Arab World Debates The Veil

Required By Islam For Modesty, Or A Sign Of Political Extremism?

(AP)  The origin of the debate could not be more intimate: what a woman chooses to wear before she leaves home. But the increasing popularity of the full Muslim face veil has set off an emotional dispute in the Arab world over whether the covering is required by Islam for modesty or a dangerous sign of political extremism.

The debate is most intense in Egypt, the world's largest Arab country, where one university two weeks ago banned women who wear the face veil, or niqab, from living in a hostel, and government-backed newspapers have launched a campaign against it.

"The niqab vogue: an imported innovation, used by the political extremists," read a recent banner on the pro-government Al Mussawar Weekly. "Our new battle is against the niqab," added Mohammed Fatouh, a specialist on Islamic issues in another government-owned weekly, Rose el-Youssef.

Salama Ahmed Salama, a columnist in Egypt's biggest government daily, Al-Ahram, was more blunt: "It expresses an extremist attitude ... Wearing the niqab is as outrageous as wearing a bathing suit or pajamas to the office."

On any given street in the capital, the face of one woman will be fully covered, with only her eyes peering through; nearby another woman will cover her hair, leaving her face bare, and still another will have her face and hair free of any covering.

The dispute highlights the growing wave of conservative Islamic practice across the Arab world - and among Muslims living in the West - and the intense struggle between secular governments and Islamic opposition groups. Head scarves fell out of favor among some urban Arab women in the 1920s and 1930s but began reappearing in the 1970s and 1980s. The evolution has been steady with more women covering their hair each year and more also wearing body cloaks.

But the biggest dispute has been over the niqab - a full facial veil that leaves only a slit for the eyes that re-emerged in Egypt in the late 1980s and has since grown in popularity, both in the Arab world and among Arab Muslims in the West.

Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said in early October that he asks women who visit his office to remove the veil so he can see their faces, and called it a disturbing sign of the divisions in British society. Aishah Azmi, a 24-year-old Muslim teaching assistant in northern England, was then suspended from her job for refusing to remove a black veil that left only her eyes visible.

In Egypt, the issue has simmered for years and caught new fire after Straw's comments.

The president of Helwan University on the outskirts of Cairo banned students who wear the niqab from living at the university's hostel, citing security reasons - and leading to small protests by students.

The female head of the Islamic department of the women's college at Al-Azhar University, Soad Saleh, was recently sued by a radical cleric and received death threats after she said she was "disgusted by women in niqab."

[patriotic9]

In the muslim's religion,it is DISHONESTY for a woman to show her body infront of any body else her HUSBAND who has taken all the FINANCIAL and SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY of his wife but at the same time it's allowed for her to enjoy her life with her husband the way they want to.
As long as they want to impose their religious belief on themselves and don't force our women to wear veil,we shouldn't interfare in their busness for 2 obvious reasons.
1)If we tell those women who wear VEIL by their choice not to do that,then our claim of freeing muslim women from the opression of TALIBAN will be proven as BOGUS.
2)If they want to wear VEIL by their own choice and we tell them not to wear them,it will be having SPRING like affect.More we tell them not to do that,they will think we are against their religion and more EXTREMIST they will become.
In United States,we should give women freedom of wearing what they want.
If they are Catholic nuns and want to be dressed up accordingly or AMISH women want to be dressed up accordingly or Muslim women want to be dressed up accordingly,we should leave them on their own will.
At the same time,we should stop discrimination against women by allowing men to be TOPLESS in PUBLIC and WOMEN ,NOT TO.
Its are very simple issue.

[oleander8]

It's true - when I view a woman wearing the niqab my first thought is "oppressed woman". Not necessarily true, but understandable given the times we are living in. Security is a very real reason to request these women to display their faces. I can find no reason to insist that Muslim women, or any other women forego wearing the scarf.

[cathaleen]

If they want to wear one veil or twenty, let them.
But if they want to live in a civilized country they have to play by the rules: pictures on driver
licenses, taking the think of while testifying in court, etc. What they where on there own time is their business.
Also, if it wasn't for their fellow muslims, this would be such a problem.
And if they won't comply, throw them out of the country.

