A sad day for so-called freedom

The news headlines this morning read that "FRANCE HAS OFFICIALLY BANNED THE BURKA".

So much for "freedom"!

I won't write about this again, we all know this issue way too well and I've written about it before. I just feel very sad that this ridiculous law has actually been officially passed. Also, just reading peoples comments in response to the articles shows me that bigotry and intolerance, mixed with ignorance seems to be the order of the day.

And they continue to sell us their false ideas of "freedom" and "democracy".

I know this comes as a victory to many, including some Muslims who argue adamanatly that the niqab and burqa is nothing but a cultural symbol. In all the arguments, discussions, debates and discourses, everyone seems to be missing the main point.

The freedom to choose what they want to wear has just been taken away from our Muslim sisters in France!!!

How can anyone celebrate this?

All I can say is that Allah sees all that happens and Allah is The Knower of all things.

Allah says in the Holy Qur'an  8:30 "Verily they plan, but Allah also plans and Allah is the best of planners".

May Allah gives us all, especially our French Muslim Sisters, the strength to continue in His Path. Inshaa Allah!

How it feels to be an outsider

Here's another article a friend of mine sent to me about a Non-Muslim trying to figure out what it's like for Muslim women. This one is from Australia. It's interesting to see how people's opinions begin to change once they actually know what it feels like. Insha'Allah more people will begin to open their minds and go in search of real truth instead of blindly believing all that they are told. In these times when things are becoming increasingly difficult for Muslim women May Allah give all Muslims strength Insha'Allah.

This reminds me of a lecture by Sheikh Khalid Yasin entitled 'The strangers', if you haven't seen it you should check it out, its availabale for free download on http://www.kalamullah.com/. Alhamdulila this is a beautiful lecture which talks about how Muslims are different and this woman referring to Muslims as "outsiders" just reminded me of that.
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How it feels to be an outsider

By LOUISE PEMBLE
13nov05

TO walk around Perth dressed as a Muslim is to be treated as an outsider in your own town.In a week of allegations that Muslims were plotting a terrorist attack in Australia, I donned full Islamic garb and walked through the city to gauge public reaction.

Would people see me as a harmless shopper, or would they suspect I was hiding a bomb under my clothes?

My mission was to test tolerance towards Muslims by dressing as one for the day. I had the full support of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, whose president, Ameer Ali, viewed it as a chance to highlight some of the issues faced by Australia's Muslims. I visited shops and cafes in Forrest Chase, Northbridge and Hay St Mall, before catching a bus and train. I was surprised at how accepting younger people were, suggesting that Perth may be able to shrug off racism. But I wasn't prepared for the hostility from older Australians. The first cheap shot came from an elderly woman walking through Forrest Chase. "Stupid woman," she hissed at her mate as they passed me. Later, as I was waiting at the crosswalk outside Perth railway station, a woman in her 60s saw me standing beside her and said to her companion: "Move away from the bomber."

With the help of Perth's Muslim community, I was fitted in black trousers, a long black dress called an abaya, a headscarf (hijab) and a facepiece (niqab). My eyes were the only visible part of my body. I chose the facepiece because I wanted to test its impact on others, but my Muslim adviser told me it was up to individuals to decide whether they wore just a headscarf or covered their entire face. My senses were on high alert the minute I stepped out of The Sunday Times building. Most people did a double take on seeing me and then either gave me a hostile stare or – in the case of several young women – smiled encouragingly. It soon became obvious that many people thought I was dressed this way as an act of defiance. In their view, I was snubbing my nose at the anti-Muslim feeling said to be running high in the Australian community. I had heard of Muslim women being spat at and abused. One woman even had her headscarf torn from her head at Carousel Shopping Centre. In the morning, I was accompanied by a Muslim woman wearing the headscarf, but not the facepiece that I wore. In our two hours of walking around the city we were twice subjected to vilification. "Imagine how this must affect you if it happened every time you left your house," she said. It was then I realised how much we take for granted our right to feel safe in our own community and how people take only seconds to decide if you are friend or enemy. But for every snide remark and hostile stare, I was surprised by the extra respect I was shown by young men and women. Every shopkeeper I approached was much more polite than I had experienced when dressed in my usual clothes. And on a train, where I feared I might be regarded as a suicide bomber, I was twice offered a seat. It was a similar story on a bus, which was standing room only. By this stage I had removed the niqab so that my face was showing – but nothing else. This seemed to ease some of the tension I had sensed earlier in the day.

