Consider the present, manufactured controversy over Hijab. The 'presence' of Muslims as a people manifesting their religious practices such as Hijab and going about their everyday lives apparently challenge pre-existing notions of 'secular' public sphere with their rules of engagement such as uniforms in academic institutions and dress code in employment, etc. Majoritarian intolerance and hatred against minority groups point to political mobilization. Illiberal forces weaponize secular law to erase the 'hated' symbols of minorities- such as the Hijab- from the public sphere. Indeed, beneath the veneer of liberal quibbling over the role of 'religious' symbol- Hijab- in 'secular' space, with no corresponding attention to the symbols of the majority that are all over the public sphere; Islamophobia- the prejudice and suspicion and hatred and intolerance against Islam as a religion and Muslims as a community- is 'the elephant in the room' that needs to be called out.
With ideologies of racial supremacism, ethnic nationalism, and religious majoritarianism increasingly gaining public support in several multicultural states, 'Islamophobia' is indeed regrettably widespread in our times. In the names of modernity and secular values of women's emancipation and empowerment, the Islamic headscarf and other veiling practices are viewed as 'oppressive' by the non-Muslim world. Hence, Muslim girls and women are left with no option but to resist and mount legal struggles to gain recognition and public acceptance for their Hijab. It is instructive to note in this context that without clear respect for the inherent dignity and rights of the human person and her free choices, including the recognition of 'difference' in the spirit of diversity; without an ethic of compassion for 'minority' groups who don't share the values of the majority; the claims of upholding liberalism, democracy, secularism and human rights are empty or hollow. As more and more women- [both Muslims and non-Muslims]- are recognizing the appeal and benefits of Islamic teachings and embracing the convenience of the Hijab, the societies that seek to ban Islamic values are destined to be profoundly transformed in their approach sooner than later- whether they like it not, Insha Allah, Aameen.
Read the Friday Sermon Below:
A fierce debate rages
about girls and women observing Hijab at schools in India, and in
various other countries, most particularly and mercilessly, France. The
majority, it seemed, thought that wearing the Hijab [head-scarf] was
contrary to the principle that public, that is, state-funded-schools should be
neutral with regard to religion. As the Khalifatullah, I do not understand why
there is such a fuss over such a small thing as a scarf on a Muslim student’s
head.
Bear in mind that Muslims
also contributed a proportionate amount of tax to the state funds [of their
respective countries]. In my opinion, schools could respect religious beliefs
and practices of students as long as they did not disrupt the school routine,
nor pose a threat to discipline. However, if we look at France for example,
they faced apparently increasing unemployment and they felt insecure about the
immigration of Arab workers and the sight of Hijab in their towns and
schools aggravated their sense of insecurity.
That insecurity
transformed into a grievous fear for Islam, which we call Islamophobia – an
on-purpose strategy by the enemies of Islam to create fear and insecurity in
the heart of all non-Muslims forming part of the world population and this
state of fear and insecurity for Islam, i.e. Islamophobia has been activated to
fulfill their mission. These people disregard the fact that many nuns and
Christian ladies wear the head-scarf, albeit a shorter version, but
nonetheless, they wear the head-scarf and nothing is being said or feared from
them. When a woman in Saree is dressed and covers the head with her Saree, thus
trying to be decent and cultured, nothing is said about them. But when Muslim
girls and women try to protect their bodies from the eyes of strangers, then
they are labeled as illiberal, prisoners, unintelligent and the inferior sex.
Since the ban in
France, and little by little in the other countries as well, more and more
young people in Arab countries as well as local Muslims are wearing the Hijab,
despite the expectations of many Arabs as well as non-Arabs that it would
disappear as Western secularism took roots in Arab societies.
Such a revival of
Islamic practices – where more and more Muslims wish to follow Islam – is often
regarded as an attempt by Muslims to restore their pride and identity, both
undermined by colonialism. In Japan, it may be seen and understood as
conservative traditionalism, or a result of anti-Western feeling, something
which the Japanese themselves experienced following the first contact with Western
culture during the Meiji era; they too reacted against a non-traditional
lifestyle and Western dress. There is a tendency in people to be conservative
in their ways and to react against anything new and unfamiliar without taking
the time to see if it is good or bad. There are changes which are good but
there are also changes that are bad.
Concerning the Western
feelings, these feelings still persist amongst non-Muslims that Muslim women
wear Hijab because they are slaves to tradition, so much so that it is
seen as a symbol of oppression. Women’s liberation and independence is, so they
believe, impossible unless they first remove the Hijab. They know
nothing about Islam and the reason why Muslim women put on the Hijab. Such
a naiveté is shared by so-called Muslims with little or no knowledge of Islam. They
are Muslims in name only. Being so used to secularism and religious
eclecticism, pick and mix, [especially all the other religions other than Islam
who let go of their original teachings, including the so-called Muslims] they [those
of the modern Muslims who are Muslims in name only] are unable to comprehend
that Islam is universal and eternal. These apart, women all over the world,
non-Arabs, are embracing Islam and wearing Hijab as a religious
requirement, not out of a misdirected sense of ‘tradition’.
