Burka, what does Quran have to say about it and how are Modern Muslim Females thinking/dealing with it?
Burka refers to a long, loose, usually black or light blue garment that covers the whole body and is usually worn in public by Muslim women. It is made up of the loose body covering, the face veil and the head covering. Its initial purpose was to keep the blowing sand out of women’s faces when travelling through the desert. It is said that the burka was first worn long before Islam began. Historians point its use to Arabic and Persian women, for example in Tertullian’s and Strabo’s writings. It is believed by most Muslims that the holy Quran as well as hadith, the documented traditions of Muhammad, require both women and men to wear and behave modestly whenever in public. However, there are various interpretations with regard to this by the followers of the Muslim faith as well as by scholars.
The Quran is the Islamic holy book from which followers of the Muslim faith draw both their practices and beliefs. Just like many other religious scripts, the scriptures from Quran are subjected to various interpretations and are also prone to debates in the religious circles, especially by religious leaders. Nearly all believers can admit that the holy book requires that women veil themselves in public out of modesty; however, there are disagreements about what percent of the body ought to be veiled.
The burka is claimed to be a part of the dress code of an Islamic woman and generally there’s a rise in the number of women wearing it in the Islamic world. In such countries as Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, this is a regular sight even in their modern multicultural societies. Certain sections of the large Muslim faith say that only a few individuals outside of the religion have knowledge about burka’s religious significance. There’s a common belief among non-believers that the burka is worn by women in conservative countries because of the fear of arrest of being subjected to torture. In western countries it is believed that women wear it, not for fear, but because of their own individual beliefs.
Burka is a part of the Hijab, which means a covering for a woman’s head and body. Most women wear the burka when she leaves her home and is compelled to put it on until her return. There are certain strict nations in which women are forced to put on the burka, failure of which can warrant a beating or even worse. It is not mandatory for girls to wear it until puberty is reached, but this is not respected because small girls, even those of age six are made to cover themselves with the burka as a way of physically and mentally preparing them for adulthood.
There are various views concerning the extent at which the holy Quran advocates for the wearing of the burka by women. There are disagreements about this issue, especially within the Islamic circles. One thing that religious scholars however agree upon is that the holy book does not directly and specifically mention this particular dress code or requires that women wear the burka and other such confining clothes. It is argued that Muslims of the modern day base their religious practice of women wearing the burka on the collected traditions of Muhammad’s life, otherwise known as hadith. According to the Islamic faith however, these traditions do not have a place in the Islamic religion. It is written in the holy book that any other writing other than the Quran is inferior and should be destroyed. Only the Quran should be seen as a source of law authored by God.
The Quran requires women to cover their chests and lengthen their garments. The best garment for both sexes according to the Quran is to practice righteousness and exercise modest conduct. Nowhere in the holy Quran has the word burka been mentioned, however, because it is part of the Hijab which has been used in the holy book, whatever has been said about the Hijab will apply to the burka. Hijab is mentioned in the Quran seven times, it appears twice as Hijaban and five times as Hijab. Nowhere in the Quran has the Hijab been referred to as the dress code for Muslim woman as modern day Muslims call it nowadays. The word khimaar is also mentioned in the Quran and has also been used to justify the practice of wearing the burka by Muslim women.
According to the Quran, the basic rule of dress code as earlier stated is righteousness. Every woman is able to judge easily whatever is decent and what can be said as revealing and therefore do not need to be taught. It is God who created the woman, and sure enough knows that she can make a distinction between how righteousness is maintained and how it is not. In 24:31, women are commanded by God to ensure they cover their bosoms. This is regarded to be the second rule. Women are required not to reveal any of their beauty spots except those body parts that are normally apparent. For example, the lower legs and lower arms, hair, and face among others. This is the third rule, and God allows women the freedom to make a decision as to what they deem apparent as long as they maintain righteousness. In the fourth rule, women are commanded to lengthen their garments. Once again, God gives humanity the freedom to decide how long is long, as long as they observe righteousness.
Those of the view that Muslim women should be completely covered except the face or even have a grill on the face are totally misinterpreting the holy Quran. These are extremely harsh rules that are also unQuranic. Nowhere in the holy book has it been said that the woman should cover her whole body. Those of these views just manipulate certain sections of the Quran to favor their sentiments. The body parts that are specifically mentioned include the breasts and beauty spots with the exception of other body parts. These other body parts need not to be covered. In addition, in God’s command that the woman lengthens her garment, it implies that she need not cover herself totally from head to toe. How else would she have to lengthen a garment that is long enough to touch the ground?