Back at the office, workmates asked me how uncomfortable I had been walking around Perth in my Muslim clothes.

The icy stares on the street had forced me for the first time in my life to be wary of anyone who came near me.

Of all the garments I wore, the facepiece caused the most discomfort. With it positioned just under my eyes, I found it difficult to look straight down. It also made drinking a juice in a city cafe a challenge. On the plus side, I found being hidden under all those garments surprisingly liberating. For the first time I was able to walk down the street without the usual scrutiny of my figure, face and hair. (emphasis added by Zarina) On the downside, dressing as a Muslim woman showed me how it feels to leave home every day unsure of your own safety.

The Story Of A Finnish Journalist Experimenting With The Veil

Someone sent this story to me as an e-mail and I decided to post it here because it is so relevant and very interesting. Just goes to show that if people truly find out for themselves what its like to wear the niqab and abaya, their perceptions will not be so negative and they will gain a proper understanding. May Allah Almighty guide us all towards the real truth. Insha'Allah

Jamadi-ul-Awwal 28, 1431 A.H, Thursday, May 13, 2010

The sight of a woman wearing an entirely black abaya dress complete with its veil became the center of attention in the Itäkeskus mall in Helsinki , the biggest city in Finland . No one knew that the person behind the niqab was not a true Muslim woman, but a journalist, a non-Muslim from the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, one of the leading newspaper in the Scandinavian region.

The name of the journalist is Katja Kuokkanen. She purposely disguised herself as a Muslim woman because she wanted to feel herself how it is like to wear the Islamic clothing's complete with its veil in the midst of the society in Finland which is still foreign to Islam, how does it feel to be stared at with a strange and terrified gaze from the people around her.

Kuokkanen wrote about her experience and feelings during and after she put on the niqab.

This is what she wrote…

The black niqab made from chiffon material sometimes dropped and covered both of my eyes. At one time, I tripped and hit the shoulder of a guy in an ethnic goods store. The man gesticulated apologetically - in the usual slightly absent manner.

Then, he looked at me and realized that I am a woman dressed in a black abaya-niqab, the dress specific to Muslim women. Suddenly, the man nearly bowed and renewed the apology. I think he is an Arab, through the dialect when asking for the apology. I had never been regarded with such great respect before.

From the ethnic store, I headed for the Metro station. When I got onto an orange metro car, I received an unexpected reaction. A drunken man shouted to his three equally wasted friends in the crowded carriage:

“Hey, that is one hell of a sight!” the drunken man yelled.

Hearing that scream, the other passengers skillfully avoided looking at my veiled face. But suddenly a middle-aged woman said to me, “hey, you dropped your thing,” while giving me my hairpin that had dropped on the seat behind me. I could not say thank you to the woman as I could not decide whether I could speak Finnish and blow my cover.

Next, a young Somali girl who worked as a shopkeeper, helped me fix my veil. She said that it was unusual for a Muslim woman in Helsinki to wear the dress like I was wearing. The Somalian girl also said that she, as much as possible, tried to abstain from wearing an all black clothing. She considered the color black as dramatic, attracting a lot of attention. Cheerful multi-coloured scarves are better, she said, adding that in Finland Muslim women are allowed to decide themselves how much of their face they want to cover.

And at the Itäkeskus mall, I noticed many people staring at me with a strange or even frightened look. A young man with a can of cider in his hand loomed up from behind a column and almost spilled his drink in panic.

I began to get myself used to wearing the abaya and veil. I myself begin to get used to the garment. It was light and yet warm, though it was difficult to see properly from behind the veil sometimes.

Then, I decided to drop in to a flea market located in the car park on the roof of the adjacent Puhos mall. On the Turunlinnantie pedestrian crossing, I suddenly met an elderly Somali woman who says in a quiet voice: “As-Salamu Alaykum”, an Arabic greeting used by Muslims which means “Peace be upon you”. I was touched by her greeting. I do not usually have any contact with Muslim women. The same is repeated many times: Muslim women of different ages and from different ethnic origin wearing various styles of niqab greeted me using words that I do not understand at that time, but I eventually found out that the utterance consists a prayer for prosperity and safety.

