17 April,2011 09:47 AM IST | | MiD DAY readers
Last week a ban on veils that cover the face went into effect in France, pitching supporters and naysayers into a fierce battle about the validity of the move. Four women from different walks of life give you their individual take on the ban
'The move comes as what is part of a larger western Islamophobia'
Noorjehan Safia Niaz
Founding Member, Muslim Mahila Andolan that deals with codification of Muslim law and political advocacy
At the Muslim Mahila Andolan, we have had this discussion and the consensus that we reached was that, nobody, be it a cleric, an activist or a head of state, can make the decision (to ban veils). We condemn the French government for forcing women to dress in a particular way. The hypocrisy of it is that the government thinks they are saving women from a sort of enslavement, while imposing another restrictive law with a fine.
The move comes as what is part of a larger western Islamophobia. France says it wants to be a plural state, yet its actions are quite the opposite. As I understand it, the hijab isn't a threat to security or health as they have made it out to be. This law will only have a boomerang effect, which will prompt women to wear the hijab in defiance.
As for the Quran, it only mentions wearing modest clothing and is open to interpretation. We have to understand that it remains in the context of those times.
I have never worn a hijab but the women I have dealt with have many reasons to do so. The most endearing being that poor Muslim women wear the burqa to hide their poverty. They don't have too many nice clothes but here the burqa is a great leveller. At the end of the day, if wearing the hijab means it helps you to step out and get an education rather than stay at home then let's look at the greater good and condone it.
The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't necessarily represent those of the paper.
'Most Muslim women wear the hijab under terrible pressures'
Madhu Purnima Kishwar
Founder Editor, Manushi -- More than a Journal -- A Cause...; Founder, Manushi Sangathan and Professor, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
I am firmly against the politics of bans and the use of punitive legislation by governments as an instrument of social reform.
However, the French ban needs to be put in perspective. The ban is only on the hijab -- full covering of the face with a veil. France does not allow public display of religious identity even for its own citizens. If French women travelling to Saudi Arabia wear the hijab despite it being outlawed in their country, I see no reason why those who live in France cannot abide by some of its citizenship requirements.
Even though the hijab has become an identity marker for some rabid Muslims it is not a religiously-ordained compulsion in Islam. A woman who wears a hijab is forced to declare that she is unable to face the public gaze. Such a person is setting herself up for discrimination. How many of us are willing to hire someone who comes with her face covered with a long ghoonghat, with whom we cannot have eye contact?
During my recent visit to Saudi Arabia, I met numerous outstanding women. But they all have to live under crippling restrictions. They can work in 'women only' institutions. Ironically behind the veil, most of them wear sexy western outfits, pointing to a very schizophrenic existence. Many openly admitted to feeling suffocated under the culture of purdah.
Most Muslim women wear the hijab under terrible pressures. The few who wear a hijab by choice are making a political statement on behalf of the men of their community.u00a0
u00a0The challenge before Muslim leadership is to allow women the right to combat the culture of violence and crime that goes with compulsory, obsessive and schizophrenic forms of veiling of women. Those opposing the ban on hijab in France on grounds of free choice would gain more credibility if they simultaneously opposed the coercive imposition of hijab in countries like Saudi Arabia.
It is no coincidence that all those societies which legislate seclusion for women are also hostage to authoritarian and tyrannical dictators.
'I'm against the decision of the French government'
Ahlam Khan
Theatre actress, daughter of late actor Amjad Khan
I think it's a very personal thing to choose to wear a hijab or not. When children are born into a family that makes them cover their heads, it doesn't make sense to me. A woman should be old enough to understand the ramifications of wearing the hijab, before she dons it, and that can come only from exploring the concepts of faith and your own beliefs.
I'm against the decision of the French government. It's a dress code at the end of the day. If they can ban the hijab they can do the same thing to Indian attire or the turban.
Nobody in my house wears a hijab, not even my mom. That being said, if I were to take it on, I don't think it would be a problem either.
'As much as the society says it gives women the choice, it really isn't so'
Hasina Khan,
Secretary, Awaaz-e-Niswan (AEN), an NGO that works to fight discrimination that Muslim women suffer in society
It's an oversimplification to say women have a choice. The implications of giving up head covering raises complicated questions. Whose choice are we referring to? As educated women of a comfortable class we may think others have the same choices, but for many women, social standing, illiteracy and sheer poverty don't allow them the privilege to question tradition.
Over the years, the hijab has become much more than a norm. It's a religious identity. And for religious scholars who decide what women should wear, giving up the hijab means you have given up religion.
For the many reasons that women stick with the hijab, there are an equal number of reasons to give it up. After the 1993 bomb blasts, the burqa was associated with threat. You didn't need to say you were a Muslim; wear a burqa and everyone would know.
As much as the society says it gives women the choice, it really isn't so. We live in a patriarchal society that dictates how women should dress. But state governments deciding for you isn't the solution either. The danger the French government faces is a possible resistance that is much stronger than the issue they think they face.
For an eight year-old girl who comes from a family that wants her to cover her head it's not a choice. In my family, my mother wears a hijab and my sisters did too. I wore it as a child when I grew up in Bhendi Bazaar and studied in an Urdu-medium school. I wore it more out of habit than anything else. As an adult, I decided to give up the hijab.