Hijab for women is a sign of obedience to Allah and a
manifestation of faith. Hijab shows to others and to the women
themselves that they are safe [feeling good and secured] in own bodies and that
it [i.e. the Hijab & complete Islamic Pardah] is an
affirmation that a woman and girl want to keep themselves under the divine
protection against all afflictions in the world. But unfortunately, what do we
see today? Those women and girls are being forced to remove their Hijab
and to expose their beauty like the like of the shameless women who exposes
their beauty. The non-Muslims do not recognize the fact that the wearing of this
Hijab is purely voluntary, and it is a sign of the submission of a woman
to the divine commandments, because being Muslim means that you submit
yourselves completely to the will of Allah. Nobody can force a woman to put on
the Hijab. The implementation of this practice must come from the woman
herself if she is a true believer. If she does not follow the commandments of
Allah, she will accountable for it before Allah.
According to a Hadith: “Any
woman who removes her clothing in a house other than her own, Allah will tear
away His protection from her.” (Ahmad, Al-Hakim, Tabarani, Baihaqi).
Allah ordains the women
to clothe themselves properly, in a decent manner and not to expose her beauty
[i.e. the parts of her body], and thus, in the security of the Islamic Pardah,
they become free to practice their Deen, and [be able to] work in
society [if ever they are forced to work so as to help their husbands and
household/ family] in a decent way. Thus, through their decent clothing and
also their good behaviour, they show the beauty of Islam.
The Hijab and
Islamic Pardah in general enable the people to witness and recognize the
reality of the existence of Allah and that it is Allah Who has ordained this
practice, and all the Muslim women and girls who follow that divine injunction,
without fearing the consequences, it is Allah Who shall protect them because
they are doing this primarily for the pleasure of Allah and to preserve their
own shame [Haya].
Our beloved prophet
(pbuh) once asked his daughter, Fatima (ra): “What is the best for a woman?”
And she replied: “Not to see men and not be seen by them”. The Holy
Prophet (pbuh) was pleased with her answer and said: “You are truly my
daughter”.
This shows that it is
preferable for a woman to stay at home and avoid contact with male strangers as
much as possible.
It is an error of
judgement to think that a Muslim woman covers herself because she is a private
possession of her husband. In fact, she preserves her dignity and refuses to be
possessed by any stranger. It is non-Muslim women (and ‘liberated’ Muslims
women who have left the teachings of Islam) who are to be pitied for displaying
their private self for all to see.
When observing Hijab
from outside, it is impossible to see what it hides. The gap, between being
outside and looking in, and being inside and looking out, explains in part the
void in the understanding of Islam. An outsider may see Islam as restricting
Muslim girls and women. Inside, however, there is peace, freedom, and joy which
those who experience it [i.e. the Hijab], be her a Muslim girl who was
born in Islam or those women who returns to Islam after having been guided by
Allah i.e. when Allah opened their hearts, so it is them who choose Islam truly
and completely and they refuse to submit to a so-called freedom which the West
invented for the women and how they should be [how they should display
themselves] in society. That image of liberty which the West has presented is
only illusionary. True liberty, freedom is found in spirituality, in following
the divine commandments and preserving yourselves in a decent way towards the
world of strangers.
So, had the Hijab
been truly a sign of oppression against the women, why do more and more
educated women and girls in Europe, America, Japan, Australia and other parts
of the world are abandoning this so-called “liberty” and “independence” and
embracing Islam?
There is a misconceived
notion among many non-Muslims and some Muslims that Hijab, or Islamic
veil, is designed to keep women in bondage. “Seclusion” and “Segregation” are
some of terms used in the context of the veil that serves to screen and protect
Muslim women from the sight of male strangers.
We must then bear in
mind that Islam has not maintained women in the bondage of men; on the
contrary, the Islamic Pardah has liberated her. She has a definite
position in respect of the Islamic laws on inheritance which was beforehand
refused to women in some societies, and thus in Islam, a woman has every right
to have wealth/ properties and to give her opinions and ideas in the
construction and evolution of the society according to the Islamic norms, and through
the modesty that Allah has instructed her to observe, to protect her from
society. Thus has Allah equipped her in Islam so that she is free to practice
her Deen securely, and Islam protects all her Muslim rights. So, in the
path of Islam and the rights of the woman, Hijab is not an obstacle for
a woman, as long as she respects the limits of decency that Islam has advocated
for her.
The veil [Hijab]
is in agreement with modesty. It has been reported that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
has said: “Modesty and Faith are bound together, if one is raised, so is the
other.” (Al-Hakim)
The veil [Hijab]
and – as a general rule – the Islamic Pardah reflects obedience to Allah
and His Prophet. The Holy Quran says: “It is not
befitting for a believer, man or women, when a matter has been decided by Allah
and His Messenger, to have any opinion [choice] about their decision; if anyone
disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong path.”
(Al-Ahzaab 33: 37).
May Allah come to the help of all women and girl who are seeking their liberty/ freedom in spirituality and to follow His commandments to the letter and to become models of virtue for all the women of this world. May Allah establish peace in the world. To enable this, it is very important that there be first of all peace in us, and that this peace spread in our homes, families, neighbourhoods, in the society in which we are living and in the world. May Allah help the oppressed who are suffering in the world, those who are deprived of the rights given to them by Allah and which the cruel are striving to suppress to exterminate Islam and reinforce Islamophobia in the world. Try as they may but Insha-Allah, the wave of spiritual revolution will erupt [rise up] where people in large numbers which recognise [and accept] the truthfulness of Islam and will practice Islam as their everyday routine [their way of life/ living]. Insha-Allah, may Allah reinforce Islam and help the Muslim men and women so that together we may be victorious, the victory of peace over violence, the victory of love over hate. Insha-Allah, Ameen.