The Veil is not Mandatory in Islam Essay

As Hijab is a covering that portrays ones level of sophistication, When a Muslim woman wears Hijab it is a sign of poise and vanity and a way to earn respect from others. Moreover a woman who wears the Hijab is bearing the flag of Islam. Yet people do not apprehend the fact that Hijab protects a woman from unsolicited attention and it also prevents from making them sexual displays. Frequently Hijab is alleged as a demonstration of men’s power over women, why? Could it be because they do not follow the latest trends or fashions? A Muslim woman should be looked upon equally as opposed to a woman who is not wearing the Hijab. I believe that they should be respected equally in the society just as any other religions customs wearing the Hijab in Islam is given momentous prominence. During an interview with the Nobel peace prizewinner about the hijab she states, “Man in early times was almost naked, and as his intellect evolved he started wearing clothes. What I am today and what

Despite all the values that the hijab is representing in different countries of the world, the only value that is demanded is the egalitarianism and justice value, whether a woman is wearing the veil or not, they are “calling for equal access to divorce, child custody, and inheritance; equal opportunities for education and employment; and abolition of

I believe Muslim women should be allowed to choose whether they wear the Hijab or not because it shows their religion, their background, and it shows who they are and how they want people to see them. Any woman should be allowed to show who they are with confidence. If a Muslim woman chooses to not wear the Hijab, that doesn’t make her any less Muslim. “Some Islamic scholars believe head covering is an obligation

There has been debates about whether the Islamic face veil should be banned in countries. The arguments that governments of countries that have banned the Muslim face veil (France, Syria, Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium) argue that the full-face veil is oppressive, degrading towards women, and goes against values of each country. However, many Muslim women believe otherwise and strongly disagree with the banning of the veil. I strongly believe that the Islamic face veil should not be banned because it is a complete violation of religious and expressive freedom and forces them to conform to an alternative culture.

When discussing the topic of veiling, one must understand the original significance and the traditions behind it. Veiling is traced back to the Prophet Muhammad, who God had spoken to instructing his wives to create a barrier between themselves and those that didn’t relate to them. The Islamic veiling then developed from allowing men and women to show modesty per the Quran with many styles of veiling such as the Hijab, Chador-full cloak that covers the body and the hair, Niqab- covers the woman entirely with a small opening for the eyes, and the Burqa, which covers the head and the body and has a grill which covers the eyes, each style evolving on taking a cultural meaning with the origins of its religious right behind it. Signifying

Women decide for themselves whether or not to cover. Perhaps according to the Islamic holy book the Quran the verse to describe a woman’s rights under Islam is, “There is no compulsion in religion.” (2:256). That means it is the persons choice what to accept as a religious obligation. For some it is the covering of their hair, for others the emphasis is on the inner development of ethical

Within the Middle East, the largest population of the men and women are Muslim. The Muslim religion suggests that the women wear a veil or hijab, which is a headscarf that only exposes a woman’s eyes, accompanied by a burqa which is a full body cloak. The sole purpose of the clothing is to cover a woman’s feminine features from men’s eyes. The Qur’an, an Islamic scripture supports, and slightly obligates the uniform by saying that women are to be conservative, “Let them wear their head covering over their bosoms, and not display their ornaments.” (Qur’an). Muslim women, instead of feeling oppressed, view this as a positive aspect in their lives, influenced by their devotion to Allah. Their acceptance could be influenced by their

Muslim women living in North America and Europe often face scrutiny over their choice to wear the veil, even though many Western people do not fully understand the practice.

Having lived my whole life by the teachings of the Islamic faith, I understand the appreciations and values associated with the Hijab. However, also living in Canada, a pro-western society, I also see how some might see it as an oppression set upon Muslim women; objectively isolating them from the rest of society. I believe that the Hijab means much more than just a piece of cloth covering a woman’s hair. It represents their identity and their pride. It is considered to be the flag of their way of life, their religion. Unfortunately, people of other cultures see it as a horrific tradition of the past that degrades a woman’s rights and freedoms.

