Hijab: Oppression or Liberation?

Dear reader, 

Don’t read the title and assume that this is another Muslim woman attempting to enforce her laws in a culture that does not want manipulation or “Eastern” influence. I see myself as a “Live and let live” individual, so I kindly ask you to allow me to finish my argument and then I’ll allow you to question my beliefs. Read this with an open mind.  

It’s a sunny London day and I’m on the tube. A woman walks into the carriage, wearing shorts that are no less revealing than a pair of knickers & a low cut vest with her cleavage exposed. As she walked past, almost every single person in the carriage stared at her. Men were gawping. Lost. No added decorations or exaggeration for dramatic effects. I say this exactly how it was. To the far right, I saw two men tilt their iPhones towards her direction. Lucky for me (!), I was wearing contacts so it didn’t take me long to realise that they were taking photos of her backside. They were nudging one another and laughing, eyes fixed on her body. Disturbing, yet far from surprising. She stood in the middle as if a form of entertainment for the bored commuters of the city. And how much do you have to pay for entertainment nowadays? Not much. She became nothing more than an excessively perfumed naked body, with a few strings covering here and there. 

Put all hatred towards Islam aside and rid yourself of any misconceptions for the time being. Stop. Think. If that woman was to ignite an intellectual conversation with anyone, how many would concentrate on the content of her speech and not on the revealed flesh? As a woman, I can honestly say that as well as thinking how good looking she is, I’d also be picking out the flaws in her body. Whether it’s examining her stretch marks or cellulite, because that’s just how it is. A woman would analyse negatively and a man would be drawn to the apparent beauty, neglecting any other factors. These are the laws of attraction. Human attraction, not Islamic. Would I be attentive to her during such a conversation? Of course, out of respect, I would be. But, not as much. Why? Because there’s a distraction. She has placed an obstacle in the path of respect.

Now here’s another scenario – what if she was modestly dressed? (I’ll discuss below what I mean by “modest” and that does not include wearing black only or covering the face. It’s quite far from that, actually).

A woman walks into the tube, dressed in a way that leaves no room for judging by appearance because I can’t see the curls on her head, how big her thighs are or how small her waist is. This woman would be forcing me to look up at her. I won’t be given a chance to think of how much she needs to tone up or lose the kgs, nor would a man be placed the opportunity to see where her curves lie or how big her bosoms are. She demands that you listen to her words and judge her based on that and nothing else. She receives respect and appreciation. Correct me if I’m mistaken, but surely this is liberation? 

This woman has freed herself from the chains of modern society. Free from the sexual objectification of women. Free from having to live up to the physical expectations of the world. How many of us have driven past a H&M billboard from last season’s bikini range and thought “Wow, I could sit down with this woman and share deep thoughts”? In fact, how many of us even took a moment to look at their faces? They became nothing. Merely objects and dolls used for marketing through targeting man’s greatest weakness.

Can you still expect me to believe that these women are free and that I’m oppressed? Regardless of how challenging it was in the weather, never did I appreciate my Hijab more than during this show of “Freedom” & “Female progression” on the tube.

Some will probably come forward and say that men don’t respect women anyway so why bother? And I’ll say to them that you shouldn’t be liaising with uneducated men that are adamant on being sexist snobs anyway. Defeat their ideas and let your personalities shine. 

Raise your voices, not your skirts.

Here’s a not-so-great example to explain the concept further. You place an incredible toy in front of child. You tell the child that it belongs to someone else and forbid it from playing with the toy. Now this child may be the most well raised being and probably won’t go near it. But, does it stop it from thinking of ways to attain it? Inside, the child is plotting and scheming of ways. The child is taught not to touch that which is not his or hers, but it’s unrealistic to expect it not to think of ways to get the toy. So, why torment the child in the first place? Some will take it anyway, which is wrong, but not a far-fetched expectation. They had no right to BUT they did, so you’re left to deal with the consequences. My point is that it’s not logical for a person to have their body exposed and be oblivious to the results. A woman that walks in the night half-naked does not deserve rape. No one at all deserves this atrocity nor does a rapist have the right to inflict such pain in a person’s life. I understand why many are infuriated by this “She’s dressed like that so she deserves to get hurt” argument because it is in fact as stupid as it sounds. It greatly angers me too. But, there are people out there with no sense of morality or emotions, so don’t fall into a trap. It CAN be avoided and this is exactly what Islam is trying to emphasise on. Your body is yours, protect it. You deserve more than getting hurt by an imbecile. You have the right to be judged on what is IN your head and not what is apparent. You will be evaluated for intelligence and skills instead of looks and sexual appeal. Utilise this right to gain respect because you are only worth that and more.

What is unfortunate is that many assume that the concept of Hijab is based on the barbaric stereotype that every man is an untamed lustful animal and every woman is heavenly pure. Therefore, Islam enforces the dressing of the female in black from head to toe, walking a few metres behind her polygamist husband that has no boundaries due to his uncontrollable nature. False.

Man was created with desire, something which Islam does not defy nor object to. Hijab is a two way thing. Allah tells the believing men to lower their gaze BEFORE He informs the believing women of their duties with regards to modesty. It’s a concept that can only work when both genders have practised this self-restraint and control. A proper Muslim man and woman are expected to not be looking anyway. But, they are also expected to cover up so as to not create the possibility of unacceptable sexual arousal, which can be consequential. We are required to control our temptations but we are also taught to AVOID creating them for each other. At the same time, Islam highly encourages the relationships between men and women through marriage. However, we are taught to honour and strengthen our relationship with our spouse, building it on love and respect. Dare I say this, but allowing another man to see your wife partially naked is far from honouring your relationship with her.

Now, to define “modest”. Islam does not have a fixed dress code that a Muslim woman must adhere to. However, certain requirements must be met. How a woman meets this is up to her and is dependent upon where she is. It requires a female to cover her body, excluding the face and the hands, and wear loose clothing so as to not give any indications regarding her physique. There is male Hijab, with the differences lying mainly in degree. It should also not be tight or provocative. As well as this, both are expected to observe their behaviour, manners, speech and appearance in public as part of their Hijab.

What you see in Saudi Arabia and other Eastern countries isn't Islam. The problem today is that people are unable to distinguish between Islamic law and fierce cultural standpoints. These governments have attempted to construct systems using Islam but believe me when I tell you that they’ve done it all wrong. They've abused the teachings of the Quran and manipulated them. Laws which are so logical yet so simple have been made to seem convoluted and aggressive. If a priest told me that raping an immodest woman or poisoning a disbeliever is obligatory, I wouldn't frown and curse Christianity. I’d reconsider his mental state because having read the bible, I know that no religion would encourage such violence.

So, why do you place those terrorists in the front line when it comes to understanding Islam? An idiot with an ankle sweeping dress, a long beard and severe personal problems shouldn’t be enough for you to judge Islam. I ask of you to read the Quran. Understand It. With regards to Hijab, you’ll appreciate it if you spoke to Muslim women in the West. Don’t feel embarrassed to question me about my headscarf or assume that I’d be offended. We love it when you ask us! We only progress as a society when we exchanged ideas in a respectful manner, without having to necessarily agree with each other. The most effective debates are those that are healthy.

Believe me, I was never forced into the Hijab. Yes, my parents were very adamant on me wearing it. But, if I decided to take it off tomorrow, I would cause an uproar sure, but at the end of the day it’s my choice. So when I wear the Hijab for the rest of my life, it’s because I love and appreciate what it’s done for me, not because I’m oppressed. So think twice before you throw such remarks, because this was a decision that many of us Muslim women have made on our own.

With our Hijab, we have freed ourselves.