lol... we are not oppressed, we openly accept that being forced by society to cover ourselves lest we inspire men to lustful thoughts is the right thing to do... honestly...
Francis, as I have opened myself to the possibility of ridicule and hatred in order to further interfaith discussion (by allowing people to ask me questions and make their comments) I really could do without the sarcasm please.
as a woman I find it disgraceful that women would readily succumb to a cultural convention which means that they are, by design, such sinful objects.
Such sinful objects? Never heard this one before. I do not wear hijab because I am a sinful object, I wear it so that I will be recognised as a Muslim, respected as a woman and not thought of as a 'play thing' for men. How does that make me a sinful object? If I was a high court judge wearing a mini skirt, with cleavage and high heels would I be respected or taken seriously? What if I was a lawyer, a doctor, a university professor? Hardly think so.
I think perhaps you are under the usual misconception that only Muslim women are to dress and bahave modestly? Muslim men are also required to "lower their gaze", they have rules about dress and what cannot be worn or shown of the body.
As for cultural convention, I am a western woman brought up in europe and certainly under no 'cultural convention'. G-d and the Prophet Mohammad clearly state how I should behave and dress. I do not wear hijab to please my husband or society, I wear it to please Allah and Him alone. It is my choice and I choose how to dress, I choose to cover my hair but I choose not to cover my face.
What is so bad about not covering your head? What is so bad about exposing your shoulders, or your legs?
Absolutely nothing if you are not a Muslim. There is only a requirement that Muslims dress this way and this requirement comes from Allah not from men.
Can men not control their lust? Can we not make men who cannot control their lust wear very dark sunglasses instead.
Perhaps you are unaware that Muslims, both men and women, must remain virgins until they marry. Would it therefore be kind or decent to taunt my unmarried brothers by showing them something they cannot have? This is one of the many ways that Muslims respect each other, we try to behave and dress so as not to offend or excite each other.
Because men make the rules in Arabic societies, and women are just trophy housewives who must be good in bed while pretending to be virgins in the town square.
Since when did I have to pretend to be a virgin in the town square? Islam is very open about what goes on between a man and wife (so much so I have found myself red faced on a number of occasions). The Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) instructed men that once they are satisfied they must not leave the bed until their wife is also satisfied. Does this not show the respect Islam affords to women? How does that make me a trophy housewife?
Sorry but this shows such misunderstanding. You must try to look at Islam itself, the Quran, the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) to see what Islam is, the respect and choices Muslim women are given, not the behaviour of a small group of Arab Muslims. There are 1.5 billion Muslims (and rising daily) in every part of the world and only a small percentage of women live under such extreme fundamentalist conditions. I live in the Middle East and I do not feel oppressed in any way (one would think as a western woman going to live there I would notice it more than the women born there). That said I would never make the choice to live in Saudi because the women there are oppressed by men under the banner of Islam but NOT by Islam itself.
Do muslim women tidy their bikini lines, tint their hair, pluck their eyebrows? Yes, they do, you can see their painted toenails peeping out from under their skirts. So, they are just as concerned about their appearances and fashion and nice knickers as is every other woman on the planet.
I have also taken to the tradition of removing all hair from my face (except eyebrows) and arms. I spend hours shopping for clothes and make up with my female friends. Of course I am just as concerned about my appearance as every other woman on the planet and like western women I do it because it makes me feel good, not just to please my husband.
I have been insulted now on a few occasions by muslim men in my area who think that a woman who opens the top button of her blouse is a whore, and I don't like it, and I won't stand for it.
I too would not stand for it, if you were a guest in my town in Egypt and a Muslim man said something like this to you, you would see how 'timid' Muslim women are (women hitting men in the street with shoes is quite normal following any insult to a woman).
If this happens again, insh'allah it won't, but if it does please don't get angry. Instead tell them that the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said "Do not search for faults in each other nor yearn after that which others possess, nor envy,
nor entertain malice, or indifference; and be the servants of G-d". You can also point out to them that the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) made peace treaties with people of other religions and they all lived, according to their own ways, peacefully together (they were not allowed to say the women of other religions should dress as Muslim women).
