Wearing the Veil in Egypt
Luli, Tamer, Assem, and Tom do a great job discussing the veil and Egyptian society. Check it out!
I can't comment on Egypt, but I will say something about the veil. Some believe it's haram to not cover the face and some believe it's haram to cover the face. Some pressure women to wear the veil and others pressure them not to wear the veil. I have no problem what people choose or choose not to do, just don't tell me what to do.
More and more muslim women in Syria and Lebanon are wearing the veil. I've heard some say that in Lebanon more women started to cover during the civil war because they worried something could happen to them. Death could have been around the corner and people began to fear god.
I had an interesting conversation with my mom and grandma about wearing the veil in the 1940's-1970's. I'll have to share more about that later. It's time to chill and relax.
7 Comments:
My understanding, that the Quran doesnt say explicitly if the veil is required by women or not. Being haram or hallal is defined by the interpretation of the sheikh! So confusing!
around 4 years ago i was considering getting veiled, and i talked to my father about it.
he, and many of his friends in the same social class believe the veil has not been explicitly defined in the koraan.
it's not logical that muslims should have a uniform as cultures and customs and dresscodes checne along time, and the koraan should be applicable at all times.
he also said only the wives of the profet had to get veiled, and if god wanted all women, why did he just specify the prophet's wives only? it's not like he had no power to say all women.
another historcal thing is that women at that time of the prophet were chubby, men liked long hair and chubby women who walked around and their boobs were shaking, so at that time it was needed for them to wear loose clothes and cover up. nowadays, there's the wonderful invention of the bra :) plus with the change in society i doubt people get turned on by hair anymore.
there were many other arguments, but i know that god allowed us to have disagreements and different opinions about the koraan so it would start up conversations, have people think and learn and try to find deeper meanings to his words, thus people believe more.
iam not sure if what my father said is correct, but i have learned never to rely on someone for information, so until i read it for myslef and investigate this matter further, i cannot judge on the ligitimacy of the veil and i definetly will not consider getting veiled!
More specifically what the Koran says is "edroobo khomooreken 3ala jeyoobeken" in other words cover your chests with your veils (khemar is something we need a more accurate definition if anyone has it)...During those days women walked around topless and thats why they were told to cover their chests and therefore I dont see how the hair comes in unless "khorooken" referred to that...Then the only other thing is the prophet's saying that women should only show their faces and hands (again this says something about face veiling...especially that women are not allowed to be face-veiled during Hajj or the Muslim pilgrimage)...
Nawal El Saadawy uses what i mentioned above to argue that veiling is not an Islamic thing since it was only somewhat expilcitly addressed by the prophet and you can never guarantee the authenticity of the prophet's sayings...
Just for the non-Arabs, "harram" is forbidden and "Halal" is allowed
I actually had the whole is "it in the Koran" conversation last week with my mom's muslim friends here. All of them cover except for my mom and all cover in their own way depending on which country they are from. I'm open about not believing in the veil. We started having this conversation and i tell them no one has proven to me that women have to wear the veil. So one of my mom's friend opens up the english arabic quran and shows it to me. i tell her it means to dress modestly and she says the english translation is not correct. So she reads it in arabic and i tell her to me it means to dress modestly. So she asks me if what I was wearing is modest and I say to me it's modest. Well, apparently to her I wasn't.
I have also heard the exact opposite of only the prophet's wives having to veil. Some say that back then everyone veiled and even before Islam. (some say it was the fashion) They say look at the nuns they cover and all the depictions of Mary show her covered.
I don't think people can get the true historical background of what happened during the time of the prophet. Interpret what you believe for youself. That's what I've always been told.
I'll put this arguement out on the table. If a woman can find another woman attractive and a man can find another man attractive, why can a woman be unveiled in front of a woman and a man doesn't have to veil in front another man or anyone else for that matter? And don't tell me that women don't look at men sexually the same way men look at women.
Tamer, bringing up the whole hajj thing reminds me too of both men and women praying together during hajj and seperated at all other times.
Well i think Nisrin that is because being gay or lesbian is sinful according to Islam. So you dont need to create more confusion about the definition of how sinful being gay or lesbian is.
I think the most interesting part about GLBT in Egypt (and tell me if this extents to Syria and Lebanon) that no one challengesif the religion said it Sinful or not. Atleast in Islam and Coptic Orthodox.
Whether or not it's sinful doesn't matter. GLBT exists and it effects the purpose of the veil.
I haven't heard of anyone challenging any religion whether GLBT is sinful or not.
Salaamz, inshaAllah everyone is in the best of health wa Imaan....In Islam women aren't supposed 2 show off much of their bodies even to women hon. As for the hijab, here are a couple ayat min Al Quran.... about haya (modesty,shyness)
"And stay in your houses and do not make At-Tabarooj (i.e. display yourselves) like you made At-Tabarooj in the times of ignorance." [Surah Al-Ahzab: 33].
Oh & some1 mentioned previously that Allah SWT meant it only for the Prophet 2 cover....habeebty WE ARE Bani Adam:
"O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them (when they go out or are among men). That is better in order that they may be known (to be Muslims) and not annoyed..." (Qur'an 33:59
"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands..." (Qur'an 24:30-31)
Ahh wa kaman lal shabab, they are not to show off any part of their body from the navel 2 the knees...ok yallah Take Care Salaam
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