Fakeha Zinjani Almighty Allah says in the Qur'an in Surah An-Noor (interpretation): “And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty…” [24:31] Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “May Allah have mercy on the Muhajir women. When Allah revealed the words ‘and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)', and they tore the thickest of their aprons and covered their faces with them. [Abu Dawood (4102)]” The Almighty has made it obligatory for Muslim women to wear Hijab (veil) and refrain from displaying their beauty to a non-mehram (a person with whom marriage is lawful). Our Creator, our Lord Who has bestowed us with every blessing we have ever wished for and in turn He only asks us a few favors. A favor that will benefit the mankind and not Him. A way to safeguard their modesty Allah has blessed women with the gift of Hijab. A Muslim should feel outrageous when veil is regarded as an oppression and imposition on a woman. The so-called liberal and enlightened sections of the society are little aware that a Muslim woman veils herself from the lustful eyes of men and the veil allows her to guard her modesty from those eyes. No Muslim woman in Britain is wearing a burkha unwillingly or because she is compelled to do so. She wears it of her own free will and in order to please her Lord. The debate over the veil, which has again resumed in Britain, is a prime illustration of how the empty minds are finding ways to victimize Muslims. They create a mountain out of a molehill by bringing up issues that are completely trivial to them. They are skeptic and question everything that a Muslim does. Initially, it all started with a beard and the ghutra (checked red scarf) worn by a few Muslim men and a man who possessed these things was abused and considered a terrorist. This stereotype has become so strong that every child sees a bearded man as a terrorist and the movies are to be blamed equally, the man who has either hijacking the aircraft or bombing missiles in a hamlet always has a beard, a skull cap and speaks a South Asian dialect. Now is the time to pick on Muslim women, who follow Hijab despite all the criticism they face everyday. Anybody would be baffled to see that the harbingers of human rights depriving Muslim women of their basic right. It is extremely disturbing to hear the British prime minister himself debating whether a Muslim woman should be allowed to veil or not rather than talking about other grave issues and problems that the world is facing. All those talks related to human rights and secularism seem so unreal. And the excuses saying that the Hijab is an infringement on the security and jeopardizes other people's lives are so unconvincing and seem so inadequate. For the sake of argument, a Muslim woman can also ask why the Sikhs are allowed to wear turbans and the nuns too wear a cloak and a headscarf. Well, if a Muslim raises the issue, it will be considered blasphemous and will eventually lead to an upheaval. Victimizing only Muslim women is an act of oppression and not the headscarf (which is considered oppressive) that is worn out of free will and as an act of being submissive to The Lord of the Worlds Who has blessed us with everything. There are innumerable examples of British women reverting to Islam and when they are questioned about this choice they always respond by saying that it is the only religion that gives rights to women, a religion that asks men to lower their gaze while walking. Shine Tommy, a revert, says: “It is hijab that attracted me to Islam.” She went speechless when asked about her experience of wearing a hijab for the first time. Then she added: “I felt protected and safe. Safe from the evil eyes of strangers and a realization that my beauty is just for one man alone and nobody else.” It is disturbing to see that the British government doesn't seem to have a problem with a women walking in public the scantily dressed but a woman who does hijab is considered a threat to society, How much more vague can it get? It is indeed not less than an ordeal for a Muslim woman in today's world to follow her religion publicly. It is a trial for her and a test from the Almighty. May Allah give courage and strength to all Muslim sisters going through this, ameen. — SG
