It is women’s fundamental human right to make the choice to put the veil on without being brutalised for it.
When reading the title, the idea of this issue being controversial must have crossed your minds. People usually tiptoe their way around such topics. Anytime religion is involved in a discussion, emotion and bias shadow objectivity and reason. Nevertheless, just because a certain topic is sensitive it does not mean it shouldn’t be attended to.
Before I begin, I want to emphasize that this is in no way an attack on Muslim women. Nor am I here to speak on behalf of Muslim women, as not all might agree with the content of this article. The sole purpose of this article is to raise awareness and depict the reality of a large portion of women in this community.
It is women’s fundamental human right to make the choice to put the veil on without being brutalised for it. Therefore, any criticism in this article is towards the concept of the hijab only and not at all towards the women wearing it.
Origins of the hijab in Islam
The concept of women covering their hair was not exclusive to Islam, it is also practiced in Orthodox Judaism and Catholicism and many other religions around the world. However, this article will only address the origins of implementing its concept in Islam.
Contrary to the popularised story in the West adopted by the reformative Islamic movement which limits the concept of the hijab to being a religious symbol, and a way for women to connect with Allah in modesty, the Quran and Hadith provide more controversial reasons.
There are two verses in the Quran on which religious scholars rely to confirm the obligation on Muslim women to cover up; verse 31 of Surat Al Nour and verse 59 of Surat Al Ahzab.
Verse 31 of Surat Al Nour states:
And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their chastity, and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters’ sons, their women, that which their right hands possess [i.e., slaves], or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. […].
It appears that in verse 31 of Surat Al Nour, the traditional Islamic hijab that must cover all the body except the face and hands was not implemented yet.
The term “Khimar” used in the original Arabic text is a veil that covers the hair, neck and shoulders, but not the face. It is obvious in this verse that the reason women were commanded to cover these certain areas of the body is to prevent male temptation, since the only men they could expose those areas of their body around are either individuals who lack sexual desires towards them (i.e., family members, children, women, etc) or individuals who are entitled to be sexual towards them (i.e., husbands).
Verse 59 of Surat Al Ahzab states:
O Prophet! Ask your wives, daughters, and believing women to draw their cloaks over their bodies. In this way it is more likely that they will be recognized ˹as virtuous˺ and not be harmed. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
This verse references in the Arabic text the term “Jilbab” in English which means a cloth that covers the body from head to toe, thus the commandment of Muslim women fully covering up can be traced back to this verse.
According to Al Sahih Al Bukhari, this verse was implemented after a night where Sawda, the prophet’s wife was running errands, when Omar Ibn Al Khattab recognized her and addressed her. But one wonders, what was meant by “be recognized as virtuous and not be harmed”?
According to Al Saadi, Ebin Khatheer and Al Waseet, the hijab was considered a tool to distinguish between Muslim women who were considered free women and “Ama” or “Durar” (slaves).
The distinction was important due to the fact that enslaved women were often sexually harassed and assaulted by predatory men especially at night times. Therefore, Muslim women were obligated to wear the hijab so when predatory men saw them at night, they will distinguish them from enslaved women and consequently refrain from approaching them.
This clearly shows the utilization of the hijab as a method of segregation and discrimination between women who are entitled to their physical integrity because they are covered and those who are not.
It is important to note that what is mentioned above is the Sunni explanations of the verses. Shiites on the other hand deny the reasons mentioned above and only focus on the commendation of Muslim women to promote modesty and chastity, and help prevent Muslim men from temptation and sinning.
Both however, still bear women the burden of preventing sexual assault, and hold them accountable to men’s behaviour towards their physical appearance. Both sexualize women and objectify them.
I, like many other girls, was raised on the famous story of being precious diamonds that need to be sheltered and preserved.
Hijab and Childhood
As a woman born and raised in the Middle East and in a Muslim community, my peers and I were introduced to the concept of the hijab at a very early age. We were told that it is a religious obligation as stated by the Quran, and an important practice of a good Muslim woman.
It was a symbol of modesty, empowerment, something we should be very proud of. I, like many other girls, was raised on the famous story of being precious diamonds that need to be sheltered and preserved.
I remember coming across billboards with Martyrs pictures and the phrase “Your veil my sister is more precious than my blood.” As kids, reading this triggered a sense of pride and specialness.
This method is used to trick girls into believing that they are fulfilling the utmost purpose in life and intentionally avoiding explaining the reality of the situation to them.