Later on, another man was hanging out at the door of an ethnic store and shouting: “Hello! Hey! Wait!” I did not wait. I felt that a fully-covered Muslim woman would not respond to such a call as she always look after her honor very much.

Some hours later, I decided to take the Metro back into town, to the downtown Kamppi Center .

Usually I have to run away from eager cosmetologists or hair stylists who are badgering me with their sales pitch at the mall. Not this time. If you are wearing an abaya-niqab, you are left in peace.

Along the course, the journalist was reflecting on her experience throughout the day, on the reactions of the people towards the abaya and veil that she donned and she herself felt that wearing the abaya and veil was not as bad as many people think. She then without hesitation affirmed that wearing the abaya and veil, “is absolutely not bad at all. If you wear it you would feel peace.”

This story becomes an irony at a time when the European countries are racing towards banning the jilbab and niqab. Those who are imposing the restriction should be reading this story of the journalist from Helsinki , so that there should no policy of prohibiting the jilbab or niqab, which originally was imposed due to the Islamophobia attitude of the western society.

Submitted by a Mujahid

Theunjustmedia.com

Let us speak for ourselves!

I'm sure by now many of you might have heard of the article printed in 'The Citizen' newspaper on Monday (12 April,2010). If you haven't, let me fill you in. This article is not anything new, it is an opinion piece written by a Non-Muslim woman about what she thinks about the veil. If you'd like to read the article, click on the link below:

http://www.citizen.co.za/index/article.aspx?pDesc=121818,1,22

If the link doesn't work, the article is entitled "Peering out from a prison", and you can find it on The Citizen website. The title gives away the writers entire opinion doesn't it? Once again someone who has no idea what it's like to be a Muslim woman has decided to share their opinions about what they think it's like to be one!

I think it's time that we, as Muslim women began to speak for ourselves. There are too many people from all walks of life who have decided that they need to speak for us. We have our own voice and we need to make ourselves clear. Alhamdulila many people have already responded to this article in an attempt to shed light on the truth. Maybe if more Muslim women speak out against biased opinions such as these, it will make a difference and help people to understand our views and perceptions instead of resigning to the belief that we have no opinions, ideas of our own and intelligence.

Below is my response to this article, I'm sure that you have your own responses.

Let us as Muslim women speak for ourselves!!! May Almighty Allah guide us on our path and give us strength, Insha'Allah Ameen.

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13 April 2010


The Citizen Newspaper

To Whom It May Concern

Re: Article by Jennie Ridyard (The Citizen, Monday, 12 April 2010)

This is in response to the Opinion piece ‘Peering out from a prison’ by Jennie Ridyard published in The Citizen (Monday, 12 April, 2010).

At the onset I would like to make it clear that I understand that Ms. Ridyard has a right to her own opinion, and since her article is an opinion piece, it would probably be argued that well researched, factual and contextual information is not necessary. If this is the case, then it makes sense why Ms. Ridyard’s article was allowed to be published.

I trust that just as Ms. Ridyard has a right to her opinion, so too do I, and I hope that my opinion is given the same weight as that of Ms. Ridyard’s.

I am a South African Muslim woman who is proud to admit that I have chosen to don Islamic clothing. While it is evident that Ms. Ridyard finds this offensive, for many Muslim women, myself included, the over-revealing way of dress of many Non-Muslim women is also offensive to us. However, since people do have “freedom to wear exactly what they choose”, as Ms. Ridyard has stated, we believe that we should not be taking up issue with this because the fact is that it is none of our business.

It appears that Ms. Ridyard has been majorly influenced by negative and stereotypical viewpoints about Muslim women and the veil, which is so often portrayed in the media. While this type of thinking and perceptions may be common within the media, it fails to portray the whole picture and in so doing ignores very important truths.

The idea that a woman’s physical appearance and her clothes allow her to be human and gives her expression, “thoughts, feelings and perceptions”, is a patriarchal idea in its own. Since when does a woman’s face or what she wears equal her mind or her intellect? Indeed, a Muslim woman wearing a veil is covering her face, not her mind or her heart. Furthermore, if “the veil obliterates women”, then why do veiled women continue to receive so much attention?

I think that it would be very sad if in fact a person’s identity was only about the way they dress. Surely identity is far more multi-dimensional and holistic than that, and the human experience exists on many different levels, not just the physical level.

