Behind the Veil: Hegemony
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Dear Reader,
As author of "The Jewel of Medina," published by Beaufort Books last fall, and its sequel, "The Sword of Medina," debuting in the U.S. in October 2009, I've done quite a bit of reading on the topic of veiling.
Veiling debuted in Byzantine Christian society long before Islam came along. Aristocratic Byzantine women did not choose to wear the veil but were required to by their husbands to screen them from contact with other men and thus ensure paternity of their children -- another example of hegemonic practices endured, and in many cases endorsed, by women over the centuries.
Veiling is believed to have originated in Arabia after the Prophet Muhammad had a revelation placing his wives behind a "curtain," after the reception celebrating his scandalous marriage to Zaynab bint Jahsh, his adopted son's ex-wife. According to the feminist Muslim scholar Fatima Mernissi, he dropped the curtain to separate his private from his public life.
Later Muhammad required his wives to cover their faces because his enemies harassed them, then claimed they didn't know their victims were married to the Prophet. The veil served as a marker to rob them of this excuse.
As the controversy rages over the wearing of burqas in France, we seem to be asking ourselves the wrong questions.
If women need to hide from the world in this way today, we should be asking, "Why?" Is there a better path to women's empowerment, one that promotes their active engagement and not their retreat from society?
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Jodi Thompson says:
confused by it all
Sherry,
Thank you for sharing your research. It is interesting.
I had understood the veil was used on a bride to keep the husband from seeing his "purchase" before buying. Also, the veil is still intended to keep men from reacting to women's beauty. It's offensive.
I wish I understood better why so many women here in the US choose to honor this tradition. I understand modesty for your own sake. I rarely, if ever, wear shorts or a swim suit in public. But that's my choice. I don't mean to be disrespectful by questioning their choice, I just don't understand it. Is there a sense of empowerment that some women who choose to wear the headscarf, or even a burqa?, get from it? I'm curious.
Thank you, again, for sharing your knowledge.
Jodi
Sherry Jones says:
Confusing? You bet!
Hi Jodi,
Some Muslim women argue that they should have a choice, in France, for example, where Sarkozy has publicly denounced burqas as oppressive to women. The argument some make is that they veil themselves so as not to be sexualized, or give in to societal pressures to reveal their bodies. Of course, there are many ways to exhibit modesty, as you've mentioned.
When you wear the veil, you are not escaping men's control over your sexuality, you are succumbing to it. Any society which honors women as equals must surely frown on this form of hegemony. Instead of de-sexualizing their wearers, burqas and other forms of veiling have the opposite effect, once again diverting attention away from the woman's mind, heart and spirit to her (covered) body. Which is worse: Sexualizing women, or rendering them invisible?
Of course, I don't think there's anything wrong with women's sexuality. We've been repressed in that area far too long, while men have had free rein, and exercised it at women's expense. And of course, religion, with its male gods and prophets, perpetuates male privilege in the sexual realm as in every other aspect of temporal and spiritual life.
I asked an Iranian man years ago why women wore the veil in that country. He told me veiling helps keep men from sinning, hiding from view that which might inspire lust! Hence the real reason for the imposition of the veil: It allows men to transfer the responsibility for their "sins" to women. And yes, there is still the desire to hide their own women from the eyes of other men in effort to keep their wives and daughters "pure."
In many countries where the veil is worn, women are denied access to education and so cannot read the Qur'an. If they could, they would know that Muhammad did not impose the veil on all women, but instead admonished both men and women to dress modestly. During his lifetime, it was well known that Arabian women had many more freedoms than women in the Zoroastrian Persian empire or the Byzantine empire.
Women who "voluntarily" veil themselves have all kinds of reasons for doing so, none of them good. It's like women resisting the right to vote in the U.S. during the women's suffrage era. Confusing? You bet! We need to lift one another up and encourage our sisters not to be afraid to shine their beautiful lights for all to see.
Sherry
Jodi Thompson says:
Well put, Sherry! I do
Well put, Sherry!
I do reject the premise that it's a woman's responsibility to protect a man from his own lust. For goodness sakes. I'm the mother of grown sons, I raised them better than that!
