Life today for Muslim women in the UK is very different from when I was growing up as a Muslim girl in a Muslim household. You know you are getting old when you start talking about ‘the good old days’ in relation to your past, but life in Glasgow, Scotland, in the 70s and 80s was actually pretty good for Muslim women. Yes, there was racism, but other communities had to put up with that too (Catholic Irish people couldn’t find jobs and were openly discriminated against, for example). The Muslim community doesn’t have a monopoly on victim status. Every group has been a victim, and every group has victimised others.
It was absolutely frightening to have our windows smashed by young white men who were not pleased that brown people with such different cultural backgrounds had moved into their predominantly white areas. It was frightening to have white men and women swear: ‘f**king darkies’ or ‘smelly paki lover’ whilst walking past them. I would hear such abuse whilst out shopping with my mother – a white Catholic who had converted to Islam when she married my father. Thankfully, the racism from children at school was less frightening and it didn’t take long for me to be accepted by my classmates. Children are better at integrating than most adults.
Back then the Pakistani community was a decent one. To the men and women, everything was new and exciting, from the food to the clothing that Scottish people were wearing, and particularly the open mingling of men and women. The Pakistani men had come over to carve out careers for themselves and earn a living. They sought to make new lives in the UK so that in time they could call for their families back in Pakistan to join them. Or, if single, they sought to create new families in the UK, the first generation to be born here, which is the generation I belong to.
Pakistani people, when they first arrived in the UK, were quite relaxed about their religion. There were very few hijabs. Niqabs and burkas were fewer still. Long beards were generally only worn by the most devout of the men. Old uncles might have one, or perhaps you’d see an occasional eccentric teenager taking his religion far too seriously and growing one. These long beards very often went hand in hand with regular praying and the learning of the Quran off by heart. The majority of Pakistani women and girls in the UK wore a headscarf, either round their neck or on their head but not so that it covered their hair.
Today, Muslim girls face far less racism than when I was growing up, and again I would argue no worse than other ethnic minorities, even whites. The more serious problems young Muslim women face are within their own communities, such as the dilemma of veiling or not veiling – assuming they have that choice.
It has reached the stage that a whole variety of agencies are now interested in what Muslim women are wearing and how it impacts upon the West’s lifestyle and the West’s future. There is a ‘fitting in’ process going on and a negotiation between cultures happening right now (from diet through to law and women’s rights), and the veil is one of the most prominent symbols of the debate.
Women’s groups, politicians, nationalists who see their way of life under threat, and the everyday man and woman on the street has at least a peripheral eye on what will be the result of what will be permissible for Muslim women to wear. Are our UK streets going to be overwhelmed with black-masked people with identities unknown?
The burkini seems like the silliest of the debates but the argument and the intentions run much deeper than they at first appear. Male surfers wear full-length body-suits without outcry. Some women on the beach, who have had too much sun, will put on a sarong, or a long robe to give their body a rest from the sun. Pale-skinned people will sit under an umbrella in the shade. To the West, a woman should be allowed to be near naked on the beach in order to top up her tan and feel the heat of the sun on her skin and absorb vitamin D into her body until she’s ready to cover up and go home. The burkini negates even this and insists a Muslim woman should be covered even in joyful, playful moments. In the West, modesty is determined by a person’s conduct – you can be wearing a thong in public but it’s how you conduct yourself that is important.
A woman wearing a thong and a skimpy bikini top, in the West, innocently minding her own business will not be considered a whore or a slut as she’s in a seaside town enjoying the weather (she might be considered a ‘bit easy’ if she started strutting her stuff and sticking out her ass and sucking on a thumb while intimating to every man around that she’s available, but for the most part – no, she’s not being immodest).
In Islam, the covering of the woman determines modesty. There is a cultural clash going on here and it’s easy to see why all eyes are on what is happening in relation to Muslim women and the veil. They are told they will burn in the hellfire if they don’t wear it, yet many ‘feminist’ Muslims will tell you it’s their choice.
