Covering and Religion
Samina Ali’s address to a TEDx conference about the development of covering in Islam illuminates that covering was a solution to a social problem in Saudi Arabia where the prophet was asked to offer a solution, not a religious mandate. At the time, when women had to go to the bathroom, they had to walk in the dark to the outskirts of town where, ultimately, men were waiting to take advantage unless, however, a woman was wearing the status symbol of a jilbab (head covering). Prophet Muhammad introduced a verse in the Quran that asked that all women dress the same so that women of a lesser status were not targeted. Ali asserts that the prophet said that women's dress is dependent on society's context, and that means covering does not fit into the custom of United States. She adds that veiling “might actually lead to harassment” and their decision not to would be condoned by the Prophet were he here today (TEDx Talks).
Furthermore in Jeri Altneu Sechzer’s article, “‘Islam and Woman: Where Tradition Meets Modernity’: History and Interpretations of Islamic Women’s Status,” Sechzer establishes that neither Prophet Muhammad nor the Quran advocate for the forced covering of women. Rather, the successors of Muhammad used veiling in ways to make women subordinate, and this custom has developed differently across the world.
The hijab is also understood differently in different sects of Islam. Ahmadi Muslims interpret covering in the Quran to mean that “Islam has strongly emphasized the concept of decency and modesty in the interaction between members of the opposite sex. Dress code is part of that overall teaching” and go on to discuss that both men and women have covering guidelines outlined in the Qur'an (“The Qur’an and Hijab”). Men should practice hijab of the eyes in which they look away as women pass and ensure their private parts are covered. Alternatively, women should “not display their beauty except what is apparent,” potentially meaning their face, “and they should place their khumur over their bosoms” which in this time would mean that the excess of that scarf should cover the chest (“The Qur’an and Hijab”). Additionally, both men and women were encouraged to wear loose rather than tight clothes ensuring that it’s not revealing or immodest. While this was the expectation of the time, there is an understanding that the world has evolved and religious traditions should too.
Another interpretation of Islamic texts and covering is made by Aisha Wood Boulanouar who asserts that all mentioned Muslim behavior should flow from modesty (134). This sort of modesty is not only supposed to be lived out by women covering but also in other aspects of life. She discusses how modesty is physical for both men and women wherein men should never be exposed between their navel and their knee and women should be covered except for her face and hands except for in the presence of men who are ineligible to marry (135). Similarly, marriage is a form of modesty as no intimate contact can be made outside of marriage (136) and speech, thought and action should be considered as a way to show modesty (137). Boulanouar argues that head covering, another form of modesty in Islam, is controversial largely because of a misunderstanding of politics and dress code. She states that there is an understanding that both men and women should cover but there “is no consensus for the actual form of covering” because there are “few very direct references in the Qur’an” (140). Because modesty is a form of faith, it inhabits all parts of a Muslim person’s life but the level of modesty can always be interpreted differently.
Additionally, in an Independent article, Qasim Rashid points out that “when addressing hijab, the Quran does not address women first...Islam places the primary responsibility of observing hijab not on women-but on men” (Rashid). People have equated head scarf with hijab when in reality hijab is a responsibility for all Muslims. In reference to the above idea of hijab of the eyes, Rashid asserts that women should be able to wear whatever they want without fear of oppression because the burden is on men to avert their gaze. He adds that “in Islam, no such permission exists for men to force hijab on women” (Rashid). He emphasized the importance of men living up to the demands of the Quran before they force women to do the same.
Covering is often used as evidence that women are oppressed in Islam. This assertion, however, is often made by people that do not know that other religions also have encouraged women to cover. Sects of Judaism and pieces of scripture in Christianity have written about the importance of modesty and have different examples of covering that can be compared to that within Islam. The most traditional Jewish communities today, such as the Hassidic community, emphasize the importance of women covering their heads, most often with a wig (Bronner). In First Corinthians in the Christian Bible there is a reference to women wearing a head covering during worship (Walker). There are other examples of religious texts that encourage modesty and specific covering of women that should not be ignored in order to further degrade and stigmatize Islam. Overall, Islam and Islamic texts do not have a compulsory influence on covering but rather encouraged it in the time that the Prophet lived. It’s important to mention that the Prophet’s discussion was more related to a community problem rather than one to further the religion. Overall, Islamic texts promote modesty in a variety of ways but do not require women to take any specific action and our questions will reveal any connections our participants have to religion and their decision to cover.
Research by Thresa Skeslien-Jenkins
The hijab is also understood differently in different sects of Islam. Ahmadi Muslims interpret covering in the Quran to mean that “Islam has strongly emphasized the concept of decency and modesty in the interaction between members of the opposite sex. Dress code is part of that overall teaching” and go on to discuss that both men and women have covering guidelines outlined in the Qur'an (“The Qur’an and Hijab”). Men should practice hijab of the eyes in which they look away as women pass and ensure their private parts are covered. Alternatively, women should “not display their beauty except what is apparent,” potentially meaning their face, “and they should place their khumur over their bosoms” which in this time would mean that the excess of that scarf should cover the chest (“The Qur’an and Hijab”). Additionally, both men and women were encouraged to wear loose rather than tight clothes ensuring that it’s not revealing or immodest. While this was the expectation of the time, there is an understanding that the world has evolved and religious traditions should too.
