Does Hijab degrade women and oppress women?

[MSalman]

:sl:

Again, there is some discussion in news about hijab and it is about time we refute their contents and show their inconsistent methodology.

Does Hijab degrade and oppress women?

[rpwelton]

Three out of four converts to Islam in America are women. What does that tell you?

There are some women in Muslim countries who do feel it oppresses them and they want to be "liberated" from the hijab and Islamic rulings for women. But this has to due with the culture of the country being oppressive towards women and does not stem from Islam. It's a shame Islam gets lost in culture sometimes.

[celina]

I live in the UK and wear a hijaab and I feel very proud of it MASHALLAH, a lot of western people have said to me that it looks very beautiful. In my opinion it defineltly doesn't degrade a women, however sadly a lot of muslim women themselve prefer to take it off and then use the excuse that they are opressed etc. On the other hand some women in reality are opressed for various reasons i.e they are not accepted in the type of community they live in or there is a lot of fitna (danger of being attacked) because a hijaab is a muslim womens identity. I agree that it does initiate from the country/culture however some just wan't to be free from the hijaab. Hijaabi women in the UK in my opinion are living a care free life and don't feel opressed despite the strong western culture, a lot of them see a hijaab no different than a hat.

[AntiKarateKid]

Hmm... I must be weird if I find Muslim girls brave enough to wear one to be cooler than the ones who don't. Guess I have a thing for the "oppressed and degraded" type LOL!

Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.

When you create an account, you can participate in the discussions and share your thoughts. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and make new friends.
Sign Up

[celina]

Hmm... I must be weird if I find Muslim girls brave enough to wear one to be cooler than the ones who don't. Guess I have a thing for the "oppressed and degraded" type LOL!

That is not what I meant, Im trying to say that some muslim women prefer no to wear it, its not about being cooler than the other.

[Predator]

:sl:

Again, there is some discussion in news about hijab and it is about time we refute their contents and show their inconsistent methodology.

Does Hijab degrade and oppress women?

Yes,bro, we need to go and argue with kafirs like sarkozy about the burkha right their face in their forums rather than doing in an islam forum.

[Al Ansari]

assalaamu 'alaikum,

The sisters would have a louder voice in this matter, insh'Allaah.

[Jess4491]

salam alakium brothers and sisters :)

My sister reverted to islam some time ago, but still she does not wear hijab all the time only for the obvious like praying, entering the mosque etc.

Shes obviousley scared of something but im not really sure what, she looks beautiful with or without her hijab but ive herd stories from other sisters about them having being verbally abused by brothers in the streets for wearing the hijab and been a white woman. i thought they would be more angry that a revert white woman didnt wear hijab. i think this must be some cultural issue or something.

It confuses me.

[zakirs]

salam alakium brothers and sisters :)

My sister reverted to islam some time ago, but still she does not wear hijab all the time only for the obvious like praying, entering the mosque etc.

Shes obviousley scared of something but im not really sure what, she looks beautiful with or without her hijab but ive herd stories from other sisters about them having being verbally abused by brothers in the streets for wearing the hijab and been a white woman. i thought they would be more angry that a revert white woman didnt wear hijab. i think this must be some cultural issue or something.

It confuses me.

Yeah it might be due to the way media shows hijab in a wrong way.Its just another form of racism.Hope people finally see the purpose of it.

[al Amaanah]

:wasalamex

no walhamdulillah.

:w:

[MSalman]

Yes,bro, we need to go and argue with kafirs like sarkozy about the burkha right their face in their forums rather than doing in an islam forum.

:sl:

bro, allhamdulillah, we are doing whatever we can. our aim at Islamic-life is to build a dawah responses database so that everyone can benefit from it and use those responses wherever they want. So if you are active on kafir forums then use it and earn the reward, insha'Allah.

It is waste of time to argue with people who are not seeking truth because they argue to win and showoff. No matter how many times you point out their errors they will never accept. So we should spend our time and energy on better things which would benefit people on a large scale, insha'Allah. Our job is to convey the message and not waste time with ignorant people.

and Allah knows best

[Jess4491]

not really sure what you meen by that :)

[cat eyes]

for the amount of time ive been a muslim, i am more afraid of getting oppressed by a muslim woman then a non muslim and thats the truth. some muslim girls with this fashion craze and a desire to dress like a kufir. they want people to follow after them. these days a muslim girl looks more strange at you then anybody and thats the way things are going now. non muslims don't scare me at all. where i live they are very open to it. alhamdulilah i get a lot of respect

[Jess4491]

yeah i know what you mean, from speaking with my sister and her fellow sisters the muslim community who were born into the religion seem to oppress more,

insha'Allah this wont always be the case :)

[cat eyes]

inshallaah sister:)

[Muhseen]

:sl:

May Allah, the Exalted, help our women understand the virtue of covering their body; it's not for public display as does kafir woman.