A niqab ban is now on the table, and this makes perfect sense in public spaces. Besides the very obvious fact of a niqab being the perfect outfit to commit a crime in, it is also a closed door, it is not an invite to initiate a conversation. It is a deliberate divide. It ‘others’ everyone who isn’t wearing one. This isn’t how things are done in the West. We’re used to chatting to strangers at bus stops, stopping people and asking them for directions or simply passing the time of day with a stranger on a park bench and seeing facial expressions when conversing, etc. The niqab negates this. Chat to someone wearing a niqab and you would never recognise them on the street if you ever saw them again. They could also be mouthing ‘f**k you’ behind that black cloth. You would never know.
When a woman wears a niqab I am denied the ability to receive crucial non-verbal communication that is a natural part of everyday human interactions in open and free societies. These are simple things we all take for granted when conversing with one another and meeting people for the first time.
Deep down I know, or at the very least suspect, that the women wearing the niqabs will be married to, or be the daughters of, men with beards, long beards. Men who take their religion very seriously. Men who regularly pray at mosques that preach hate. Men who teach their children to hate the kaffir and all things Western.
Women can be seen in niqabs at Islamic protests in the UK, protesting with banners calling for ‘Death to those who insult Islam,’ and ‘Sharia Law for the UK’ sometimes even accompanied by children in prams. The niqab symbolises something sinister and when you see niqab-clad women calling for Sharia Law, you can understand why. It is an unnatural piece of dress, especially in the UK where one does not need to dress from the danger of finding oneself under a sudden onslaught of a sandstorm.
Nowhere in the Quran does it say to cloak the women in a black bag with only a tiny piece of mesh to allow them to see where they are going. Nowhere in the Quran does it say to cover your hair, yet many Muslim women do, and they say it is their own free choice. The whole question of what is or is not in the Quran seems to me irrelevant because if niqabs and hijabs are “nothing to do with Islam”, why is it “Islamophobic” to object to them? And why are they always justified in the name of religious freedom? Which specific religion might that be?
Women in hijabs do not concern me as much as women in niqabs, but I fear that our soft stance on the hijab, which like the niqab is also a symbol and tool of women’s oppression, has helped lay the path for making the niqab so acceptable in mainstream society. At least when someone is wearing a hijab I can see their face and I can converse with them at a normal socially-acceptable level. Some hijabs look quite nice when they surround a pretty face with good bone structure. Some are multi-coloured, layered and accessorized. It’s the sinister shade of black that is bothersome. Even in art, black is the colour of all things evil, while white signifies goodness and purity. You’ll notice Muslim men in their white robes and pyjamas while their women are dressed in black cloths like ninjas.
Some Muslim women and girls who wear the hijab also try to make non-hijab wearers feel guilty for not covering their head. This is known as ‘slut-shaming’. (I’m wearing a hijab and am therefore modest, you aren’t and therefore must be a slut.) I see women today wearing hijabs, and for all intents and purposes they really shouldn’t bother. Their faces are overly made-up and some look like drag-queens. They wear the highest heels and tightest jeans. I used to think this was defeating the purpose of wearing a hijab, but now I like to think that these women are saying ‘f**k you’ to masculine oppression and a religion that would insist they cover themselves up in order to look pious and be favoured by Allah.
Now I view these girls as being rebellious and mischievous, and I like that, even though I have no idea what is going through their minds when they get made up and dress themselves in the morning. They very well might just be making the most of Western autonomy of dress whilst agreeing that the head needs to be veiled in order for them to maintain their modesty, but other than the veil, anything else goes. As I’ve stated, some women’s faces look really good when framed by a hijab, especially if it’s of a bright colour and is co-ordinated with a nice outfit. The downside is that this ‘prettiness’ is making the hijab a fashion accessory even for non-Muslims. We’ve had fashion shows in London and NYC where ‘modesty’ was the theme and the clothing was absolutely inspired by modest Islamic dress. This normalises the hijab, but I comfort myself in knowing that fashion is fickle and changes from one season to the next.
