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Each society classifies dress according to age, gender and status. Clothes may be labeled "improper" if deemed to be immoral by a social, cultural or religious standard. Some societies use the hijab or Islamic modest dress and veil, to promote the idea that by keeping women veiled, not only is Islam saved but Islamic societies are also purified.

At a personal level, Islam for me has a special meaning. I tend to accept it as a liberating, egalitarian religion in which women were given many rights. What went wrong in my opinion was because of the misogynist attitudes and the dominance of patriarchal societies in which Islam grew. In such societies, a woman's body is viewed as property, with national, cultural and moral significance. Her body no longer belongs to the individual woman. Her body as property belongs to the men of the family. In this perspective she is the representative of the family's honor or shame and all its extensions in their lives. Her moral conduct is everyone's business. Thus it is clear that controlling and restricting her physical movements, public appearance and mode of attire serves the patriarchal agenda. Men, by securing their womenfolk against slander, believe they have saved themselves from slanderous remarks. To seal this form of control, Islam as a religion is used against women, to legitimize the patriarchal agenda.

Islam, for instance, does not prohibit women seeking knowledge, reading or writing. Women also have full access to religious texts. However throughout the history of the Muslim world, men have been the interpreters of sacred texts. This has created challenges for women. A number of feminist scholars have argued that it is time for a feminist interpretation of all the sacred texts. Such views are being expressed openly and there are even demands for legal changes. Muslim women are questioning the monopoly of patriarchal interpretations of the sacred texts, not on the basis of the secular rally for women's emancipation, but for the human equality granted to women by Islam.

Religious authorities base their argument for enforcing the veiling of Muslim women on religious grounds. They argue that the veil is a requirement and obligation for Muslim women. They rely for instance on a sentence in the Nur chapter of the Qur'an: "Draw their (women's) veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty". There are ambiguities in the various translations and interpretations of the same verses by different authorities. Muslim feminist writers urge readers to evaluate Qur'anic verses more deeply, based on the social and political situation of the Prophet during the specific time of revelation of these verses. They say that the spirit of such injunctions is to recommend modesty of attire, not specifically veiling --- and that such modesty in dress and behavior is also, in other verses, implied for men.

Fatima Mernissi, author of The Veil and the Male Elite expresses her opinion thus: "When I finished writing this book, I had come to understand one thing: if women's rights are a problem for some modern Muslim men, it is neither because of the Koran nor the Prophet nor the Islamic tradition, but simply because those rights conflict with the interests of the male elite." (Mernissi, 1991, p. ix).

Veiling and seclusion of women are a consequence of a patriarchal society. The issue of dress as a personal and political concern has implications for gender power and status in all cultures. Realizing this helps us understand why the Islamic patriarchy takes so much interest in the veil; in this context the veil is symbolic of a power struggle.

References:
Gilsenan, Michael (1982). Recognizing Islam, Religion and Society in the Modern Arab World. New York, Pantheon Books.
Mernissi, Fatima (1991). The Veil and the Male Elite, A Feminist Interpretation of Women's Rights in

Footnote:
This article was published in the Saheli Newsletter in November 1999. It is an extract from a longer paper by the author.

Saheli is an all-volunteer non-profit support and advocacy organization for Asian families in Austin, Texas. Saheli's mission is to help victims and survivors of domestic violence to heal, and empower them to make choices for a life free of abuse. We spread awareness of various forms of oppression against women and children through community outreach and education. We form a bridge between the Asian community and local services to cross the culture gap. Saheli's vision is to work toward preventing abuse in family relationships, to break the cycle of violence and pursue a cycle of peace. For more information about Saheli, visit www.main.org/saheli
To contact us call (512) 703-8745
or send e-mail to: saheli@usa.net

Opinions expressed in this column are those of the authors alone.

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