[M..x]

:sl:

May Allah, the Exalted, help our women understand the virtue of covering their body; it's not for public display as does kafir woman.

:sl:
MashAllah. Couldn't agree more. & Ameen.

[ieshia]

Just speaking as a counter argument, doesn't it defeat the purpose of wearing a Hijab in western countries(not all but in some areas). Like many said, one of the purpose of the hijab is so the woman isn't harassed. In some cities/town/places in the west a woman might be harassed more by wearing a hijab, as oppose to her not wearing it, will help her blend in and she wont stand out. Doesn't wearing the hijab make the woman stand out from the rest and catch attention of others? I have herd many stories about a Hijabi woman being harassed because of that. I do know, that in majority of the places in the west, people are actually more tolerant and will not harass the woman because they have more decency than that, but the woman still catches the eye of more people by wearing the hijab because she looks different than the rest.

I just want to hear the opinion of people, and i actually want to hold a study on this topic and will be conducting an experiment in different places in western countries to see if this hypothesis is correct.

[M..x]

Salaam...
^ Well, you asked whether it makes someone stand out from tha rest... Well tbh I think it jsut depends on where you live, speaking from L-town =P in UK, its a predominantly Muslim area where I live, so I dont think it really does, buh i guess it also depends on tha people around you, referring to their personalities rather than their religous beleifs. However, when I go on London and use public transport, you du get people giving you offkey looks like your just guna make something go kaboom or sumet. Wierdo's! Doesn't really bother me, cause I wouldn't take it off for them for jack & if they really think that ery sister whu wears it gets beaten up ery night and threatened into wearing it, guess thats just pure ignorance. I dont even understand that mentality. I'm not trying to say that there isnt tha minority which does but its not tha majority of muslimahs. Its a crazy wurld we live in.

[MSalman]

Like many said, one of the purpose of the hijab is so the woman isn't harassed.

well not really. the problem with this explanations is that it is extreme as it does not work in all the cases as you pointed out. if there is a great fear of harassment for sister then this is an extreme case where it is allowed for her to take off her hijab. however, if there are cases like these then she should not be going out without a male mahram to begin with. therefore, it will be hardly the case where she will have to take off her hijab.

but the woman still catches the eye of more people by wearing the hijab because she looks different than the rest.

correct and this is the problem for bringing up arguments like these. not getting attention is never a shari' argument. however, to be fair to those who bring up this point, what is said regarding is that if she covers herself then the probability of being stared and enjoyed by men is very low in comparison to a women who is showing off her stuff. People may look at her wierdly but this attention is different than the other attention which a half naked women get.

and Allah knows best

[13th Yarba]

as a man i have no right to make a coment on what a woman should choose to wear as it is their personal preference - but i do have the right to defend their freedom of choice; to choose when and where they wear the garment.

i think people in the west have no right to label the garment as degrading, but by the same token i would like people in the east to stop labeling those women who dont wear it as degraded - this state will only arise once the freedom of choice rests solely with the women themselves and if the men don't like it - too bad, we have to get used to it sooner or later!

[Karl]

Does wearing miniskirts degrade girls and women?
Does wearing make up degrade girls and women?
Does dressing like a lady of the night degrade them?
Alot more than a Hijab, Niquab or whatever Islamic approved garb! It gives them respect not degradation.
Does a turban or a sorban degrade and oppress men?
Are Muslim clerics oppressed and degraded because they wear turbans and big robes from neck to toe?
From the kafirs point of view it's ok for men to cover up, but a female is expected to show herself off. If she does'nt dress scantily she is deemed "oppressed".
At the end of the day the whole debate is just about kafirs beating on Muslims, any way they can no matter how hypocritical. They just invent issues and newly founded moralities just to pick on Muslims and invade their lands. They will attack Islam any way they can.

[13th Yarba]

At the end of the day the whole debate is just about kafirs beating on Muslims, any way they can no matter how hypocritical. They just invent issues and newly founded moralities just to pick on Muslims and invade their lands. They will attack Islam any way they can.

please just try to let the women decide for themselves, its not about people attacking islam but supporting the right of people (including you and me) to be able to wear whatever they feel like on any given day

[Karl]

please just try to let the women decide for themselves, its not about people attacking islam but supporting the right of people (including you and me) to be able to wear whatever they feel like on any given day

Hi, you sound like one of those new age commie pommies. Do you happen to work for the BBC? :p

Happy Ramadan.