The niqab isn’t as easily dressed up. I’ve seen some coloured ones, but they’re still niqabs. They’re still ‘outdoor kitchens’ for women to be walking around in. The niqab says only two things to me:
1 – the wearer (who isn’t always a victim) is sending out a clear message that she is not interested in integrating into a new society or getting to known non-Muslims.
2 – the wearer is being controlled by an insecure man who will not allow his wife or daughters out of the house unless they are covered from head to toe. These men claim their religion is compassionate yet they impose on their womenfolk an oppressive rule made by men in order to control their women.
Banning the niqab is probably one of the simplest ways Britain could assert itself, its laws and its cultural identity and values over a desert and primitive culture and its values in the face of hostile and uncompromising Islamisation. Banning the niqab should be low-hanging fruit. But Britain hasn’t got the bottle to do that. This is not tolerance. It is weakness. If we can’t win the easy battles, we will never win the difficult ones.
Shazia Hobbs grew up in Glasgow with her white Scottish mum, her Pakistani-born dad, his Pakistani-born first wife and eight of the 11 children the two women. Shazia Hobbs debut novel, The Gori’s Daughter, is available on Amazon now.
- On Twitter
- Shazia’s biographical novel, The Gori’s Daughter at Amazon (Kindle & Paperback)
- ShaziaHobbs.com (main website)
- On Facebook (named after the novel)
- Read one of many interviews with Shazia. This one at DailyRecord.co.uk
I AM THE INFIDEL YOUR IMAM WARNED YOU ABOUT says
Shazia… a lot of truth in your article. Women should not be forced by anyone to wear a hijab, niqab or burkha. When I served in Afghanistan, it was pitiful to watch women and young ladies wear the burkha in blistering heat during summer. It angered me so much but there was little I could say or do about it because I was a foreigner there.
Islam needs to me eliminated completely… it’s a barbaric cult. Any religion or faith that instructs its followers to kill, rape, enslave because it pleases their god is not a religion. It’s an EVIL CULT
Bob says
An evil DEATH cult!
J D S says
Of course if one wants to find the underlying. edict of islam one will find that Satan is driving it and Satan being the ruler of the world (for a time ) Is why we are under continual attack, not only by Islam but many other dark forces…..Islam sets standards for its believers to follow….Cclothing Is the least of its values….murder, rape, enslavement and other atrocities are among the worst…but the worst is Islam itself…again driven by satan……..one must understand that in order to understand Islam and why it exist..
BC says
A courageous article and of course all this has been said by non Muslims many times, who are then accused of ‘Islamofauxbia’ or racism. I hope the book will be widely read and sell successfully.
salim says
Shazia, sorry to disagree with you on this one. You, like most Muslims and ex Muslims, are confused on what is hijab. I read a good article about this a while ago, unfortunately I don’t seem to find it and put a link to it.
In Arabic, words like niqab, burka,tarha or burda have no well defined meanings other than they all mean coverings of the female body. Hijab is the only word with clear definition: It means barrier or a screen that completely hides what is behind it. Hijab is the word used in the Quran, the other words were made up by Arabs in later centuries. The Quran demands that Muslim women cover themselves completely, in particular their faces. It is important that a woman’s face cannot be recognised. That is the true Islamic hijab. If you ask women not to wear niqab, which is the true hijab, is like asking them not to do their prayers.
Why I am for niqab?
Niqab (true hijab) shows Islam as it is and in its true colours. It is incompatible with modern life. Societies in the West have accepted so many things from Islam but they still struggle to accept niqab. The analogy for this is a woman with niqab looks like a radical Muslim who says it as it is while a woman with the ‘so called hijab’ looks like a moderate Muslim, say like R Aslan. You may agree with me that dealing with Muslims who do not practice taqyia is easier than dealing with those who say what the west want to hear to facilitate the job for radical Muslims. Islam is better avoided completely and allowing niqab, for the moment, might help its elimination, while accepting ‘hijab’ is a compromise that will keep Islam as part of the society. Besides, Muslim women in the Middle East have been known to wear niqab after they realise it is the true hijab.