[brucesmall]

If the clerics are so concerned about protecting their men from evil influences then why don't they have the men face (no pun intended) the same restrictions they have imposed on the women. And make no mistake, this is a restriction on women imposed by the clerics.

[patriotic9]

Cathaleen
I fully agree with you.When it comes to Driver's liscnce or Testimony in the court,they must show their faces because it's a security concern.We should throw any body out of our country who is a SECURITY RISK.Those CATHOLIC PRIESTS who are not allowd to fulfil natural sexual desire by getting married and end up SODOMIZING YOUNG INNOCENT BOYS who call them FATHER are security risk for our little boys.Those CATHOLIC NUNS who are not allowed to fulfil their natural feminine desire of their bodies by getting married are also the worst example of OPRESSION against women.AMISH people who don't allow thier daughters to get education more then 8th GRADE are also like TALIBANS.THose who like the HETEROSEXUAL to have the right to marry but deny the same right for HOMOSEXUAL POPULATION of our country are RISK for the rights of our HOMOSEXUAL POPULATION.Those who think that men should be allowed to run and jog on the streets TOPLESS,but if a woman commits same action should be ARRESTED on the name of INDECENT EXPOSURE,all of them are SECURITY RISK TO OUR FREE SOCIETY and VIOLATORS OF HUMAN RIGHTS.They all should be thrown out of UNITED STATES if they don't change their RADICAL BACKWARD BEHAVIOURS.

[trishcy]

"Australia's top Islamic cleric also recently sparked outrage when he said that women who do not dress modestly invite rape"

It is just a matter of time before one of these Muslim Clerics call a fatwah on women's western dress and all the women in the world who do not wear a veil in the "name of Islam" out of "disrepect" of THEIR religion!

[trishcy]

"Australia's top Islamic cleric also recently sparked outrage when he said that women who do not dress modestly invite rape"

It is just a matter of time before one of these Muslim Clerics call a fatwah on women's western dress and all the women in the world who do not wear a veil in the "name of Islam" out of "disrepect" of THEIR religion!

That will attact the radical muslim faithful men, who evidently can not control their sexual selves at the sight of a women's hair, and give them
the "go ahead" and have their way with her....you fill in the rest of the picture....

[Syndicate]

I do not know what Islam would say on such a matter and I don't really care, but the custom originated with Genghis Khan when his hoards invaded the middle east. I do know or at least have been told that the Koran says there should be no compulsion in religion. Seems to me that kinda says do what you want. If the Koran is anything like the Bible then somewhere else it will say Kill all infidels. These books tend to cover all bases.

[Syndicate]

Has there ever been a legal War? Given all the UN resolutions and the 12 years of *** we put up with I would say this is the closest we have ever come to a legal war.

[passerby2]

I don't understand why some women would not take off their veils for a driver license's picture or to testify in court. putting all religion aside, there are common rules we all have to live by in this country in order to keep the society safe and free for all of us. The license's picture is for identification purposes, what? are they planning to lease out their licenses, so that anyone who puts on a veil can use the license. it's absurd. if they do not want to remove the veil then don't apply for a license, do they think they are above the law? they can do what they want but if want to live with the society there are certain rules that they have to follow, no exceptions, to keep fair and safe for everyone else.

[adventurepa]

A perfect example of religion imposing it's will on people and they blindly follow in the name of faith.
Just like the guys who flew planes into buildings. Blind faith is a dangerous thing.

This is a restriction on women imposed by the clerics and is sexism and discrimination based on *** and religion.
Funny thing is America did the same thing to women until 1920.
The year they were allowed to vote.

The arab's have no idea what they are missing.
Nothing better then a great looking women showing her assets, just being herself.
The funny thing is, they are afraid of their Ape like/ cave man instincts getting the better of them.
Yet they don't believe in evolution.
Idiots.

[patriotic9]

adventurepa
I agree with you.One of the other perfect example of imposing somebody's religious views on other people is to give HETEROSEXUALS the right to marry but at the same time forbiding the same thing on the HOMOSEXUALS which is clearly DICRIMINATION on the basis of SEXUAL ORIENTATION.Another great example is to allow the men to run and jog on the public completely TOPLESS but to arrest a WOMAN when she commits the same actions which is DISCRIMIANTION on the basis of GENDER.Can you believe in this 21st century,if a woman becomes TOPLESS in a public in an advance country like USA,she may get ARRESTED on the name of INDECENT EXPOSURE.The same behavior totally decent for the men is so INDECENT for a WOMAN because of being a woman that she may be put into JAIL.