[MSalman]

i think people in the west have no right to label the garment as degrading, but by the same token i would like people in the east to stop labeling those women who dont wear it as degraded - this state will only arise once the freedom of choice rests solely with the women themselves and if the men don't like it - too bad, we have to get used to it sooner or later!

the underlined part is a great misconception and straw man. When we say the women in the west are degraded then we do so not because they are not wearing hijab but because:

1- you have turned them into marketing products
2 - you have corrupted their natural talent and obligations
3 - you have oppressed them by forcing them to do things which are out of their natural way or behavior and thus exposed them to great harm and burdens

and you promote all this in the name of freedom. a notion for which you have no definite implication or understanding.

please just try to let the women decide for themselves, its not about people attacking islam but supporting the right of people (including you and me) to be able to wear whatever they feel like on any given day

I do know how the west is supporting the right of freedom by asking for banning the hijab and niqab. Please tell me what is freedom and who decides what should be allowed and what should not be allowed? Are we gonna let woman, who want to roam naked, do what they want?

[JaffaCake]

1- you have turned them into marketing products
2 - you have corrupted their natural talent and obligations
3 - you have oppressed them by forcing them to do things which are out of their natural way or behavior and thus exposed them to great harm and burdens

I think these are a little disingenuous. As a 'westerner' in the 'west', it seems more obvious to me that

1 - women have been turned into marketing products by marketing companies. If something works as a sales tool then marketers will use it.. cute puppies can only sell so much. I know a great many people in the 'west' have as much of a problem with objectifying women as you do.

2 - Corrupted is a bit over the top here. Liberal society has allowed women to find out for themselves whether they have natural talents other than the ones you decide they have.

3 - Could you elaborate on this? I'm not sure I know what it is women are being forced to do or by whom.

I do know how the west is supporting the right of freedom by asking for banning the hijab and niqab. Please tell me what is freedom and who decides what should be allowed and what should not be allowed? Are we gonna let woman, who want to roam naked, do what they want?

The governments decide. It seems like you're saying it's ok to restrict freedoms by banning nudity, but not by banning niqab, etc. Why?

[ieshia]

as a man i have no right to make a coment on what a woman should choose to wear as it is their personal preference - but i do have the right to defend their freedom of choice; to choose when and where they wear the garment.

i think people in the west have no right to label the garment as degrading, but by the same token i would like people in the east to stop labeling those women who dont wear it as degraded - this state will only arise once the freedom of choice rests solely with the women themselves and if the men don't like it - too bad, we have to get used to it sooner or later!

I have to agree

well not really. the problem with this explanations is that it is extreme as it does not work in all the cases as you pointed out. if there is a great fear of harassment for sister then this is an extreme case where it is allowed for her to take off her hijab. however, if there are cases like these then she should not be going out without a male mahram to begin with. therefore, it will be hardly the case where she will have to take off her hijab.

She can be harassed by other women too in which the mahram man can't do anything. Also in this case people will have to go out of their way so she can wear the hijab. This is just making a person's life hard. She wont be able to just go shopping for food or anything when she needs to, the man coming home tired or a man working all day and multiple shifts will have not time to actually take her out and will have to take time of work. The woman is pretty much stuck in her house. Also if she works or goes to school then she can't have a chaperon.

correct and this is the problem for bringing up arguments like these. not getting attention is never a shari' argument. however, to be fair to those who bring up this point, what is said regarding is that if she covers herself then the probability of being stared and enjoyed by men is very low in comparison to a women who is showing off her stuff. People may look at her wierdly but this attention is different than the other attention which a half naked women get.

and Allah knows best

You didn't quiet understand my argument. Her wearing the Hijab puts her more in the spotlight. She is more of an attention grabber. There will not be very many half naked women walking around the mall, work place, or
school anyway. Most women will be dressed modest or at least without body parts hanging out.

[Karl]

I think that if Islamic women have a big problem with covering their hair as it is a tenet of Islam, they should just quit being Muslims. Why always try to change it, love it or leave it. That goes with all the reformists always trying to change Islam to pander to the West, why not just quit Islam if you think it has faults. Even Saudi Arabia is mooting a "Minimum Age of Marriage" probably 18 to be inline with their American mates and the all powerful United Nations. If this law is passed the Prophet (PBUH) will be considered a "criminal" in Makkah as he is deemed in the West... and Islam will become a total farce.

[جوري]

I think that if Islamic women have a big problem with covering their hair as it is a tenet of Islam, they should just quit being Muslims. Why always try to change it, love it or leave it.