They are speaking from ignorance and malice and for that I apologise to you, so by using the words and examples of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), instead of anger, you can make them feel and look stupid and ashamed - as well they should.
By objectifying women we place them in a weaker and inferior position within society. Women are not there just to make babies and sit at home looking pretty for men. In truth, you should be able to walk down the street naked and be unmolested. In reality, we are still stuck in some rinky dink world, where conventional lies and the myth of decency dictate behaviour, were women who have sex are promiscuous and were men can do as they please.
See my comment above about Muslim men having the same restrictions upon them as the women. Do all behave as they should? Of course not but please do not 'blame' Islam for the faults of some misguided and sinful men (and indeed women).
I can give you many examples of Muslim women in very prominent positions in Muslim societies, my doctor and lawyer are both women (I chose them because they are women). The Quran is packed full of verses that say "the believeing men and the believeing women" - this is in relation to education, work, dress, behaviour, etc. Men are not singled out in Islam as better than women, just as different with different responsibilities.
May I give one very honest and true example from my personal experience. When I first married, my husband went to see the local Sheikh (in Egypt) to ask about his duties as a husband. He was told that he should employ a woman to cook and clean for me and that if he couldnt afford to do this then he should perform these duties himself. This is the teaching of Islam, the respect offered to women but I choose to look after the home myself because I love my husband and I dont want a stranger doing this work for me. The problems occur when men want power and comfort for themselves, (as they have historically wanted in all societies) and they twist our religion to suit their desires.
In the last 80-100 years women have come a long way, and I do not want to retreat to the dark ages and not be able to leave the house in a short sleeved blouse without a chaperone.
I would not want any women to go back to the dark ages, I do feel that womens lib has gone a bit over the top in some areas but this is my personal opinion and not one I would thrust onto others. That said, I choose to wear hijab and don't want to go back to my days of short skirts and cleavage. I respect your choice of dress and only ask that you respect my choice of dress without labelling me oppressed.
If a man or a woman fancies you, wants to have sex with you, you play the game. They ask, in some way, for more contact, and you decide whether or not to give them any. If you do not want to, they are supposed to respect that choice, whether you are in a veil or in a bikini.
And do they always respect that choice?
The game that you refer to is exactly what we try to avoid because we are instructed to do so by G-d. It is our belief, we do not say you must believe it or follow it. Look to any of the main religions, marriage is sacred and you should be chaste before marriage. Modesty and faith simply go hand in hand and I am not prepared to sin against G-d so that I am not to so hot when I walk down the street. It is all a matter of belief and choice.
If I inflame their passions then I would expect them to have self control and respect for me, as I do them. Thats called civilisation. It's called progress. It's called mutual respect.
Muslims feel that it is more mutually respectful to not behave in such a manner that would inflame their passion in the first place. Then there is no need to test the boundaries of a persons self control. Same coin, different sides.
My perception of the muslim world is that those same values I and my friends hold dear do not exist, and false modesty is used as a means of control and suppression of women.
I sincerely hope that some of my comments above have made you see Islam in a slightly different light.
I think yes, you are oppressed, and you and all the other headscarfed women are colluding in your own oppression. You can all pretend you like walking round in a sheet when its 90 degrees and I'm in my shorts, but I'm not buying it...
I too have spoken to a few Muslim women who hold much more fundamentalist beliefs of Islam and the word that springs to my mind is 'brainwashed'. However, it is their choice to hold their views and I must respect that. Isn't freedom of speech and thought a western concept?
Please try to understand I do not like walking around in hijab during the summer (remember I am white skinned and live in a desert) it is uncomfortable for me but I do it to submit to G-d. It is the submission to G-d that pleases me not the dress itself. I do it for reasons of faith alone, not because of men or to show other people what a good Muslim I am. G-d has instructed Muslims to be modest and I take the word of G-d over anything in this world.
salaam
