No subject seems to receive more attention as an issue unique to Muslims than women’s dress in Islamic cultures. Muslims and non Muslims alike settle on this issue and especially in the Western countries. In some examples, the dress of the Muslim woman ends up meaning more to others than it does to the woman herself with often extensive political and social suggestions. Among Muslim today, the veil refers to the head scarf worn by many women. Not just the veil but even the rest of their clothes are equally humble. Many Muslims believe that the Qur'an compels women to wear the veil out side their homes and among those outside the family circle. The strength of such beliefs is discussed widely in the Muslim world. And we will know more through my discussion about the numerous of advantages for women who wear the veil.
The tradition of the veil itself has been in survival since before the start of Islam. However, the obligation for Muslim women to cover their heads was made part of Islamic law after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the custom of the veil spread using Islam to different areas of the world. How ever, in modernized Muslim societies, this obligation may totally lifted, particularly where such an obligation is not legally enforced. For example, in Egypt and Turkey, wearing the veil is actually forbidden in certain professional contexts. In reality, unveiled Muslim women are quite a normal sight in cities such as Istanbul and Rabat. On the other hand, it is legally enforced in certain countries such as Saudi Arabia to wear the veil carried with a black dress that covers women from head to toes even for foreigners, and those who violate such laws are legally guilty for their dress. Fortunately, many societies in the Muslim world take a more tolerant approach to the veil, such that is worn more often by older generations.
When I mentioned that there is a very good advantage for women who wear veil, I meant that they feel secure and free from any harassment in their lives, so in order for women to have respectful relationships with men such as at work or school, they must focus on modesty in their behaviour, and that is by putting on their veil. This is enhanced by dressing in a way that reinforces one’s image as a modest person. It must be emphasized that the behaviour and the appearance are both important in setting the tone of respectful interaction between men and women. In addition to the first advantage, the purpose of covering oneself is to be recognized as decent women. Many women who cover their hair and dress modestly do notice that men are more respectful. Occasionally, women who cover their hair may also experience harassment and unfairness because of the label and misunderstandings about Islam and women.
In Western countries, we distinguish that unveiled women feel biased than men and they always don’t get their human rights as they should, unlike Muslim veiled women. Western women don’t feel free, safe or liberated. That is all proven by the statistics that have showed that in the Western countries, most of the crimes are related to women as a daily base, that means that because they are not being respectful for themselves by covering themselves in the right way, men look at them and sometimes do things that would never happen to a veiled woman. I never recall that Muslim women have as much struggle as the Western women; not only in their social lives but also in their family life. Once they are not safe from the outside with the world, they will never feel secure from the inside either.
While some countries have no rule against veiled women, there are still laws that say that they shouldn’t wear their veil in certain places, all this just to manipulate Muslim veiled women. But we ask ourselves, is the law forbidding the veil in the Western countries in junior high schools and high schools applicable in universities as well? There is no clear answer so far. In some universities, students have never been allowed to attend classes with the veil on their head, while others have accepted the veil in classes. The decision to legislate over wearing the veil in schools has been welcomed in extremely varied ways. There for I have studied this and wanted to know the opinion of my friends in college about this issue although we don’t have a law that prohibits veiled women:
I have done a survey in my university and from it I realized that most of the veiled girls in my university are satisfied for what they have above their heads. The veil makes them feel secure. They all wear it because they want to. They say that they never feel different than other women who don’t put the veil on. This is a great experience that all unveiled women should learn from. Besides feeling safe, you will also obey God by doing what He ordered you to do.
So, among many Muslims today, the veil is often associated with goodness. But unfortunately, too many assume that a woman who covers must naturally be more religious or conservative than that one who does not which is in my opinion wrong. This makes expectations and pressure on Muslim women in veil whose behaviour is held to different standards, perhaps undesired on the part of the woman. On the other hand, according to popular opinion, the Muslim woman who does not cover her hair even if she is otherwise dressed modestly has not quite arrived at the perceived goal of all righteous believing women. But now the scarf which is an article of clothing has sadly become a test for a Muslim woman’s faith and devotion to God.
Only together, through cooperation, tolerance and patience, as demonstrated by the Prophet (pbuh) can Muslims overcome the obstacles to success in life and often are expressed in our attitudes toward women, while our faith is obvious in our actions, only God can judge our faithfulness and morality. And we must not forget that the freedom and ability to choose to do good make the reward that much greater.
