Lifting veil on Islamic style

Brian, there is no "Islamic law" in place anywhere in the world today. Some countries have taken bits and pieces but their own culture overwhelms the principles of Islamic law. The reason I tell you this is that under Islamic law, a women's rights are respected and protected. She does not have "half the legal status of men" as you have obviously learned from some of the travesties reported internationally from so-called "Islamic" countries.

If you read history you will find that nearly 1500 years ago, from the time Islam was revealed, Muslim women had rights that Christianity stole from Christian women. At a time when Christian women were legally chattels, were blamed for "original sin", were married off to whatever man suited their father's convenience even if dragged to the altar screaming or drugged, had no right to own property (since they were themselves the property of their husbands/fathers) and so on marrying them their husband owned everything they had previously owned, had no legal voice... at that time Muslim women owned property, did business, travelled freely, had the same religious obligations and options as men, and were encouraged to educate themselves in all fields.

A prime example of the lovely protection Christian women had comes down to us in the phrase "rule of thumb"; this actually referred to the law which said that a man couldn't beat his wife with a stick any thicker than his thumb. So it was fine to beat her senseless using a thin broomstick...

The point is that laws are perverted by human beings for their own benefit. And some people will behave as badly as possible, regardless of the laws, as you will see from The Herald on any day of the week.

Muslim women wearing scarves are the last thing we should be worrying about in this country. Let's deal with burgeoning crime, general violence, poor education standards, poor work ethic and a willingness to live way beyond our means on credit cards or other people's money first, before we concern ourselves with incidentals like dress code, eh?

An amazing thing has happened in the 21st century (and in the latter part of the 20th) throughout the world. There has been an enormous number of people, especially women, turning to Islam. They tend to be adult, rather than adolescent, and of above average education, and typically have investigated for a lengthy period before making the decision to become Muslim.

These women are not oppressed. They are not ignorant. They are making a choice which rejects some of your values, but that doesn't mean they are stupid.

If you see a Muslim woman in New Zealand wearing long / loose clothes, a scarf, a shawl or even a burqa, she is doing that because she wants to. There is a certain degree of prejudice even in God's Own Country, so dressing differently is a choice she has made knowing that she will be subjected to adverse comments or abuse sometimes.

Yes, some families / members of the community browbeat or force some women to dress that way. But in NZ, it's very seldom the case. We have so many ways to escape that situation on the rare occasions it does occur. And when it does occur, it is ABSOLUTELY CONTRARY TO ISLAM as the Quran legislates against forcing any religious observance.

So if I step away from servitude to fashion or other people's ideas of what I should wear... and face intolerance and ignorance?

Why do you care what I wear? A hoody, a beanie, a hijab. Only the person wearing them should be concerned. Get out and do something with your time instead of worrying about how I dress.

Sorry, the point is not to be ugly. There is a difference between not trying to look sexy and looking ugly.

But you raise a good point which is not understood by most people - there is an obligation on BOTH men and women to dress in a modest way and BOTH men and women to control their gaze. That means when you see something about someone that turns you on, unless you are married to that person, you deliberately control your thoughts, your body (by turning away from the situation) and your behaviour. You restrain your physical impulses... self-restraint is not a popular concept these days when many people are so interested in immediate gratification of whatever whim takes them.

And I don't believe in sexual repression. But expressing your sexuality properly and enjoying the joys of sex in a committed relationship is much more valuable and rewarding than just getting laid by whoever you happened to pick up when you were drunk.

In the end, it's up to each of us to choose for ourselves. That's your right, that's my right.

I hope you mean "WHO CARES" as in "WHO CARES WHAT WOMEN WANT TO WEAR, LET THEM WEAR WHATEVER THEY WANT AND LET'S GET ON WITH LIFE", not "WHO CARES WHY THEY DRESS THAT WAY". Really, it's my choice anywhere in the range between bikini and burqa, and the only issue anyone else should have with that is if it impacts on their safety or wellbeing. Covering hair is mandated if you work in a restaurant - why is it a problem for so many people? Covering the face, that's another story. But covering hair or arms or legs, what's the big deal if a woman doesn't want to show you everything she has?