I am afraid there are many radical Islamic practices that were invented here in the West or were marketed here in the West. Burkini is one of them but not the only one.
As to your experience with racism, I am afraid the British society seems to go from one extreme to another. They swing around the median like a pendulum and can never get it right. They moved from racist to too islamophilic. This works like Newton’s law of dynamics: if you are too far in a direction you later move too far in the opposite direction.
watch this video about hijab or tarha.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fswb4a9jcU
Shazia, I disagree but please do keep writing!
LR says
salim….Thanks for the info., will check it out…And thanks for the wonderful link…So nice to see all those men actually laughing about it…
Also, kind of funny analogy on the racism thingy…Maybe, a lot of this being too ‘islamophilic’ now, came out of the sixties ideology of ‘whatever makes you happy’, and experimenting with anything….Not good for keeping society stable ..The wests baby boomers had a lot of fun traveling through places like Morocco, Afghanistan, India, etc. when it was relatively safe…Despite all these terrorist attacks, the oppression of women etc…too many people still want to stick their heads in the sand and believe it’s just a little temporary problem.
Shazia….I am sooooooo against the niqab, and have thought of it in the same way…I dread the day I may see one in person in my town…UGH!
gravenimage says
Salim wrote:
I am afraid there are many radical Islamic practices that were invented here in the West or were marketed here in the West.
………………………
Salim, the West did *not* invent Muslim women covering, which has been around to one degree or another since the days of the “Prophet”.
salim says
gravenimage, I don’t think Mohammed, or any of his men, invented the burkini or the islamic hospital gown. I don’t think Muslims in their countries ever heard of those genius inventions.
gravenimage says
Salim, these are just variations of Islamic coverings–invented by Muslims, to enable further Islamofication of the West.
These are not Western in any real way.
BC says
Women in the Mid East continue wearing the niqab because the penalties for taking it off are egregious especially in the ‘holiest of holies’. S Arabia for Sunni and Iran for Shia
Allowing the niqab in non Muslim cultures encourages others to adopt it, by normalising it. France had has taken a sensible measure by banning and Uk should do the same
Carol says
There are so many attempts (by both sides) to falsely blur boundaries but it will never work in a sane and self-respecting world. It will only drag out the bullying, self-denial, and suffering that Islam loves to view as a symbol of raiment.
Shazia’s last paragraph regarding female dress cuts to the chase “..This is not tolerance. It is weakness. If we can’t win the easy battles, we will never win the difficult ones.”
The garb symbolizes too many obsolete and stubborn hindrances to the growth and expression of our beings, but perhaps – in the interests of tolerance – some “phasing-in period” of a generation or two might be worth considering? Or maybe Western countries could spare everyone a lot of Islamic pain by simply stating loud and clear “MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY”. In other words the West has gone through its adolescence and is not even faintly interested in toying with the melodramatic Islamic time machine.
BC says
The Quran or Mohamm simply says both men and women should ‘conceal their adornments’ this can be interpreted in many ways. Muslim men of the strict persuasion take it as meaning the niqab. Many women have been murdered by their families (usually but not exclusively by the fathers) for not wearing even the hijab or just becoming too ‘westernised’
Susette says
Cover yourself up, strike out your eyes, Salim, if the sight of women is so disgusting to you. Shame on you. God created men and women and both were naked in the garden of Eden. So where does muhammed get his big idea that women must be covered??? I think Muslim men should be blinded when they enter puberty, so their lustful instincts won’t cause them to rape and mutilate women. Let the women walk freely and openly. It’s muslim men with the problem.
Z says
Burqa’s are ugly anyway, so we shouldn’t have them
M says
Everything we like they hate. We LIKE freedom, beautiful women, bikinis, beer. We like plain women too! We like FREE women. Islam and their garbage bags and their bizarre caftans- all of it is ugly. They LIKE ugliness. We don’t.
