The Hijab Controversy

by Abdul H. Manraj

About 10 years ago, I wrote an article dealing with the head-covering / hijab (see Muslim Women and Tradition, also a couple of Responses) which generated much feedback – both verbally and written – at that time and in the intervening years. Some of the comments were positive but a lot of the criticism was virulent. As one would expect from much of the intellectually stagnant Muslim world, when revisiting or questioning rulings and traditions that have been handed down to us via numerous generations, the approach is not to analyze the logic and evidence presented, but to attack the author / messenger. Moreover, my scholarship was questioned, the insinuation being that only “scholars” are qualified to make such analyses, and the rest of the Muslim world is obliged to follow their edicts / Fatawa, similar to the Roman Catholic denomination with its Pope and his blindly adherent flock. Admittedly I’m not an Islamic scholar, but a layman who has access to and has read numerous academic books and journals not only on religion, but history, science, anthropology, politics, etc., which is probably a whole lot more than many of my rabid detractors have read.

My position has been – and still is – that the hijab is an icon of Muslim identity (in its Qur'anic use, hijab refers to a wall or curtain but over the centuries, the interpretation has evolved to mean head-covering), and while Muslim women have a right to wear it, they and their affiliated organizations should not portray the hijab as a religiously mandated item of clothing, which is also the position of orthodox Jews and Catholic nuns. Besides, the term “religiously mandated” is somewhat of an oxymoron, as the Qur’an clearly states that “there shall be no coercion in religion”.(Q2:256) In some cases, those who choose to wear the hijab make some of their Muslim sisters feel religiously inferior for not abiding by the same dress code. While certain things would certainly seem ordered, every single order has circumstances that might temper it, and anything that is controversial should ipso facto not be seen as "religiously mandated," more so since the hijab certainly does not fit the category of ordered / mandated. When using the Qur'an to make a case for the hijab, Muslims usually cite 24:31 and 33:59, which tells the believing women "to draw their head-coverings over their bosoms and not reveal their charms...(first instance), and then "to draw over themselves some of their outer garments when in public so that they are recognized as decent women and not annoyed..."(second instance). It is paradoxical to presume that prior to these revelations, women were covering their hair because it was an "enticing charm", but leaving their bosoms partially exposed as an act of modesty. This style of dress was obviously in vogue at the time or the instruction to cover the bosom would be pointless. It is preposterous to argue that a woman's exposed head of hair is a more flirtatious act than a partially exposed bosom, and the Qur'anic instructions are clearly about modesty and not covering the hair per se.

The approach that Muslims take to the Qur’an and hadith (the Prophet Muhammad’s sayings and actions) will determine their position on various decrees and cultural norms. Some believe that the Qur’an and hadith are immutable regardless of the time space factor. Others (myself included) believe that all statutes and traditions have to be understood in context, and regulations have to be revised as conditions change. For example, I don’t believe that any rational person would posit that slavery should still be institutionalized today, since the Qur’an acknowledges it but did not specifically abolish the practice. Furthermore, the majority of Muslims unquestioningly accept thousands of hadith as infallible, even though many (not all) of them are based on Judeo-Christian influence, cultural norms of that era, polemic edicts, and fabricated stories, not to mention being at odds with the Qur’an’s universal message. Also conveniently ignored is the fact that these narrations were passed down through several generations over hundreds of years. At the time these hadith were collected, hundreds of thousands were reportedly discarded, yet we are supposed to believe that those generations of Muslims were somehow flawless, and that the hadith that remain with us are impeccable. When people lose the ability to think, challenge, and innovate, the result is the kind of decadence that is currently manifest in much of the Muslim world.

Recently, there was another example of how ludicrous arguments are sometimes presented in the name of religion. A Muslim woman sued the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for not being allowed to wear the hijab while in prison (for more information, see “Muslim sues over right to wear head scarf” by H.G. Reza, September 5, 2007 edition of the Los Angeles Times). Besides the fact that this Muslim woman was in prison for welfare fraud, the issue is that in jail, anything that presents a security threat is to be taken off and often that includes other items like the Sikh turban or dagger. Governments do not have to cater to sectarian interpretations, but rather to general and national security. Since this Muslim woman chose to live in a secular country, then she automatically took an oath to live according to secular law. The US Constitution does not allow for two laws. Freedom of religion is not unlimited; for example, one cannot make animal sacrifices in open / public areas, or arbitrarily decide that one's personal interpretation of a religious view must be made normative for all.

Whether or not Muslims choose to acknowledge it, there are many creedal beliefs and practices that were passed down to us as a result of Judeo-Christian influence, and Muslims have adopted and refined them without question throughout the millennia. Besides the hijab, other tenets include (but are not limited to) stoning to death, the second coming of Jesus (a.s), punishment in the grave, and so on. There is a lot of well-researched material available on the Internet that reinforces my belief that the hijab is not mandated by the Qur’an or hadith, but by Judeo-Christian belief and tradition (e.g., Head covering – Women: will you cover your head?, From veil to wig: Jewish women's hair covering, and Head Covering), so I encourage Muslims to read these articles and do more research on their own. Established beliefs and practices are difficult to discard, so my objective is not to discredit Muslims who choose to wear the hijab as an icon of religion, identification, modesty, liberation, or whatever. Rather, this article is meant to provide Muslims with some additional food for thought and show the folly of the “religiously mandated” argument, given the origin of this attire. Below are a few Biblical references for starters.

For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.(Genesis 24:65)

And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife. When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.(Genesis 38:14-15)

And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse.(Numbers 5:18)

But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.(Corinthians 11:5-7)

Posted September 16, 2007

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