While it is true that in many instances Muslim women are forced to wear the veil, this is definitely not true for all women, and this is especially not true within the South African context where most women who wear the veil do this by choice! I know of many Muslim women, of all ages, educational backgrounds and social status who have made this choice to wear the veil without being coerced or threatened, and for these women the veil is regarded as a symbol of liberation instead of a prison.

I urge Ms. Ridyard to take some time to find out the truth for herself instead of falling prey to negative stereotypes and speculation. She speaks about how she thinks the veil silences Muslim women, taking away their voice, but when she and others like her take it upon themselves to speak on behalf of Muslim women then this simply silences us further.

MUSLIM WOMEN DO NOT NEED ANYONE TO GIVE THEM A VOICE, THEY NEED THEIR VOICES TO BE LISTENED TO AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT MOST PEOPLE, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE SPECTRUM HAVE FAILED TO REALISE.

I cannot tell Ms. Ridyard, or anyone else what they should write about, but I appeal to you, if you are going to write about Muslim women, please take the time to ask them how they feel first.


To learn more about how Muslim women feel, I refer you to the following blogs:

http://muslim-women-exposed.blogspot.com/

http://girltalk786.blogspot.com/


From A proud Muslim woman

Zarina Hassem
M.A. Psychology (Wits)

A Muslim woman’s path to knowledge

“I’m studying for my Science exam”, my 30-something friend unashamedly and boldly replied to me when I asked her what she was busy doing. A few days prior to this she told me that the Department of Education had decided that they might bring the final exam forward for students currently completing their Grade 12 exams through correspondence. It was quite late at night and I was feeling the tiredness overtake me, I could not imagine how she was feeling. What with having to juggle a husband, 2 children, a full-time job and studies! I honestly have so much admiration for this woman. I wonder if I would have had the courage to do what she is doing, and I really don’t think I would have.

This woman left school when she was about 16 years old and changed her entire life. From being a rebellious teenager she began to wear niqaab (face veil), and got married shortly after, and the remarkable thing is that this was all her choice!

After she got married, she studied an aalima course, to completion (which is about 5 years of intense study). Now, in her 30s she made the decision to complete her high school studies.

Some of you might be wondering what’s so inspiring or remarkable about this. You might even argue that it’s no big deal, and that studying and education is not that important anyway. Some of you might think that this woman is wasting her time, that she has what every woman needs already. But, before you think further, let us consider the implications of all this a little more.

“I want my children, especially my daughter to know that there are possibilities out there, that they can do more, and that they can reach amazing heights and still stick to the Allah’s laws. I want them to understand that as Muslims we are encouraged to do this”. This is one of my friend’s major reasons for going back to study, to show her children that Islam does not restrict women; that both men and women are encouraged to seek knowledge, and to emphasize that as a Muslim she is encouraged to use her potential, learn more and excel at whatever it is that she is doing. She has understood that if she is more informed and the more knowledge she has, she will be able to use this to assist her children and to understand the world that they live in. Moreover, she has understood something that many people are still unable to fathom; that receiving education does not equate having a high powered corporate job. There are so many positive things that women are able to do with education, but they are restricted because of the fear that once they receive education they will want to dedicate their lives to a career instead of a family, and admittedly this fear is very real. However, a lack of knowledge and education can also bring about negative consequences, so where does one draw the line, and can a woman have a balance between family, education and work, all the while adhering to her religious duties?

For my friend there are certainly times, especially closer to exams, when the pressure mounts, and everything feels too much to handle and her time with her husband and children gets cut short and she thinks to herself; “Why am I doing this!” But she has the support and encouragement of her husband and family and she knows what her priorities are and she tries to take things in its stride, and at the end her results are always excellent. It seems to me that this balance is achievable with a correct understanding between people, and with the right intentions.

One major misunderstanding of most women is that your life’s ambition is over when you get married. It’s like before you get married you can study, work or do whatever it is, but once you get married, there’s no need for anything else because now you have fulfilled your ambition. Now, I am definitely not saying here that marriage is not an important ambition, I’m also not saying that women should all go and work and study, despite being married. What I am saying though is that our purpose goes beyond just being married, our purpose is to worship Allah and in my opinion, in order to do this in the best way, we have to use the abilities that has been given to us to enhance our own lives, the lives of our children, the lives of our family members and the lives of people in our community.