Another interpretation of Islamic texts and covering is made by Aisha Wood Boulanouar who asserts that all mentioned Muslim behavior should flow from modesty (134). This sort of modesty is not only supposed to be lived out by women covering but also in other aspects of life. She discusses how modesty is physical for both men and women wherein men should never be exposed between their navel and their knee and women should be covered except for her face and hands except for in the presence of men who are ineligible to marry (135). Similarly, marriage is a form of modesty as no intimate contact can be made outside of marriage (136) and speech, thought and action should be considered as a way to show modesty (137). Boulanouar argues that head covering, another form of modesty in Islam, is controversial largely because of a misunderstanding of politics and dress code. She states that there is an understanding that both men and women should cover but there “is no consensus for the actual form of covering” because there are “few very direct references in the Qur’an” (140). Because modesty is a form of faith, it inhabits all parts of a Muslim person’s life but the level of modesty can always be interpreted differently.
Additionally, in an Independent article, Qasim Rashid points out that “when addressing hijab, the Quran does not address women first...Islam places the primary responsibility of observing hijab not on women-but on men” (Rashid). People have equated head scarf with hijab when in reality hijab is a responsibility for all Muslims. In reference to the above idea of hijab of the eyes, Rashid asserts that women should be able to wear whatever they want without fear of oppression because the burden is on men to avert their gaze. He adds that “in Islam, no such permission exists for men to force hijab on women” (Rashid). He emphasized the importance of men living up to the demands of the Quran before they force women to do the same.
Covering is often used as evidence that women are oppressed in Islam. This assertion, however, is often made by people that do not know that other religions also have encouraged women to cover. Sects of Judaism and pieces of scripture in Christianity have written about the importance of modesty and have different examples of covering that can be compared to that within Islam. The most traditional Jewish communities today, such as the Hassidic community, emphasize the importance of women covering their heads, most often with a wig (Bronner). In First Corinthians in the Christian Bible there is a reference to women wearing a head covering during worship (Walker). There are other examples of religious texts that encourage modesty and specific covering of women that should not be ignored in order to further degrade and stigmatize Islam. Overall, Islam and Islamic texts do not have a compulsory influence on covering but rather encouraged it in the time that the Prophet lived. It’s important to mention that the Prophet’s discussion was more related to a community problem rather than one to further the religion. Overall, Islamic texts promote modesty in a variety of ways but do not require women to take any specific action and our questions will reveal any connections our participants have to religion and their decision to cover.
Research by Thresa Skeslien-Jenkins
Boulanouar, Aisha Wood. “The Notion of Modesty in Muslim Women's Clothing: An Islamic Point of View.” New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 8, no. 2, Dec. 2006, pp. 134–156., nzasia.org.nz/downloads/NZJAS-Dec06/9Boulanouar2b.pdf.
Bronner, Leila Leah. “From Veil to Wig: Jewish Women's Hair Covering.” American Jewish Congress, vol. 42, no. 4, 1993, pp. 465–478., search.proquest.com/docview/1304353885?accountid=7064.
Rashid, Qasim . “Muslim men need to understand that the Quran says they should observe hijab first, not women.” Independent, 29 Mar. 2017, 8:15, www.independent.co.uk/voices/muslim-men-hijab-forcing-women-islam-teaching-mohammed-quran-modesty-a7655191.html.
Sechzer, Jeri Altneu. “"Islam and Woman: Where Tradition Meets Modernity": History and Interpretations of Islamic Women's Status.” Sex Roles, vol. 51, no. 5-6, Sept. 2004, pp. 263–272. Springer Link, link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B:SERS.0000046610.16101.e0.
TEDx Talks. “What does the Quran really say about a Muslim woman’s hijab? | Samina Ali | TEDxUniversityofNevada.” Online video clip. YouTube. Youtube, 10 Feb 2017. Web. 23 Sep 2017.
“The Qur'an and Hijab.” The Qur'an and Hijab, Al-Islam.org, www.al-islam.org/hijab-muslim-womens-dress-islamic-or-cultural-sayyid-muhammad-rizvi/quran-and-hijab.
Bronner, Leila Leah. “From Veil to Wig: Jewish Women's Hair Covering.” American Jewish Congress, vol. 42, no. 4, 1993, pp. 465–478., search.proquest.com/docview/1304353885?accountid=7064.
Rashid, Qasim . “Muslim men need to understand that the Quran says they should observe hijab first, not women.” Independent, 29 Mar. 2017, 8:15, www.independent.co.uk/voices/muslim-men-hijab-forcing-women-islam-teaching-mohammed-quran-modesty-a7655191.html.
Sechzer, Jeri Altneu. “"Islam and Woman: Where Tradition Meets Modernity": History and Interpretations of Islamic Women's Status.” Sex Roles, vol. 51, no. 5-6, Sept. 2004, pp. 263–272. Springer Link, link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B:SERS.0000046610.16101.e0.
TEDx Talks. “What does the Quran really say about a Muslim woman’s hijab? | Samina Ali | TEDxUniversityofNevada.” Online video clip. YouTube. Youtube, 10 Feb 2017. Web. 23 Sep 2017.
“The Qur'an and Hijab.” The Qur'an and Hijab, Al-Islam.org, www.al-islam.org/hijab-muslim-womens-dress-islamic-or-cultural-sayyid-muhammad-rizvi/quran-and-hijab.