:sl:
Allah swt guides whom he wills, it isn't up to us to decide who is a good Muslim and who should just give it up-- also it isn't good to pass takfir on Muslim women just because you want the all or none approach. I know many converts, some who are even hafith, who took a while to cover their head and some opted for lesser options.

That goes with all the reformists always trying to change Islam to pander to the West, why not just quit Islam if you think it has faults. Even Saudi Arabia is mooting a "Minimum Age of Marriage" probably 18 to be inline with their American mates and the all powerful United Nations. If this law is passed the Prophet (PBUH) will be considered a "criminal" in Makkah as he is deemed in the West... and Islam will become a total farce.

In Islam there is no set age for marriage, it should actually take place when one is ready physiologically, and psychologically, when one 'becomes of age' isn't set at a particular baseline for all rather as is mentioned in suret an-nissa, when there is sound judgment (notice the decision should always be up to the individuals involved especially the female propositioned-- states try to establish a line to curb on some of the illegal activities which happen due to cultural rather than religious reasons, I have read enough stories on this very board, some so unfathomable in this day and age, that I feel if the girl hadn't been at such a tender, impressionable age that such bestiality and coercions wouldn't have taken place.. it has no bearing on religion, or injunctions given that it isn't a religious injunction to marry at any set age, rather the psychology of individuals who can't seem to shed their cultural norms whether it be giving away a girl's dowry or forcing her into a marriage with some sort of harm or threat ... reflecting on Quranic verses:

4:6 Make trial of orphans until they reach the age of marriage; if then ye find sound judgment in them, release their property to them; but consume it not wastefully, nor in haste against their growing up. If the guardian is well-off, let him claim no remuneration, but if he is poor, let him have for himself what is just and reasonable. When ye release their property to them, take witnesses in their presence: but all-sufficient is Allah in taking account.



and Allah swt knows best

:w:

[Banu_Hashim]

Personally, I'm proud of our Muslim sisters who choose to wear hijaab for the right reasons. It's not easy wearing hijaab and observing Islamic dress code in certain places in the world.

[Tony]

Personally, I'm proud of our Muslim sisters who choose to wear hijaab for the right reasons. It's not easy wearing hijaab and observing Islamic dress code in certain places in the world.

Agreed brother they are a shining example to us all, I feel humbled and it makes me more determined with salaat etc when I see this amazing slaves of Allah in the streets. Also my children ask me questions about why they wear them and it gives me opportunities to explain more about the love for Allah that Muslims have.

[Salahudeen]

^ SAME HERE BRO, am so proud of my sisters who wear hijaab and have nothing but respect towards them, I look at them and wish every wome was dressed the way she was. When I see her obeying Allah with regards to her appearance I feel happy :) and ask Allah to bless her.

When I see a women walking round scantly dressed and all the Men gawping at her like a piece of meat I think "may Allah open your eyes"

some 1 made an iteresting point about how no 1 mentions the man walking round with a turban on as oppressed and it kinda made sense, you never hear the media mentioning that Islam opresses Men because it forces them to grow beards.

it's same thing men have to have beards it's a requirement in Islam just like it's a requirement for women to wear hijaab where is the oppression?

if following the laws of your creator is deemed as oppression then I'd rather be oppressed by the laws of my creator than be opressed by the laws of tony blair and gorden brown.

To make the point that Islam opresses women cos it forces them to wear hijaab then you also have to make the point that it equally oppresses the men cos it forces them to have beards and get circumsized.

Somewhere along the line following the commands of the creator is being classed as oppression :S when in reality we were all subjected to commands that oppress us, just like in my country there's a command by the government that no body is allowed to walk around nude and I have to follow this command just like my creator commands that I grow a beard and a women has to wear hijaab.

[Banu_Hashim]

Agreed brother they are a shining example to us all, I feel humbled and it makes me more determined with salaat etc when I see this amazing slaves of Allah in the streets. Also my children ask me questions about why they wear them and it gives me opportunities to explain more about the love for Allah that Muslims have.

Exactly. May Allah guide your children too. Ameen.

[13th Yarba]

Sorry I haven’t posted back on this thread – I rebuilt my pc and only just got round to migrating the forum log-ons

Hi, you sound like one of those new age commie pommies. Do you happen to work for the BBC? :p

Happy Ramadan.

Shows how long it has been – happy Ramadan Karl (2009 & 2010) – I’m definitely not one of those!

Weird that the men always end up hi-jacking these types of threads – has anyone read ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood (new age commie pommie BBC type book) – it’s not about Muslims but there are interesting themes and the women in it always remind me of the niqab