At this point I have to emphasize that the quest for Islamic knowledge should take precedence! It does not help if a woman or anyone else for that matter has knowledge in many different fields and areas but lacks Islamic knowledge. Only with the correct Islamic knowledge, can all other forms of knowledge and education be put into good practice. My friend’s example is once again testimony to this. She first acquired in-depth Islamic knowledge and now she is able to use the other knowledge that she is gaining in a positive way and in a way that does not go against the rules of Islam. With her understanding of Islam and her strong emphasis on Deen she can integrate her current studies into her life in a meaningful way.

Alhamdulila, everything happens with the will of Allah and I am thankful that I have had the chance of witnessing the path that my friend has taken because it has taught me so much. No one is too old to learn new things and the quest for knowledge should not be deprived to anyone, male or female. The most important thing I have learnt from her though is that as a Muslim woman, you can do many things while still upholding your Islamic duties and following the rules of Islam. When my friend sits down to write her final exams, she will be wearing her niqaab, she will be dressed in her long cloak, she will have her husband and children eagerly waiting to hear how it went, and I know that she will excel, because she has not chosen a path at the expense of her Islam and before she begins her exam, I know she will be talking to Allah. For me, this is a female Muslim role model, and so, when she gets her final results and passes, as I know she will, this will be for all her Muslim sisters!

May Allah (SWT) give her success and help us all to uphold the true religion of Islam, no matter what we are involved with (obviously as long as it is in accordance with the rules of Islam).

Image from: www.contented.com/.../2009/11/diploma.jpg

Beauties and The Beast

Last year some time an esteemed international speaker was giving a talk at one of the local Masjid’s in Johannesburg. A friend of mine was given the task of welcoming the ladies who were attending and directing them to where they were supposed to go to listen to the talk. She asked me and another friend to join her as she stood at the entrance of the Masjid, waiting to greet the ladies.

This was a very interesting experience, never before had I seen so many Muslim women wearing niqab (the full face covering) coming together in one place. As the ladies approached, they all greeted and embraced us and then moved on to find a place to sit. It was not the fact that so many Muslim women in Johannesburg actually wear the niqab that struck me, but the fact that all these women were beautifully dressed, and even more beautifully made up with stunning colours of eye-make up to lipstick and sweet smelling perfumes.
 Now, there’s a misunderstanding that Muslim women are not allowed to make themselves look beautiful, but in actual fact this is allowed, just within limits. If a Muslim woman is only associating with and meeting other women then this is allowed, and obviously, this beauty is encouraged within a marital relationship where a woman should beautify herself for her husband.
 As we took our shoes off to enter the Masjid, I looked at my plain black, flat shoes- in relation to all the Cinderella like slippers I saw around me, my shoes looked sad and ugly. There were pencil heels and pointed shoes, sandals with glitter, shoes with flowers and even some with crystals.
 The ladies wore stunning abayas in many different styles and shapes, with fancy sleeves and shiny fabric. Their headscarves were immaculate and tied beautifully as it elevated their natural beauty. Now, I am not going to go on about the description of my sisters because this is not a very good thing either and it might provoke more curiosity about what a woman looks like underneath her veil.

I will tell you this though, I thought about myself; a regular old plain Jane, and I could not help feeling very much like the beast amongst all these beauties!

I guess you never can judge a book by its cover, and just because a Muslim woman covers herself completely, it does not mean that she has given up her femininity or her ability to look beautiful, because one thing is for sure, these women who were completely covered, took more care of themselves and beautified themselves more than many of us ever do, and all of this was within the confines of Islamic law!

So, the next time you look at a woman who is fully covered, perhaps you will remember that she probably knows more about beauty and fashion than you do and I sure do hope that you won’t be inclined to feel sorry for her, and hopefully you won’t remain stuck on the idea that she is not allowed to be beautiful, or that her face covering means an end to her femininity, and finally I think that it would be great if you could look beyond her veil and realize that she is a human being, a woman who has feelings and needs like all women do, and maybe, just maybe you will begin to understand that there is more to her than what she wears on the outside. I don’t know about you, but I can safely say, that day at the Masjid will remain a clear reminder to me, if ever I was to forget this!

Image from: www.calla-salon.co.uk/stock_makeup.jpg