> Muslim Response Does Hijab degrade and oppress women?

[salman]

Muslim Sunni response to non-Muslims’ objection against Islamic ruling of hijab (asking women to dress modestly), which is generally perceived as head-covering. They say hijab is oppression and degrades women. According to them, the ruling of hijab violates freedom of rights and gender equality because this command is only directed to women.

First, we praise Allah and thank Him for everything. We do not come up with anything except that which is Bestowed upon us by the Creator, the Lord of the worlds. Indeed, the best speech is the Book of Allah, and the best Sunnah (way/guidance) is the Sunnah of last and final Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him – sal-allahu alayhi wa sallam). Indeed, praise to be Allah, Islam is truth (haqq) and whoever rejects Islam is among the losers and glad tidings to those who accept Islam and practice it to best of their ability.

Many of us either heard or read or came up with typical traditional responses to these objections/attacks against the ruling of hijab. In my opinion, some of these responses are defensive, some extreme and some apologetic. They may have helped Islam to some extent but due to the lack of pure Islamic response, they could not annihilate the attackers’ claims. How many times we have heard of the twin sister argument or the argument that hijab is about modesty? It is true that women weaing less clothes and showing-off their stuff are more likely to get attention but this is not true in all cases, neither it holds in all cases the covered women won’t get stares from men.

Insha’Allah, I will present some of the arguments to best of my ability to show how we need to tackle their objections – by no mean I am free of error and may Allah save us from arrogance, ameen. The order of the arguments is the key, wa allhamdulillah:

Bismillah Ar-Rahmaan Ar-Raheem (with the name of Allah, the Bestower of Mercy, the Merciful; [I start writing])

1 – Hijab is an order and a command of Allah and since He is our Creator, He knows what is best for us. Hence, He decides the laws for us. Man is flawed, limited and selfish; therefore, Muslims do not follow any man-made laws, neither we worship or pray to any man, nor we do consider ourselves capable of determining truth and falsehood. It is a fact that your methodology is inconsistency because the principle and notions which you call for have no ABSOULTE definition and implication. Therefore, we do not follow your corrupt methodology to determine laws for people.

2 – Muslims are shy and modest; hence, we like to cover ourselves by dressing modestly – the command of dressing modestly is for both men and women. Covering ourselves is found in every human’s natural belief (fitrah). It is in our fitrah to not walk naked and cover our private parts.

3 – If covering ourselves and dressing modestly is gender oppression/degradation/inequality, then why do not you walk naked? When did wearing less or more clothes become gender oppression/inequality? Would it make sense if a person wearing shorts says that the person wearing pants is oppressed? You perceive showing off (wearing less clothes) to be normal but covering (wearing more clothes) to be oppression. If we were to use this argument then the naked person will argue that the person wearing anything is oppressed. Where is your logic and common sense!?

4 – You say Islam makes it obligatory for women to cover more than men and this is gender inequality. I say look at your own secular law: do they not enforce your women to cover their breasts while this is not enforced on men? In offices, why do they enforce business dress – why it is enforced on men to wear pants whereas women can wear skirts? Is this not gender inequality and oppression? If you disagree then you have defied common sense. If you agree, then why do you not clean your own house from this “garbage” of gender inequality and apply this logic before attacking Islam!?

And Allah knows best

subhaanAllah, I had more in mind but forgot about it – I should have written down those. Kahyr, I will add them when I remember insha’Allah

akh Qatada, I do not think that we have covered this topic in iDawah so rest is up to you – adding ayaat and ahadith to this and adding it to iDawah databse

[Pk_#2]

JazakAllaah khair, I needed this Akh, shall read later inshaAllaah.

You needa edit title though.

AsalamuAlaykum Warahmatullaaahhhhhh.

[al-boriqee]

allow me to add a perspective that hasn;t been considered

when we deal with the disbelievers, we should try to reverse the argument on them when they impose on us.

so in reversing the argument back to them on this issue, then just simply tell them

"if a group of people were advocating the right for your daughter or womenfolk to walk with only a bikini or even naked in the street, then what would your response be and would you accept that your daughters or womenfolk would be oppressed if they were not allowed to perform this"

The sincere disbeliever will affirm the obvious, and when he or she affirms the obvious, then you will say, "and that is where we stand and our women stand" excep that our bar of dress code is much higher in the light of religious observance, thats all.

[salman]

^wa'alayka as-salam

good point akh - I wonder how I missed that

khayr, another good lecture on this by Shaykh Haitham al-Haddad

YouTube- Why do we muslim women wear the Burqa (face veil)?

YouTube- Why do we muslim women wear the Burqa (face veil)?

[salman]

more discussion on this topic is carried at Should we ban the Burka?

[Umm Marwa Mustafa]

Salam,

I have two points to mention again:

1. Liberal societies must accept individualism even when it leads to face coverage or Hijab, If they refuse to accept women choosing to dress as they please in western countries then they can't call themselves liberals!

2. Women are not forced to wear Niqab or Hijab in western countries, perhaps a small minority are in some places but, generally speaking they are not. Therefore since there is a choice and will being carried out, no one can justifiably argue against head or face coverage.