Veil in Islam



Abstract

The debate of Veil or Hijab has not been the most discussed topic in the religious as well as social and human rights circles of the West and Islamic world. If wearing hijab is perceived as threat at one side, it is also regarded as a religious obligation on the other side. Both the western societies and Muslims living in such societies have different arguments to support their views. However, there are some independent circlers who analyze both approaches. This paper examines the concept of veiling in Islam, identifies the perception and threats about veiling in West, and discusses the issue related to unveiling Muslim women in western societies.

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Veil in Islamic World3

Dress Code for Muslim Women6

Veil and Laws in Islamic Countries6

Veil in the West7

Banning Veil in France8

Reasons behind the Ban9

Reaction of Islamic Community10

Unveiling in the West11

Conclusions12

End Notes13

Veil in Islam

Introduction

The debate of 'Veil and Muslim Women' has received a widespread attention in recent year in the west. The earlier and on-going migration of Muslim population to western countries and their interaction with western societies introduced western people with the special code of dressing for women - veil, which is generally described as a identification of Muslim women and can be seen in different forms including 'Hijab' or 'Niqab' or 'Burqa'. Today, the perception of Islamic veiling is interpreted with different meanings and explained in different ways in the west. Most of the west believes that Islamic veiling indicates the suppression of women's right and assumes veiling as a threat to secular system of west. However, the Muslim community believes that veiling is one of the God's (Allah) directive given in the Koran as all Muslims accept Koran as the word of God (Allah). In order to have basic understanding of veiling in Islam, it is important to know the concept of veil in Islam.

Veil in Islamic World

Islamic world takes the concept of veiling from their holy book - Koran, which says, "O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (jalabib) close round them (when they go abroad)..." (33:59). Koran further says, "And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms..."(24:31). In addition, Koran also says, "... And when you ask of them (the wives of the Prophet) anything, ask it of them from behind a veil. . ." (33:53)

In the light of above verses of Koran, Muslims regard veiling as their faith and believe that veiling is a positive as well as legitimate exercise of freedom given by their religion.

The concept of veiling was not just introduced by Islam but it was introduced and has been practicing long before the arrival of Islam. Like many other customs, what people wear reflects the culture of a region and the social status of the individual. In fact, Assyrian kings first introduced both the privacy of women in ...