Hussaini Muhammad Aliyu, there is no correlation between rates of rape and dress code. Rape rates rose in Iran after the revolution, coinciding with the enforcement of Islamic dress codes. There is little evidence to support your claim. Granted, the somewhat distasteful way in which liberal values are expressed in Western style dress codes can lead to the objectification and debasement of women, but the same thing happens when a woman is given half the legal status of men under Islamic law.

You comment "...know what is best for the women folk" would be viewed as deeply offensive to most people, given that it implies women are not capable of deciding which dress code is best for them. And do not kid yourself, very few Muslim women in Iran and other such theocracies have ever been given the option to choose the terms and conditions of their faith.

May peace be with you all, I just wanna to draw our attention on the tone of the words that were used in the comments above. What happen to "live and let others live"? How can people be so "not knowledgable" but still so harsh about a religious matter? What happen to our free will? What happen to indulgency and love for mankind? We are ready to jump on peoples throat just for a piece of garnment. We should be ashemed to act in such a racist way. This society states that we are all free but at the end no one is free not even to dress in the way it most pleases him/her. That is not like 21st century society at all. Let's just think about that. Let's be free to profess our religion freely. And God knows best.

Mike - points 1 and 3 are taken from the ahadith, or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). For Muslims, directions given in these sayings are just as important as those given in the Qur'an.

Allyson - Muslim women are not supposed to make themselves look ugly per se, merely to conceal the beauty of their bodies. Florals for example were in fashion this summer - but wearing a loose floral top or skirt would not give away the shape of the body underneath, thus allowing the woman to be both fashionable and modest :) And men ARE supposed to control their desires and behave themselves - they are instructed to lower their gazes from women, the burden is not all placed on the woman - and rightly so! However obviously not all men are Muslim, and even those who are may disobey this command, thus necessitating women to protect themselves from men who DO look, using their clothing.

Ian, I wear hijab, and I am neither a servant, intolerant or ignorant. I have friends, a good social life, I'm starting university this October and afterwards I intend on getting a job - I am independent, free-thinking, intelligent and most importantly, happy! Please don't think that wearing certain clothes makes me a meek, uneducated, downtrodden woman, they are just pieces of fabric :)

Ian you are uneducated and ignorant. I am a converted white Aussie Muslim and let me just say you have no idea what you are talking about.

interesting article. i reckon there shouldnt be a catwalk thing for Muslim women because it does defeat the whole idea of modesty and the whole fashion thing is like so materialistic.

Just in reply to allysons comment, Muslim women are not ugly just because of what they wear. Its because of their kind of clothing they are respected by all who come across them. Whats ugly is, women who dont have any self esteem so much so they dont dress "decently" and wear too much make-up. And if you research about women in Islam and compare it to women outside of Islam, you'll realise that women outside of Islam are actually doing what men want and are therefore not liberated...

And also to Jims comment, well obviously you do since you took the time to comment:D

And just to clarify-the point of the headscarf is not to make Muslim women look ugly not least because a beautiful face is a beautiful face regardless of what you wrap around it. Neither do women dress modestly because they believe that every man who sees them will otherwise jump them or pass out from desire. The Koran orders men to lower their gaze and they too have their proscribed dress code (they must be covered between the navel and the knee). Many women of all faiths and none dress modestly as a form of empowerment-it shows they are in control of their sexuality and refuse to submit to the analytical gaze of society which today seems so desperate to determine whether one's thighs/butts/breasts are too big/small/saggy/flabby etc. It shows they are not interested in getting male attention and in being objectified. And in today's world where objectification of women is becoming more extreme than ever before (advertising/films/magazines etc) and reversing many of the gains of feminism, it is no surprise that modestly dressed women freak so many people out.