The Hijab

Should Muslim women be required to wear the traditional hijab is a religious debate I was never aware existed, I just always believed it was mandatory to wear the veil and that was that. There are many that say the hijab is a symbol of their religion but they are being challenged by the view that it is a personal choice. The Islam religion has five fundamental requirements: Ramadan fasting, believing that the only God is Allah and that Prophet Mohammed is Allah’s messenger, praying five times daily, giving to charity, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca if possible. Is the covering of a women’s head a personal choice or mandatory? That is one of the most frequently asked questions concerning Muslim women.

I never found out the answer to that question while doing my research. There are so many different opinions when the issue of the hijab comes up. There are people who feel very strongly that a Muslim woman should cover her head in public, and there are many that disagree.

The word “hijab” comes from the Arabic word “hijaba”. Hijaba means to hide from view or conceal. Even though the wearing of the hijab is not one of the five fundamental requirements for the Islamic religion, many Muslim women say they wear the hijab because Allah has told them to do so.

“O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw

their outer garments around them (when they go out or are among men). That

is better in order that they may be known (to be Muslims) and not be annoyed?”

(Qur’an 33:59)

Another reason for the hijab is the issue of modesty. The women want to be known for their skills and intelligence as opposed to being evaluated by their looks and sexuality. An Iranian schoolgirl once stated that, “We want to stop men from treating us like sex objects, as they always have done. We want them to ignore our appearance and to be attentive to our personalities and mind. We want them to take us seriously and treat us as equals and not just chase us around for our bodies and physical looks.” Muslim women that choose to wear the hijab claim that when covered they are filled will self-esteem and dignity.

The Koran is very sacred to the Islamic religion. Those who say the hijab is required point it out in a passage from the book.

“Say to the believing man that they should lower their gaze and guard their

modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted

with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their

gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their

veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands?”

(Qur’an 24; 30-31)

These verses from the Koran contain to main ideas. First “a woman should not show her beauty except what appears by uncontrolled factors such as the wind blowing her clothes, and second, the head covers should be drawn so as to cover the hair, the neck and the bosom.” Allah is the only God to the Islamic religion. And if Allah says the hijab must be worn then who would refuse to wear it? There are the Muslim that don’t think the wearing of the hijab should be questioned, but the majoring believe that wearing the hijab isn’t a requirement.

While researching the Muslim beliefs towards the hijab I was surprised to hear that the majority felt they weren’t required to wear the hijab. Most of the material I found on the hijab and Muslim women leaned towards the Koran stating that the headpiece needs to be worn. A large part of male Islamic jurists interpret the Koran as stating the hijab must be worn by Islamic women even though Islam’s holy book does not specifically say this.

Most Muslim women don’t feel that a piece of cloth on their head is a necessary part of the Islamic religion. They follow the same rules and beliefs and are very respectful to their religion. Sherri Fawzi said, “Even though I don’t wear a piece of material on my head, I am a very God-conscious and passionate about how I practice my religion.” Another woman by the name of Dr. Shireen Ahmad dresses modestly but says that her family is from Pakistan and the “hijab is not a big issue, and has nothing to do with Islam.” The biggest reason Muslim women refuse to wear the hijab is because they feel they can show respect for their religion without the head covering.

Like I mentioned earlier the Islamic religion has five fundamental requirements: Ramadan fasting, believing that the only God is Allah and that Prophet Mohammed is Allah’s messenger, praying five times daily, giving to charity, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca if possible. Following Allah’s word is very important to Muslim’s but how is it then some can say the Koran says the hijab must be worn and others say it doesn’t say that anywhere? Those who believe it isn’t necessary to wear the hijab follow the requirements for the way a woman should dress. The three rules are as follows:

1. Women must not dress so as to appear as men.

2. Women should not dress in a way similar to unbelievers.

3. The clothing should be modest, not excessively fancy and also not excessively ragged to gain others admiration or sympathy.

The rules for dress are followed by all of the women I read about. They take them very seriously and they don’t feel that the hijab it a part of the dress code. If they want to wear it they will but those who choose not to do not feel that they are disrespecting their religion. Islam’s say that the wearing of the hijab started with the wives of the Prophet (S) because they were required to cover their faces so that men would not think of them in sexual terms since they were the “Mothers of the Believers.” They feel that this requirement wasn’t intended to be extended onto other women.

There are not passages in the Koran that say a women should not cover up with the hijab and the passages that say a women should are argued about the true meaning. Both sides of the issue argue strong points and that is why people believe strongly that the hijab should be worn and why others believe it should be the women’s choice. Manal Omar said it the best when he said “Though I strongly believe it’s (the hijab) required, I would hate to see our community overemphasizing this, especially since it’s a women’s choice.” The wearing of the hijab has been a controversial issue for many years and many Muslim’s believe the issue will continue on for many more years.