[halozcel]

Ray Charles singing,Unchain my heart let me be... yes Unchain your Mind and Be Free.

[tomflint69]

Women in Niqab or veil really look full of horror. They look strange creatures. A few of my friends are Muslims from Pakistan and Turkey and they tell me that veil is related to the culture of a some Arabian countries. In their countries they say, women dont cover their full faces but only in those provinces/regions where there are people who are deeply impressed by Arabian culture. Islam never asks women to put on full face veils. So this practice is cultural.

[saraity100]

Great. Now they can see difference between real religion and extremist's-politics. I would not mind muslim girls wearing niqab or veil on Halloween nights.

[patriotic9]

Tomflint69
Whether it's their part of culture or religion,atleast their culture and religion allows women to marry and fulfil the feminine demands of their bodies.The CATHOLIC NUNS who are not allowed to fulfil the Natural Feminine demands of their bodies by having *** with their husbands which is extremely UNNATURAL.I don't really know what they go through as we all know that a lot of CATHOLIC PRIESTS who are not allowed to marry have been caught SODOMIZING and MOLESTING those little young boys in the churches who call those priests FATHER.
Also we know that *** is a physiological process and physiology of *** depends on SEXUAL MATURITY,PUBERTY and whether hormones have started working in the body and started acting on the TARGET ORGANS or not.A girl or boy who cross puberty at young age can be told not to marry before 18 years of age but their HORMONES can not be told not to act on target organs.If a young boy is in love with his 28 years old school teacher and they both have fun enjoying *** with each other and then they are forced not to have relation with each other and be devoid of having fun and happiness in their lives this is brutality.It doesnt matter Muslim women wear whatever they want as long as they don't impose their views on us but we need to solve the problems of our country and stop being cruel on our citizens.

[phatcrayonz]

LET THEM BE...ITS CULTURE. GEEZ

[grazinggoat]

adventurepa
'why The funny thing is, they are afraid of their Ape like/ cave man instincts getting the better of them.
Yet they don't believe in evolution.'

You should read about how legally or blessed unions' women should treated in marriage. In Koran, all that, while in western world church was wondering if women had a soul...

All prejeduced thoughts, all publicly-vehiculed idea, about Islam. Read this Holy Book (Koran) before you strain its reputation.

[ronniehm]

Gee, I don't know. Is this really the biggest issue for the muslim word to tackle? How about bumper stickers that say "Don't blow yourself up at the mall."

[bigal321321]

Well here you have it folks...what the war and all the political strife in middle east is all about. It is about control of their women. Make them wear the traditional muslim clothing. Think of it this way, if you as a westerner could control what your wife wears then odds are on you could control her entire life. Womens Lib hits the middle east. Man, that gets'em all fired up. Why they're even willing to die to have the right to control their female population. It's not really a war on terrorism, it's a war on chauvunism. I don't have any answers just observations. Anybody got any valid ideas on how to help muslim women be themselves?

[halozcel]

Dear Grazinggoat,Women can not be wittness in the Court,Two women equals One man,,Woman can not divorce her master,husband and man can scourge woman.The World is not flat,it is revolving and Evolution happened.It is not a matter of belief.If the Cats that eat Uncovered Meat come to twentyfirst century,if they can,everything may be better.Please,I please everyone UNCHAIN YOUR HEADS.

[grazinggoat]

halozcel,
why don't U ask all the jewish women who cover their head with headscarves or with synthetic hair to keep up with the tradition, ask them to remove it as well. Or maybe ask the nuns to remove it as well... and why put your said evolution to let go naked (oblige them, huh, why not).

Evolution is in the eyes of one individual at a time. So please stop this arguments that doesn't stand good ground. When Bush supposed respect to human beings gets into real application and stop chaining prisonners and torture them as in guantanamo, stop invading their countries, birthplaces, take away their wealth, then maybe the people who are happy with their status of relative freedom are gonna come to embrace the bullsh*t 'democratic' values we are trying to sell them.