Filed under: Struggle for My Soul | Tags: abdelnabi, asma khalid, bayan, Bayan Hassaballa, blogging, Eman, fat, headscarf, hijab, islam, kindness, koran, lifting the veil, metra, muslim, npr, rasmieyh, research, scarf, veil
So my original post responding to the NPR piece called Lifting the Veil, which talked about why women chose to remove the veil or dejab as I like to call it, garnered a lot of attention and a lot of comments. I’m still catching up on them as we speak.
Before I begin though, there are a few things I need to clear up. First of all it was inappropriate for me to Rasmieyh’s opinion BS. Even though I still don’t agree, that’s not best way to start a dialogue with someone. I’ve actually reached out to her and apologized privately, but also would like to apologize publicly as well. I am sorry for using language as such, and should have used more appropriate words to express my disagreement.
Secondly, reducing her research to a Google search was also unfair and untrue. I’m actually very interested to see her research, so I can be better schooled in the subject.
That does not change how I feel about the piece or that I disagree with the opinion. If there is a minority opinion in Islam that says that hijab is not required, than that’s what it is, a minority opinion. But it cannot over shadow the majority opinion that says it is required. But I really need to research the matter more deeply myself.
My beloved teacher, Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah says very beautifully and eloquently in this four-part (this is the fourth part, but the first three are linked at the top) piece on altmuslima, “The scarf must be nothing but an item of clothing. We cannot blow it up and conflate into the scarf issue all these other things.” This was the point I was trying to make. Someone objected to my shoe analogy, but I stand by it because we never talk about whether or not to wear a shoe (or clothes for that matter) but the discussion centers around how. But we still need to be wearing them.
Dr. Umar also said that the four schools all require the headscarf. He also cautioned against using the word hijab because it means something so different than that thing I wear on my head. Please read his interview.
One comment on the earlier piece said that I should be for justice for all, and never did I say I wasn’t, but what I didn’t want to defend against was my right to cover because of my belief that God said I have to.
The reason that I used to the word sympathize rather than empathize, is because honestly, that’s not something I struggle with. My struggles are internal and they are just as difficult as the struggle that someone has with the headscarf, but my struggles aren’t as public as the struggle with whether to cover or not.
I have had moments when I’ve been sick of wearing a scarf, like when I used to take Metra. I would be on a packed train, and had gotten there early enough to get a seat alone. I never sat upstairs because I’m also an overweight person and those chairs were not comfy for a big girl like me, and I never took more than my half of the seat. Countless people (mostly white) would walk right past my seat even though there were no other seats on the train or they would opt to sit on the stairs. That hurt. Let’s say I decided to take off my hijab. What does that change? I’m still fat, brown and likely not going to have people sit next to me, because I decided why they didn’t sit next to me. That may not have been the truth, even though it was my truth.
I didn’t write this response to my response to defend myself; I don’t need to, but I just want to make sure that it was clear that I did not mean to single out Rasmieyh, and I wanted to clarify a few more points.
This is an issue that needs more voices from both sides of the veil, and we need to be able to have an honest and respectful dialogue about it. I definitely will be writing more about it, since no one cares why Taylor Swift makes me cry. :)
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Loved your ‘response’ and enamored with the ‘response to the response’. Thanks for clarifying a bit that hijab is not the scarf or the piece of fabric on my head. Hijab means barrier or preventing the sight or touch (depending on context used). I am really puzzled by the way people justify trying to translate Quran and Hadith or interpret the Sunnah. We have too many people taking too much liberty with making the halal a haram and the haram a halal. Why is it when it comes to matters of law, health, or education we all refer to an expert. But when it comes to matters of faith and understanding the Quran/Hadith (which the original and authentic version is only in a language most of us do not master) we refer to Sheikh Google?
Comment by Feda Jarad April 27, 2011 @ 2:05 amBut how do you take away the meaning? I agree with you, in an ideal world it’d be great if the hijab was just considered an article of clothing that no one questions, just as no one questions the garb of nuns. But I feel as thought you’re oversimplifying it, by saying it’s just an article of clothing is a cop out. The fact remains that at least in the proverbial “West”, there is meaning and therefore instead of saying it’s just an article of clothing almost seems dismissive, which is not productive.
In my opinion, a discussion more based on why maintaining the head scarf or whatever you think meets your observance of hijab is important-why without it you would feel immodest and not meeting the Islamic standard of modesty. Forming an argument based on either a historical or modern context, counter arguments to why leaving your hair exposed doesn’t meet the Islamic standard, etc. Something more than such and such hadith said to, or such and such scholar said not to.
For example, I would never say alcohol is haraam because the Qu’ran says so. I would explain the reasoning behind the Qu’ranic verse, how Allah is looking out in our best interests, etc.
Our truth is that it’s now become more than an article of clothing, so wouldn’t discussing why Muslim women should observe hijab be more valuable than pushing forth the argument that it’s just an article of clothing?
Comment by Slim Callous April 27, 2011 @ 7:34 pmIf the Quran (ie Allah) says something is haram, shouldn’t that suffice without explanation or reasoning? How do you attempt to explain Allah’s reasoning when there is so much that is beyond our understanding? Somethings are clear cut..something’s ‘reason’ became clearer with technology, but we have to accept that there will be much that we will not understand or see a reason to abide by…besides that it was prescribed by the Prophet or commanded by Allah.
Comment by Feda Jarad April 27, 2011 @ 7:55 pmNo it shouldn’t, because following something blindly can be incredibly dangerous ie: extremism. And with hadiths (which is when the rules behind observing hijab become more specific), there are even more issues like whether they were made up, political motivations behind them, cultural practices, etc.
So if a source says something is haraam, it’s important to find out why. I for one am more likely to follow Qu’ranic teachings when I understand the reason behind the law.
Blind faith is a terrible thing, and it’s unfortunate how many Muslims practice it.
Comment by Slim Callous April 28, 2011 @ 5:01 am