Coverage on "Burqa" seems to have overshadowed the demise of "King of Pop" in Media. It is heartening to see the huge response in the media to the remarks made by the French President, who in his usual ignorance and unbaked curiosity has opened the Pandora's Box. He might have never imagined the reaction to his ignorant remarks from all over the world. For some ignorance is bliss.
The word Burqa is usually used to describe the black outer garment worn by the Muslim women. Burqa, is preferred by many women because it is easy to wear and easy to take-out. It is designed to adhere to the Quranic guideline of coverage for women. However it is preferable to use the word Hijab instead of Burqa. Burqa is one of the Hijaab.
Like most of the controversies and misconceptions related to Islam, which time and again erupt and give a chance to the gullible ignorant to balloon it up further. Islamic dress code is being followed for over 1430 years and it has been prescribed in Quran when it was revealed. Dr. Zakir Nair, one of the famous Indian Islamic Scholar, who is also famous for his verbatim quotations of various World religions, has identified 20 of the most common mis-conceptions among non-Muslims. His presentations on the same and articles has helped many people to over-come their misunderstanding of Islam and appreciate the beauty of Islam. Few years ago he had listed the Burqa related misconception under his list at No.3. He dispels this as follows,
"Misconception # 3: Islam subjugates women in a veil.
Reply: If you look at history, to ancient civilizations, you will find that women were the oppressed people. They had no individual merit. The Babylonians used to punish the woman for her husband's mistakes. The ancient Egyptians did the same. Ancient Arabs buried their newly born daughters.
It was Islam that uplifted the status of women. It gave women rights they never had before. Surah Nissah exhorts believing men to lower their gaze if a lady is passing by. Similarly, there are exhortations for women to lower their gaze if strange men are around. The Quran also speaks about the hijab for men and women to protect the modesty. The hijab for men is to cover their bodies minimally from their navel to the knees. The hijab for women is to cover their whole bodies except for their faces and hands below their wrists. There are descriptions for a female hijab, that it should cover the endowments including head, not be tight, not be transparent, not be like the clothes of non-believers, and not be like the clothes of the other gender, etc. Women got the right to own, inherit property, and to dispose it of at will.
Let me ask you a question: Suppose two identical twin sisters are walking down a street, and one of them is dressed in revealing clothing, while the other one is wearing a hijab. Who will be boys in the street whistle at or tease: the one who is scantily dressed in a mini-skirt, or the one who is modestly attired? The answer is obvious. The hijab is designed to prevent women from being molested. It brings peace to society and prevents mischief. "
All non-Muslims should be given an opportunity to go through these fully listed misconceptions; there will be lesser number of controversies. Media should also take care to highlight these, whenever a similar controversy erupts.
Islam as a religion gave undeniable rights to women. Burqa is not a symbol of imprisonment but it is a symbol of freedom. Burqa, has proven to give women freedom from exploitation, harassment, subjugation and eve teasing. It elevates the women. A vast majority of reverts are women and they have voluntarily adapted to Burqa. The reverts Yvonne Ridley, a former Christian and Kamala Surayya, a former Hindu, both well educated women and have been fully aware of the rights and freedom of women. These women have accepted Islam on a free will and adapted to burqa (veil) voluntarily. No one coerced them to do so. Islam as a religion prescribes dress code to its followers both men and women. The western societies should not imprison women with their views of freedom. The Muslim women should be given a choice of what she wants to wear in a free society.
Mohammed Sadullah Khan