Kay says
I don’t know that they “like” it. It seems to me Mohammedism seeks to destroy everything good and beautiful, just as it twists truth.
gravenimage says
+1
AnniLinn says
Kay, I completely agree with you.
Jack Diamond says
Banning the niqab/burqa/chador should be a no-brainer, if only for matters of public safety, let alone for their meaning as slave bags for women. “But Britain hasn’t got the bottle to do that. This is not tolerance. It is weakness.” More than disguises and symbols of oppression, the clothing, including the hijab, are blatant announcements to the kuffar that “Islam is here” and “shari’a is here” –with ALL that implies.
The hijab, too, is ibadat, religious observation, and part of the same overarching Shariah. That’s why Muslim girls can be killed for not wearing it. When you have fear of reprisals hanging over something
the question of personal choice becomes “nuanced.” So, the clueless kaffirs get used to the hijab and then come the niqabs and even those become the new normal. Niqabs everywhere, mosques everywhere, the food is halal, and the demands (and the grievances) are just beginning. Islam should never be let out of its cage (aka you’ll reap what you sow).
salim says
Jack Diamond, hijab as known in the West has no place in Islam. Covering the face and hair and the rest of the body is the true hijab. Please read my post above. The ‘so called hijab’ (covering the hair only) has become an Islamic symbol in the last two or three decades ( which is why we should ban it. its an Islamic symbol and reflects the Muslims’ power in the streets) Muslim brotherhood encouraged this kind of hijab as a first step towards the true hijab (which is the full veil).
Women often move from false hijab (hair cover) to a real one (full veil).
Jack Diamond says
It was kind of my point, that the ‘so called hijab’ is the first step toward the fully covered/veiled woman, the introduction of Islamic symbols, beginning with “small” things that seem innocuous to Westerners. Thanks for pointing out that the real definition of the hijab is the Qur’anic one.
The mullahs at Islam Q&A say the same:
“Correct Hijaab”:
“The conditions of hijaab: Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
This aayah clearly states that it is obligatory to cover all of a woman’s beauty and adornments and not to display any part of that before non-mahram men (“strangers”) except for whatever appears unintentionally, in which case there will be no sin on them if they hasten to cover it up.”
salim says
Jack Diamond, I should add that if niqab is banned while hijab (hair cover) is allowed then it becomes part of the western culture. Trust me, in a few years, as Muslims get a bit stronger, they will demand to lift the ban on niqab. hijab is only a bait.
Kay says
Yes, probably.
gravenimage says
True, Salim.
nicu says
In the 70’s you were even safe when making jokes about Allah !
LR says
I’ve had a little idea for feminist protestors…the men included…
Dress up in black body bags in the middle of summer, and hold signs saying, “I feel so liberated”…(I want to see people’s reactions for one).
Or, come on, isn’t there one brave performance artist out there willing to expose this most visible blight of female oppression?
I sure would like to see a growing movement regarding this…As Shazia states, the least we can do is ban the freakin’ body bag.
Jack Diamond says
I think John & Yoko tried that already.
Bxgirl says
Very good analysis, Shazia.
All face coverings should be illegal for security reasons. (Exceptions should be made on a case to case basis.)
Hijabs are against Western ideas of progress, and may well reflect a rejection os some of its values and also reflect a sense of being beleaguered on the part of the Muslim populations in the West, but it must be legal. One cannot change people’s ideas by force if there is no security issue. What can legitimately be done, I think, is the following:
Have immigration more reflect the need for people with likeminded ethics and cultures.
Be strict with our present laws against behaviors, such as polygamy, FGM, blocking streets, noise pollution.
Edmund says
>All face coverings should be illegal for security reasons. (Exceptions should be made >on a case to case basis.)
I am all against such statements. In winter or driving a bike/motorbike many people are using balaclava cap. Why do I national citizen of my country had to such restrictions when that is a problem od some foreign invaders ?
Thinking like that and some day – not far from now – for “security reasons” all people will be chiped for their “good”.