If the decision to wear a burka is a woman’s personal choice, this is positive. However, if it is a situation in which she is forced to do it against her own beliefs, then this is infringing on their rights. Mainstream Islamic societies are not brutal to women who fail to wear the veil; or the burka for that matter, in public places, however, certain sects and extremist groups subject them to thorough beatings and harassments. Certain European countries have even responded by banning the wearing of such restrictive versions of the veil as niqabs and burkas. This is because the practice is perceived to be anti-feminist. This is a step towards ensuring gender equality, and also protects the rights of Islamic women. However, the same can also be interpreted as a limit to the freedom of religious expression as not all women who put them on are usually forced to do it.
A number of Muslim women who wear the burka claim that they do it out of their own choice and not because they are forced by their husbands, brothers or fathers. However, it is still apparent that there are those who are forced into wearing it. They are warned of Allah’s wrath if they do not maintain the dress code. Some are even called whores, are segregated by members of their community and at times are left to become spinsters. The decision to wear the veil is thus against their personal will. Women who hail from religious migrant families point at religious obligations as well as expectations by their parents to be the reason why they wear the burka. Societal pressure also exerts lots of expectation on women to wear this garment. It is misconceived by the society that those women who wear the burka or the Hijab for that matter are more religious as compared to those who don’t.
Those Muslim women who support the wearing of the burka claim that this dress code is worn for purposes of ensuring equality with men, and not to get suppressed by men as is assumed. They argue that it enables them to maintain some extent of anonymity so that they are not judged basing on their physicality while in public. They also explain that the burka offers a safe veil against men who would have otherwise made advances towards them or even start staring at their bodies. Some women claim that wearing of the burka is a sign of honor to their religion. They argue that the Quran mentions that women would be depicted as unassuming because of their dressing.
In such areas as the Afghanistan, which is a war-torn nation, women wear the burka due to security reasons. Children and women are usually targeted by kidnappers. Foreign women are in fact at a greater risk of being kidnapped and sold to the Taliban. The burka is therefore used to disguise one’s age as well as appearance and thus some women feel secure wearing it. In certain Islamic circles, some extent of social pressure is exerted on the males and thus makes them demand their female relatives to wear the burka. The worth of a given male is judged by how he is able to control the women folk in his care. There’s some of fear of perceptions among fellow men within male circles that makes men ensure that their female relatives adhere to the dress code.
Arguments emerge even in the women circles as regards the issue of wearing the burka. There are those of the view that it is a religious requirement, whereas there are some who are of the opinion that it is their freedom of choice. However, the most popular view supported by a majority of Muslim women is that in the current world, women have increased freedom to make choices, and therefore, their basic freedom to decide what to wear should not be taken away from them as is the case in most societies in the modern world. Both the act of forcing the women to wear the burka, and the act of banning its use to liberate women as is claimed are perceived to be acts of oppression.
A number of Muslim females believe that wearing the burka is a sign of worship and some kind of liberation from the modern society’s objectification of women. They argue that they wear this garment out of free will, and therefore the act of banning the garment is seen as a way of preventing them from practicing their religion. They claim that the burka has gained much popularity in the recent past because it is perceived to be a religious garment that does not get outdated since it isn’t subject to time. They oppose those of the view that the burka be banned for security reasons, arguing that the garment is no more of a security risk than a big beanie, a motorcycle helmet or even fashion sunglasses.
A good number of Muslim women perceive the burka as a form of feminist expression since it allows people to judge them, not by their looks, but by the content of their character. In as much as this is hailed, it is argued that the choice on whether to wear or not to wear the garment should lie with the woman herself. The choice should be free of any form of social pressure, and should be personal and independent. Forcing Muslim women to wear the burka is regarded to be an affront to human dignity, a violation of the most fundamental of principles of feminism that include the freedom of choice and ownership over one’s life. The same applies to the imposition of a ban against the wearing of this garment as the case in such countries as Turkey, France, Spain and Belgium.
As much as some people are of the view that no Islamic laws require one to wear the burka, this religious practice has been in existence for a long time and has become part and parcel of the Islamic world. Despite arguments against it claiming that wearing the burka is a sign of the inferior status of a Muslim woman, that it robs one of her personality, and that it is thus dehumanizing, one common perception among most Muslim women is that they should have the freedom to choose what to wear and to have ownership over their own lives. They are against banning of the garment and also the use of force to make them wear it.
References
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