This vision however, was not the only one we were introduced to. We were also told that if we do not fulfil this obligation, we would not enter heaven, and that we would be committing the ultimate betrayal; defying God, consequently burning in eternal hell. We were terrorized.
We were raised to believe that it is our responsibility to promote modesty and prevent men from temptation without explaining the reasons for it or what it actually meant.
Putting aside the religious and holy effect of this commandment, let’s try to look at it as observers and critics. When someone, especially a child is being told that they are given the choice to do something, but if they do not do it, they will eternally burn in hell, are they really given a choice or are they coerced?
Moreover, indoctrinating a 9-year-old into believing that wearing the hijab or covering up is to fundamentally prevent temptation is unacceptable. It is necessary to re-emphasize that this upholds the idea that women and even children serve only as sex objects and it is their duty to prevent being assaulted. This ideology of covering up young girls serves to sustain and support rape culture and pedophilia.
The Many Other Reasons to Wear the Veil
It is most common that girls would wear the hijab at an early age, especially the age of 9 as it is the age where girls are no longer considered innocent children and are now ready to take on the duties of a grown woman.
Some girls but not all would wear it out of religious obligation and for the reasons I stated above, but a large portion wear it for other reasons, especially societal ones. Some are influenced to wear it after seeing their peers or role models such as their friends in school, their older sisters, or mothers wearing it.
As they get older, some would wear it as a result of societal or parental pressure. Girls are often stopped by strangers and asked why they haven’t worn it yet.
Fathers would pressure and in many cases force their girls to wear it especially after they reach puberty. Some would wear it out of marital obligation as there are many men who expect it from their wives. Therefore, the concept of free will is really not that common in most cases.
Not every hijabi, especially younger ones, really grasp or understand the concept of the hijab. They are also not prepared nor informed of the sacrifices and challenges they will face after they commit to it.
After a girl wears the hijab, people usually congratulate them, buy them new outfits, coloured veils, toys or even throw them a celebration.
But, no one prepares them for what they have to endure after. A girl will be living her life normally, and suddenly after she decides to put on the veil, her life is completely changed.
She suddenly is not allowed to touch or play with her male friends anymore, she cannot wear t-shirts outside anymore even in the summer heat, she won’t feel the breeze of wind in their hair any longer, and now each and every step she takes is monitored because a hijabi is expected to behave in a certain way.
The amount of pressure put on girls after they wear a veil is very heavy. So if you believe that a 9-year-old should not get married because she is too young, and lacks the maturity or ability to make lifelong decisions and commitments, why would it be any different when it comes to the hijab? It is also a lifelong commitment, why is one an exception to the other?
Hijab and Violence Against Women
What people refuse to acknowledge is the abuse so many women are subjected to due to this concept. Hijab is linked to a woman’s honour and whenever something is connected to honour, it becomes a threat to women’s safety.
Women especially in Muslim countries and communities are physically and emotionally abused, killed, or prosecuted for choosing to speak up against the hijab or even take it off.
Our societies are very welcoming of women who chose to put it on, they preach about the freedom of expression and freedom of choice in taking such a decision.
However, this freedom suddenly disappears when a woman decides to take it off. A woman who dares to remove her hijab is shown a completely different face, a face of oppression, brutality, and persecution. She is shamed, degraded, disowned and demonised.
People in our Middle Eastern society always fight the idea that religion is flawed, they are continuously dealing with an inner conflict between idealising their beliefs and what reality is showing them.
How would a concept built on the objectification of women and results in violence against women be empowering?
It is not. We cannot deny that hijabi women are discriminated against, whether in our cultures or in the West. The movement to support them is essential.
Supporting someone’s right to exist and be treated equally, defending them when they are persecuted and maltreated for following a religious obligation is very crucial.
However, empowering women does not make the concept of the hijab itself empowering, nor does it change the reality of what this obligation really means or eliminates the horrors it is causing to so many women in Muslim communities.
Just because something is introduced as a religious commandment does not make it ideal or fair. People in our Middle Eastern society always fight the idea that religion is flawed, they are continuously dealing with an inner conflict between idealising their beliefs and what reality is showing them.
This inner conflict pushes people to refrain from accepting reality as it is, deny it, find excuses and justification for this specific commandment or belief and aggressively attack anyone who criticises it.
I am a strong believer that we must all respect a person’s right to choose, but this does not mean we have to support or agree with the justifications that led to the choice itself even if it is religious.