CRUSADER says
Let’s just have women submit to men more and more.
Even as the West is liberating women more and more.
The Orient must change it’s backward ways, future is what it is.
And the future is being made in the present by pushing back the veil.
The Ayes have it! Write more, dear Shazia, write more! 🙂
We need more Shazia, — and far far far less Sharia….
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
gravenimage says
The only part of the Orient that is hopelessly backward these days is Dar-al-Islam.
Brian Hoff says
You better rethink that. Saudic Arabic will be the second nation to land man or woman on the moon. They crown prince is than reformer. Saudi Arabic might just be the first one to built than lunar settlement.
Brian Hoff says
Once there is than settlement on the moon the rest of the solar system is open for settlements and eventually the first moslim settlement on than planet in than other solar system.
Tom says
Shazia thank you for your candid piece which is so explanatory for those who don’t really understand what the covering of a womans face, head and body really means in Islam.
It is so refreshing to have honesty regarding this subject rather than the usual politically correct feminist view.
You are correct in calling for the banning of any type of face covering in public and I commend you for your bravery in doing so.
Stay safe.
Secularist says
Peter Hitchens said there is a cure for the worlds poverty and it’s called the liberation of women. Every where it’s happened, the standard of living goes up. Better health care, better education etc. We engage with the other half of the population, life has to get better for everyone. Fight against oppression for the good of everyone. Thank you for your article.
gravenimage says
Agreed, Secularist.
One small point–I think you meant Christopher Hitchens. Here he is on the subject:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jO2Uk0zU4c
Carol says
Yes, there was once an ad that encouraged small business loans for third-world women and it had the theme song “Because I am a Girl”. It’s proven that females just naturally share what they have with family – they don’t tend to act entitled and indulge themselves first as many men are wont to do.
dan says
Such love for free speech by this woman.
Edmund says
Veiled or not – a problem will be still there, First of all – steady extermination of original culture/people of his own nation. Mayby in US you see not a problem with all mixed people, but here in Europe our countries are/some was mainly national.
I live in Poland and We are against mass emigration of any foreign culture not related to our culture or Slavic origin. In former times colonisation of Africa is seen as bad, but now Europe is colonized and that is good ? No matter they are terrorist or not – that is foreign conqest and as I was born between my slavic brothers so my children has the same right.
Older Canadian says
It is a symbol of oppression and superiority.
Some wear it because the are forced.
Some wear it to let you know they are superior to you.
Some wear it for protection from rape and other assults from their own and other cultures.
The brotherhood insists on it.
Botton line….100’s of thousands of women will go through life never knowing what it is like to feel the wind in their hair.
AnniLinn says
Older Canadian, what a sad thought.
gravenimage says
Ex-Muslim Says: Ban the Niqab
…………………
How many people will listen to Shazia Hobbs?
Infidel says
The more tolerant the host infidel society, the more virulent and demonic the Islamic parasite.. IT feeds with a frenzy on the gentleness and openness of the host like there is no tomorrow…
gravenimage says
+1
Kay says
Thank you Robert, for bringing Shazia’s voice to an audience. Hers is an important one.
simpleton1 says
The hijab is an armband swatiska, showing the wearer supports all the tenets of the ideology, whether they understand them or not.
MFritz says
Ban islam, problem solved.
Mark Mulakush says
This article is good. But it is symptomatic of a persistent problem. There are so many problems we have to solve in the west. There is income and wealth inequality, pollution, climate change threatens our very existence and so on and so forth. Yet, we are constantly dragged into this insane discussion of Islamic mores. So much time is wasted in discussing the ensuing discussion on clothes, bombs, murders, rape, brutality and just plain hatred of all things outside of their clan, the Ummah. The very existence of Jihad Watch tells us that threat is here and it will waste our resources. I for one am fed up with constant harassment by Islam.
John S., Obeda says
Shame on our politicians who have let and continue to let the believers in the Qur’an into our country. And, of course, the people who don’t know any more than the politicians know about Islam voted them into office. Now, thank God, Trump is an exception.
