This is a slight continuation from the post about hijab. The more I think about it the more bizare it seems to me that its the practising Muslim women who are seen as oppressed and dress the way they solely because its the wish of oppressive men...hmmm! I think comments like this coming from the much developed, sophisticated and open minded Western society is an issue which is much closer to home than some people choose to admit or think.
In Islam yes woman should cover and be modest but this is the same for men as well although they are not required to cover their heads and entire bodies they also legally in Islam must cover at least between their navel and knees and any more they choose to do it better for them. Their are valid reasons for this as men and women are made differently and are attracted to different things... insha'Allah maybe I could go into more detail about this on another post. But the point is this is not the desire of men for the women to cover or vice versa its the decree of our Creator Allah who has commanded for men and women to dress in a certain way. So its not the desire or command of men forcing women to cover its the command of God and the acceptance of women to choose or not to choose to obey!
However can the same be said for women who feel compelled to dress the way they do in society today? What makes some women wear shorter skirts when they are being interviewed by a man, what is the reason behind so many young and old women falling critically ill due to starving themselves to the point of being placed in a rehabilitaion centre solely to fit into the man/male made society that skinny is the way to be? Why is it that in so many music videos its the women who are portrayed as prostitutes barely clothed degrading themselves? Who is it that makes them believe this is they to look beautiful and to earn respect? Its certainly not our creator Almighty God, I think we all know the answer is Man! I could go on and on about the problems this has caused in society today but I think we all know too well how many marriages this has affected, how many young girls have been raped, how many children have been abused, how many women have been murdered all because this sick pornographic image has polluted the minds of people in the society we live in today!
I did some research on this issue and found some interesting comments of people who may I add are not Muslims on this matter. By far the most interesting comment was from the famous Rap Star LL Cool J who has also come to realis
e the danger this nudety and showing women as strippers etc is posing for the youth today...'Rapper LL COOL J is urging his peers to stop degrading women in their music videos, because he fears they are setting a bad example to the younger generation.
He says, "I think that there's more room in the videos for women to be portrayed in a better way, like, classy. "I don't think that every woman has to be a stripper in every video.
"When you have three daughters and you're sitting there watching the video channel and every girl that's on there is like a stripper... I don't think that we have to tell them that this is all there is for you to do in order for you to make it."
Notice how LL Cool J mentioned 'degrading women' he also has realised that this image women are portrayed in degrading to them.
I feel for the women who are slaves to the men in this society who are slaves to fashion who have let themselves believe that in order to succeed they must give up their rights to be respected to be modest to be like a precious pearl rather they have given in to being like a piece of meat in a market on display for every person to see!
The more I think about it the more obvious to me it seems that its the men in the western society who are using women as their slaves for their own personal pleasure and gain! Look at the TV commercials where cars are advertised where you hardly see the latest car as the whole advert it focused on barely covered backsides of women???
Years ago I knew a girl who so badly wanted to become a model she went from agency to agency and did get signed up for small deals here and there. Then one day she told me how unhappy she was the price she had to pay...the things she had to do with the men who were in charge in order to be given the small chance of hitting the top... depression hit her so hard, she lost alot of her friends for many different reasons one of which was and im quoting her words 'I was made to feel so dirty by my manager who blackmailed me into sleeping with him that the only way I felt I could possibly feel clean was if I was with someone who was away from this business'... this was her response for having an affair with her best friends fiance!
Now many people say... yes but some women like to be seen they like to show their bodies they like to be the attention of men my question to all of that is WHY? Yes this may be true but its because they have been made to believe that this is how to be loved, to be wanted, to be needed, to be popular, to be succesful! Any man who claims to be in love with one of these models, strippers, actresses ask him how he would feel if his daughter, wife, sister, mother were to do the same would he still admire it!
Women are precious they are the core of human development, they should have an honoured state, their role should be elevated, they should be respected by men not degraded and used as sex slaves, advertising tools in this sick society!
So again I say Alhamdulillah that I am a Muslim in which Islam has given me so many rights where I truely feel respected, am made to feel like a protected precious jewel and rose by my husband and where my religion has shown me that to be loved to be beautiful to be respected is to be modest, to be truely free to be able to use my brain rather than my body to achieve! I chose to wear hijab myself and the only regret I have is that Oh how I wish I had understood Islam and the hijab much sooner and started wearing it many years before I did!
So to anyone out there who reads this if your a women learn the real meaning of freedom and respect just give it a try see how comfortable you feel walking past those perverted builders when your modestly covered.
To any men who read this give the women in your life the respect they deserve, the honour which is their right and let them live in dignity and treat them like a precious stone/jewel like a beautiful rose!
I have not meant or intended to offend anyone in the above post so please forgive me if I have!
3 comments:
Assalaamu alaikum.
I've always wondered why non-muslims care so much about what I wear. Maybe men feel put out because they don't get to see as much as they think they have the right to see, but women?
A lady once said to me that by covering up as I do, I was somehow saying that other women who weren't dressed like me were "low",immodest and not as worthy. Perhaps that is how she really feels when seeing a muslim woman's dress, but why should she care? She does not need my aproval to feel good about herself, surely? In the same way that I don't approach young ladies in thong revealing jeans and cleavage baring tops and say, "what gives you the right to dress like that? You make me feel unsexy, plain and frumpy!"
From Subarus to female identity - the mind boggles...
You have raised some interesting points masha'Allah! I remember when I first started to wear teh hijab and jilbab and faced hostility from people I actually know and was once asked 'do you feel like im bad because i dont wear hijab'. At that point I realised that the reason for all this hostility from this person had nothing to do with the fact that they did not like the hijab or anything it was because in it they saw the truth and because they were not doing it themselves they took it out on someone who was. Muslims who choose not to cover and non muslims when they do see someone who is dressed modestly its a huge HIT back home and deep down they know its the right thing but its easier to make nasty comments then to admit they are in the wrong and even harder to make a change! The comment of the lady who asked you if you thought others were low, immodest and not as worthy to me shows that deep down this is what she feels but has not realised it yet. Its very interesting how everyone goes on about freedom and womens rights but should a woman choose to cover then this is oppressing freedom and she should not be free to do so. Its sad that in some cases we live in a society of freedom of choice as long as that freedom of choice is one that is dictated by the media, those at the top and does not hold any moral grounds!
Hijab is not just a piece of material itis also how we comport ourselves outside .. One may have hijab on and not be really wearing it because of our actions. If we are loud and rude or going against the actions of the sunna then we are not really in hijab. So many times I have seen young girls (teenagers) wearing hijab and yelling and screaming on the bus or drawint attention to themselves. Hijab is a liberation .
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