My parents and I spend the last 10 days of Ramadan within the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Makkah. It was during this period that my grandmother became deathly ill and we received a much-dreaded phone call in the middle of the night declaring that she would not make it through the following day. Beside herself with grief my mother implored me to perform Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) in her name.
I set off just before Fajr. Due to the turn of events I was somewhat delayed and the mosque was already packed when I arrived. As there was still some time and I knew that I had to start on the pilgrimage as soon as the prayer was concluded I decided to move to the main courtyard in front of the Holy Kaaba. There was hardly any room to move, but I saw a throng of women who had attached themselves to the ladies’ section in the aisle and I joined them.
As I sat in anticipation waiting for the call to prayer, a man strolled down adjacent to where we were stationed and stopped in his tracks. His eyes alighted upon me and in Arabic he invoked, “Cover your face!”
I was in no frame of mind to argue and pretended not to hear what he was saying. He then pushed his way closer to where I was sitting and repeated his command. I gazed at him blankly feigning incomprehension of Arabic. Once again he venomously shouted in perfect English, “I said cover your face! Co-ver your face!” while pulling an imaginary veil over his visage.
I had, by this time, had had enough of his ranting and raving and coolly declared, “I am in the sanctity of the House of God and I am about to perform Umrah. I am not required to cover my face.” I pointed to a book I had purchased from a local bookstore that specified the dress code of a female pilgrim. It clearly stated that women were obliged to show their faces and hands while performing the Umrah. Absolutely inflamed at my insubordination he ventured even closer.
“You!” he proclaimed in a raised voice. “What kind of a woman are you? You are educated and yet you have no shame. You sit here and show your face to all these men who are not your legal guardians. You show your face to the Kaaba!” he thundered contemptuously.
I looked around and surveyed my female counterparts who had not donned any form of facial cover. Encouraged by this fact I informed him of the same and asked him why it was that I was singularly being subjected to his own brand of ignorant and ill-informed guidance.
“I am telling you one more time,” he threatened. “Are you going to cover your face or not?” I remained placidly obstinate and he left.
The call for prayer was being announced and I was astonished to see the same man stealthily approaching me accompanied by a policeman. I tried to ignore them, but was accosted by the officer who asked me to move my spot. At this point, literally hundreds of women had formed an enclave in lieu of a contained place to pray in and he complained that I was blocking the way!
“You!” the ruffian shouted. “You have to move! This is not allowed. You can’t pray here.” I pointed at all the others and the cop signaled for me to relinquish my position. I stood my ground. He then broke into the line, seized my prayer mat and threw it across the marble paving. Tears of humiliation and anger sprang to my eyes. I felt absolutely devastated. Here I was in the House of God being victimized by a man who had no business even looking at me, leave alone telling me what to do. I gathered together my crumpled self-esteem and half-heartedly continued with my devotion. The experience proved so traumatic in fact that I was tempted to delay my mission and return to the hotel.
This incident has played on my mind ever since. If I as a Muslim was so put off by this critical and condemnatory behavior, then how must many of the non-Muslims among us feel when they are expected to adhere to practices they do not even believe in when they are addressed in such a disparaging manner? Are we so lacking in all basic understanding of human psychology that we delude ourselves into believing that any free-minded individual would like to be dictated to with such a disrespectful and obnoxious approach? When people in our society try to convey religious ideology why is it so habitually done in a way that serves to create aversion rather than compliance? Do we really portray Islam in its simple truth as being the most tolerant and egalitarian of all faiths?
No. We seem to have missed the point entirely. Time and again we wax lyrical about the wonderful example set by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). We reflect intellectually on how he was an inspiration to all his companions and followers. We expound on how his understanding of basic human nature was what drew people toward him in their droves. But how many of us follow his example? Not many.
We have instead turned our backs on his gentle humility and supreme kindness in favor of this crude and intolerant kind of imposition. Far too many of us have forgotten that within Islam there is no compulsion in matters of faith and that it is part of our religious duty to treat each and every individual irrespective of class, gender or creed with deference.
We have sullied the name of Islam by focusing on minor issues and petty bickering that detracts from the true spirit of the religion. We have turned into a bandy of judgmental and pompous fascists who are forever looking to inflict our will or interpretation on those around us rather than accepting people for what they are. Ironically, we make a big hue and cry when we are not treated with a level of courtesy abroad that we all too frequently deny others within our own borders.
Well, not all of us it seems. A friend of mine was coming down the escalator of the ladies’ section into the main shopping precinct, when she panicked at the sight of a member of the religious police. As her hair was uncovered, she knew she would be apprehended.
“Excuse me, Mam,” he gently began, “but do you have a head scarf?”
As she had never owned one, she shook her head guiltily, steeling herself for the usual onslaught of verbal terrorizing that always ensues.
What she received instead was the following polite reply: “According to the rules of the Kingdom, the law requires ladies to have their heads covered while they are in public. Please in future you must cover your hair when you are in a shopping mall or any other public place. Thank you.”
So stunned was she by his pleasant demeanor that she rushed into a nearby shop, purchased a scarf and hung it loosely around her hair in spite of the fact that she had never covered before. As she continued through the mall, she saw the mutawwa again. He stopped to acknowledge her, smiled and remarked, “I appreciate your cooperation. Thank you, Ma’am. Have a nice day!”
This just goes to show that compassion, consideration and empathy produce lasting change whereas intolerance, derision and injustice culminate in contempt. To have faith, we have to respect the rights, beliefs and sensitivities of others. Only then can we claim to be true Muslims.
(Lubna Hussain is a Saudi writer. She is based in Riyadh.)