Matthieu Baudin says
Thoughtful article Shazia – let’s hear more from you.
Islamic Mirror says
What does the Quran really say about a Muslim woman’s hijab? | Samina Ali | TEDxUniversityofNevada
Published on 10 Feb 2017
In recent times, the resurgence of the hijab along with various countries’ enforcement of it has led many to believe that Muslim women are required by their faith to wear the hijab. In this informative talk, novelist Samina Ali takes us on a journey back to Prophet Muhammad’s time to reveal what the term “hijab” really means — and it’s not the Muslim woman’s veil! So what does “hijab” actually mean, if not the veil, and how have fundamentalists conflated the term to deny women their rights? This surprising and unprecedented idea will not only challenge your assumptions about hijab but will change the way you see Muslim women.
Samina Ali is an award-winning author, activist and cultural commentator. Her debut novel, Madras on Rainy Days, won France’s prestigious Prix Premier Roman Etranger Award and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award in Fiction. Ali’s work is driven by her belief in personal narrative as a force for achieving women’s individual and political freedom and in harnessing the power of media for social transformation. She is the curator of the groundbreaking, critically acclaimed virtual exhibition, Muslima: Muslim Women’s Art & Voices.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
• Category
o Non-profits & Activism
• Licence
o Standard YouTube Licence
Why Muslim woman should cover herself in front of a blind man
gravenimage says
Islamic Mirror, Samina Ali is either mistaken or lying when she says that the Qur’an does not demand that Muslim women be covered:
Quran (33:59) – “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known so as not to be molested.”
Quran (24:31) – “And say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except what appears thereof, and let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms, and not display their ornaments except to their husbands or their fathers, or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or those whom their right hands possess, or the male servants not having need (of women), or the children who have not attained knowledge of what is hidden of women; and let them not strike their feet so that what they hide of their ornaments may be known.”
And far more than standing against the horrors of Islam, she–like so many Muslims–endlessly castigates the ‘filthy Infidels’ for being “Islamophobic” about Muslim women and Hijabs:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/samina-ali/from-the-burkini-ban-to-u_b_11701878.html
Tjhawk says
The bad things are the moral values placed on the hijab, niqab, etc by the adherents of islam.
The worse things are the moral values placed o the lack of a hijab by the adherents of islam.
gravenimage says
There is nothing moral about the Hijab, of course. It is telling Muslims that instead of raping the veiled Muslimah, they should rape that uncovered slut over there.
It is also Muslim women declaring their gang adherence to the Ummah.
Xero_G says
Shazia Hobbs is a much-welcome addition to Jihad Watch but she inadvertently violated one of Robert’s long-standing (albeit unwritten) rules concerning use of the word, “racism” when she described bias against cultural groups (Muslim, Catholic, Irish). Robert often repeats his line, “…Tell me again, just what race is Islam?”
Dear Shazia, Thank-you for your courageous and informative posts but please consider that opposition to Islam/Muslims is not “racism” and besides, that term is overused to the point of being almost meaningless. (More accurate terms would be, “prejudice”, “bigotry”, “discrimination”, etc.)
Otherwise, keep up good work!
gravenimage says
Xero_G, I very much agree with your point. Not every contributor to Jihad Watch is in agreement with Robert Spencer on every point, though. Sometimes what they have to say is important enough to override other considerations.
John S., Obeda says
24:31 as follows: “And enjoin believing women to cast down their looks and guard their private parts and not reveal their adornment except that which is revealed of itself, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their husbands. . . .etc.
33.59 “O Prophet, enjoin your wives and your daughters and the believing women, to draw a part of their outer coverings around them. It is likelier that they will be recognised and not molested.” Translation of these two verses are by Sayyhid Abul A’la Mawdudi.
gravenimage says
And in Islam, “private parts” can mean anything, including hair, ankles, hands, and even eyes. In Islam, the entire woman is “Awrah”–a crude term for vagina.