Some Muslim women believe that although the principles of modesty are clearly outlined in the Qu’ran, they perceive the wearing of the headscarf as a cultural interpretation of these scriptures. These women sometimes believe that the values espoused by the wearing of the headscarf can be achieved in other ways. Some women believe that while the hijab allowed women in the past to engage in public society without garnering attention, the headscarf in contemporary Western society brings more attention to women and is thus contradictory to its original purpose. Others believe that the hijab and other external practices have become inappropriately central to the practice of Islam, and instead choose to focus on their internal and spiritual relationship with God.While some women might choose not to wear the hijab, most Muslim women agree that it is a woman’s choice whether or not she wears the hijab. Many Muslim and Arab women who have chosen not to wear the hijab are often staunch advocates of a woman’s right to choose to

There is also a great deal of conflict found in Americans’ misunderstanding and ignorance of issues regarding women’s rights and gender equality within the religion and practices of Islam. In the context of American society, the traditional wear of Muslim women is often misinterpreted and misunderstood. The hijab, which is used to veil the heads of Muslim women, rarely goes unnoticed in the eyes of most Americans. Non-Muslims frequently associate this piece of traditional Islamic attire with ideas of subordination and oppression, while disregarding the religious, cultural, and personal motivations that influence a woman’s decision to wear such an article of clothing. While many American women might view Islamic dress code as being confining and restrictive, many Muslim women feel that their clothing actually frees them from the negative attention that can stem from one’s physical attire and appearance. Wearing hijab liberates women from “the constricting mores governing appearance such as fashion trends and the societal expectations of how a woman should look.” The modest covering of the hair and body allows a woman to walk freely in public without being subjected to the suggestive glances and flirtations of men.

Among the Islamic community, there is a wide range of views from those who believe that head and face covering is required, to those who believe it is un-Islamic. This is due to individual’s interpretation of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Sura, a chapter of the Qur’an calls for “the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close around them”. As this phrase is somewhat unclear, traditionalists believe that women should cover their face and head whilst from the same passage Moderate Muslims believe that it does not explicitly dictate that women should cover their heads and faces. Another phrase from the Sura also causes divergence amongst Muslims followers as it tells “believing women to lower their gaze and be modest and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent and to draw veils over their bosoms”. Again, moderate Muslims believe that this passage only refers to the covering of the breasts. There is no unified position in regards to the veiling of women because of multiple and individual interpretations of the Qur’an and different cultural expectations. Because of this, there are a range of options of veils, from covering just the head to cover the face and body. The most commonly seen veil is the Hijab which covers the shoulders and head, opposing this is the Burqa which is a full body veil where the wearer’s face and head are covered and one sees through a mesh or grill over the eyes. It is important to note that it is not

The wearing of the veil degrades women because of the negative traits we associate with the hijab. First off, in a quote from The National, under the opinion section, Faisal Al Yafai states, “The Hijab … exists as the nexis of racism, sexism, and nationalism.” Personally, I believe that because people associate the hijab with both the Middle East and the Religion of Islam, the people who wear the hijab live wrongly associated with multiple, mostly false, stereotypes. These mistaken ideas could potentially stand as the source of the traits correlated with the negative stereotypes. Secondly, Behind the Veil, a Mother Jones article, defines, “The Hijab as traditionally been a means of controlling women.” In the Middle east especially, segregation

Within the Middle East, the largest population of the men and women are Muslim. The Muslim religion suggests that women wear a veil or hijab, which is a head scarf that only exposes a woman’s eyes, accompanied by a burqa which is a full body cloak. The sole purpose of the clothing is to cover a woman’s feminine features from men’s eyes. The Qur’an, an Islamic scripture, supports and slightly obligates the uniform by saying that women are to be conservative, “let them wear their head covering over their bosoms, and not display their ornaments.” (Qur’an). It could be inferred that women wear the burqa and veil willingly because of their geographical location. However, when Muslim women are withdrawn from the Middle East, and are placed

The wearing of a hijab or also known as a veil has lately become a problematic issue in numerous locations around the world, in particularly the Western part of the world. Hijab or veil is a headscarf that is regularly worn by Muslim women. Muslim women will wear a veil as a sign of favor to their faith. On the opposite side, others will wear it because they have no other choice from the pressure of their family members and religion. Individuals will even argue that the wearing of a hijab is a spiritual liberation. Other individuals will have a difference in opinion by saying that by wearing a hijab is an unjust to women, they believe that the wearing of a hijab is part of a Muslim system that brings women under command and control.