So there has been a lot of controversy lately over what two "supposed" journalists said in the Washington Post. I refer to them as "supposed" journalists because journalism takes investigation and should not be based off personal belief only.
In the article written by Asra Nomani and Hala Arafa it was stated that hijab is not required in Islam and part of this proof is in the fact that neither Egyptian or Indian women wore hijab for quite some time prior to the 1980's.
"Born in the 1960s into conservative but open-minded families (Hala in Egypt and Asra in India), we grew up without an edict that we had to cover our hair," (Nomani & Arafa, 2015).
So why exactly didn't Egyptian and Indian women wear hijab during this time? According to Nomani and Arafa (2015) it was a result of the Iranian revolution and "well-funded Saudi clerics." I have heard many stories about why women didn't wear scarves during this time. The husband of one of my best friends even said it was because the Muslim Brotherhood rewrote the Quran.
Being married to and Egyptian and living in Egypt has given me a lot of insight. Looking at pictures of my husband's family from this time, most of the women did not wear hijab. It wasn't until the 80's that they began to do so. While some people, such as Nomani & Arafa suggest that women didn't wear it because it wasn't required in Islam I got another story from talking to women who didn't wear the scarf during those times.
One woman, Sara (62 years old), told me that she went without wearing hijab most of her youthful years. When I asked her why she did that she had a different perspective to explain. "For a long time, Egypt was ruled by Europeans, the French and English. During this time, and for some time after, Egypt was not a very religious country. After we became free it took some time to put things back to how they were supposed to be." (Translated from Arabic)
Another woman, Fatma (59 years old) told me a similar story. "When we were under English rule women who wore the veil were seen as simple. Not because they were, but because the English were seen as sophisticated because they had money. A lot of women chose to wear European clothes and take it off because they wanted to be seen as sophisticated. We knew it was wrong but we didn't care so much then."
I spoke to seven women in total ranging from 55-79 years of age. All of their stories were very similar. In fact, not a single woman told me that they believed it was because the hijab was never really required but I was told by every woman that it was removed as a symbol of status.
Similarly to Egypt, India was under British rule for hundreds of years. When I first converted to Islam (2011) I spoke to an Indian woman at the mosque I attended and inquired about why she covers herself for prayer but not outside the mosque. She told me that this was because in Indian culture, they do not wear a scarf all the time. She went on to tell me she believes in Quran it is required for us to wear and encouraged me to continue doing so.
Hijab is uncommon in many predominantly Muslim countries such as Lebanon, India, and Morocco. All of these countries were at one time or another under European rule. In Morocco, it is tradition that upper and middle class individuals don't wear scarf to distinguish themselves from the lower class. This sounds very similar to the stories I was told by Egyptian women.
What does all of this mean, well, good journalism shows us that women in Egypt chose not to wear the scarf because of social pressure to fit in with the Europeans who ruled for quite some time not because it was never required in Islam. Many Europeans stayed living in Egypt until the revolution of 1952. According to the evidence it is easy to understand that it took some time before Muslim women in Egypt began wearing the scarf again due to social pressure.
Nomani and Arafa's article is insulting to every intelligent Muslim woman who follows God's command and is an insult to proper journalism. As I have stated before, too many people want to blame Islam when they do not want to follow God's commands instead of just owning up to their sin.
Reference:
Nomani, A., & Arafa, H. (2015, December 21). As Muslim women, we actually ask you not to wear the hijab in the name of interfaith solidarity. The Washington Post. Retrieved December 27, 2015, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/12/21/as-muslim-women-we-actually-ask-you-not-to-wear-the-hijab-in-the-name-of-interfaith-solidarity/
In the article written by Asra Nomani and Hala Arafa it was stated that hijab is not required in Islam and part of this proof is in the fact that neither Egyptian or Indian women wore hijab for quite some time prior to the 1980's.
"Born in the 1960s into conservative but open-minded families (Hala in Egypt and Asra in India), we grew up without an edict that we had to cover our hair," (Nomani & Arafa, 2015).
So why exactly didn't Egyptian and Indian women wear hijab during this time? According to Nomani and Arafa (2015) it was a result of the Iranian revolution and "well-funded Saudi clerics." I have heard many stories about why women didn't wear scarves during this time. The husband of one of my best friends even said it was because the Muslim Brotherhood rewrote the Quran.
Being married to and Egyptian and living in Egypt has given me a lot of insight. Looking at pictures of my husband's family from this time, most of the women did not wear hijab. It wasn't until the 80's that they began to do so. While some people, such as Nomani & Arafa suggest that women didn't wear it because it wasn't required in Islam I got another story from talking to women who didn't wear the scarf during those times.
One woman, Sara (62 years old), told me that she went without wearing hijab most of her youthful years. When I asked her why she did that she had a different perspective to explain. "For a long time, Egypt was ruled by Europeans, the French and English. During this time, and for some time after, Egypt was not a very religious country. After we became free it took some time to put things back to how they were supposed to be." (Translated from Arabic)
Another woman, Fatma (59 years old) told me a similar story. "When we were under English rule women who wore the veil were seen as simple. Not because they were, but because the English were seen as sophisticated because they had money. A lot of women chose to wear European clothes and take it off because they wanted to be seen as sophisticated. We knew it was wrong but we didn't care so much then."
I spoke to seven women in total ranging from 55-79 years of age. All of their stories were very similar. In fact, not a single woman told me that they believed it was because the hijab was never really required but I was told by every woman that it was removed as a symbol of status.
Similarly to Egypt, India was under British rule for hundreds of years. When I first converted to Islam (2011) I spoke to an Indian woman at the mosque I attended and inquired about why she covers herself for prayer but not outside the mosque. She told me that this was because in Indian culture, they do not wear a scarf all the time. She went on to tell me she believes in Quran it is required for us to wear and encouraged me to continue doing so.
Hijab is uncommon in many predominantly Muslim countries such as Lebanon, India, and Morocco. All of these countries were at one time or another under European rule. In Morocco, it is tradition that upper and middle class individuals don't wear scarf to distinguish themselves from the lower class. This sounds very similar to the stories I was told by Egyptian women.
What does all of this mean, well, good journalism shows us that women in Egypt chose not to wear the scarf because of social pressure to fit in with the Europeans who ruled for quite some time not because it was never required in Islam. Many Europeans stayed living in Egypt until the revolution of 1952. According to the evidence it is easy to understand that it took some time before Muslim women in Egypt began wearing the scarf again due to social pressure.
Nomani and Arafa's article is insulting to every intelligent Muslim woman who follows God's command and is an insult to proper journalism. As I have stated before, too many people want to blame Islam when they do not want to follow God's commands instead of just owning up to their sin.
Reference:
Nomani, A., & Arafa, H. (2015, December 21). As Muslim women, we actually ask you not to wear the hijab in the name of interfaith solidarity. The Washington Post. Retrieved December 27, 2015, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/12/21/as-muslim-women-we-actually-ask-you-not-to-wear-the-hijab-in-the-name-of-interfaith-solidarity/
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