully embrace her religion and please her Creator, Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aalaa).

Contrary to popular belief, the woman who dresses in Islamic garb is not forced to do so by her husband, father or in-laws. She is not a robot who is programmed by some superior male who man-handles her into doing things she meekly accepts. In the exceptional cases where this does happen, it should be these people, and not Muslims in general, who should be questioned.

Behind that veil, is an intelligent woman who understands the requirements of her religion as is laid out to her by her Creator, not by her husband.

And yes, whether her face is covered or not, she is fully aware of the stares that follow her.