Ellen R. Sheeley says:
It seems to me that female
It seems to me that female "empowerment" (I have hated this word ever since a certain male ambassador in the Middle East told me it is how men talk when they want to give an impression of speaking about equality without actually meaning it or working in earnest for it. . .and now women have unwittingly bought into it, too, not realizing that it is code for "you will never be equal, only, maybe, slightly appeased") will always be a distant dream until men are an integral part of the strategy for attaining it. They need to be deprogrammed and resocialized and liberated along with us. I am speaking broadly, of course, because some men already get it and some women say that don't even aspire to it. But there aren't enough of the former, and the latter, in my opinion, don't know what they are missing. It is still, after all, a man's world.
This issue of hijab and covering is so complex (and, Sherry, you probably already know this, but prepare for the onslaught when your new book is published!).
When I was interviewing women in Jordan, a lot of the younger ones (i.e., university age) told me they cover because it gives them more freedom to leave the house without a male escort, attend school, and socialize with their friends. Without covering, they'd be relegated to the house or forced to be accompanied by a male from the family at all times. So, in a way that is difficult for Western women to fathom, it comes to represent freedom for them. I lived there long enough to actually see their point on this, and that was a huge change from my initial impressions of the young covered women. I would probably don a hijab, too, if it made the difference in what I could accomplish on my own, without some male family member following and bossing me around.
I've heard Muslim women in the West say they cover as a way of "sticking it to The Man" so to speak, especially after 9/11. They are proud of their religion, and dressing in a way that readily identifies them as Muslims is, to them, an act of courage, defiance, faith. I don't know what percentage of the women in the West cover for that reason. . .could be a small one.
And then one can debate the various levels of covering. . .simply hijab, with some hair exposed; hijab with all hair and neck covered; etc., all the way to purdah. It's not simply a matter of covering or not, but also which parts of the body, how covered they are, and even whether women can mix with men at all. In Jordan, I saw the full range of dress, from completely Western dress to everything covered but the eyes (even at the Dead Sea, as beach wear). But Jordanian society isn't as segregated as Saudi Arabia is now or devout Muslims in Pakistan were a couple generations ago.
It's a very, very complex subject. Most Muslims I know resent that people in the West even feel free to weigh in about it. I think it's a reasonable subject for anyone to discuss, even if (especially because?) it's a sensitive subject.
jitu rajgor says:
It's a sensitive subject and
It's a sensitive subject and yes,its a 'MAN'S' World as Ellen wrote.No one can deny it.But how can we link freedom and empowerment of women with this? Do women who wear western outfits are free and empowered? Exposing body is not a freedom. It's an another trap of men, a beneficiary, for their convenience. Women are victims, always.Undrstand and recognise the main culprit. And let any one wear what she/he thinks suitable for him/her/their society/culture/ region.
Sherry Jones says:
It's all about men
Why, Jitu, does it have to be either/or in these kinds of discussions? Wearing head-to-toe coverings versus "exposing the body"? Are we who don't wear a hijab or burqa invariably "exposing" ourselves?
Why don't we ever have these conversations about men? And Ellen, if women in Jordan wear the veil because they have to in order to gain freedom of movement and independence, then is veiling really a choice for them?
Sure, we women in the West have challenges to our autonomy, too. Yes, Jitu, the male-dominated world of fashion does enslave women to a certain degree. Many women in the West do "expose" our bodies, and it may or may not be due to societal pressure. But I'm not talking about freedom from the male gaze or enslavement by the male gaze, or even the male gaze at all. How would I dress if men didn't exist? I love dresses in the warm-weather months, and I would certainly wear them even in a world of only women. Would women wear burqas in the absence of men? Do they wear them around the house?
So you see, Ellen, I'm not convinced that this topic is really complex at all. I think it's very simple.
I'm not as interested in the female response to the male gaze as I am in female autonomy, authority over her own body. Burqas are particularly egregious because they completely enshroud their wearers, hiding them from view, hindering their own vision, isolating women from the world in general, from other women as well as men. They remind me of ghosts; their garments are like shrouds, disappearing them, cutting them off from engagement in the world around them.
This is not a religious issue. Veiling is not Islamic. It's not a cultural issue. We all have veiling in our ancestry. It is a woman issue. I wish I could say a woman's apparel has nothing to do with men. Unfortunately, we're still a long way away from that reality.
Ellen R. Sheeley says:
And Ellen, if women in
And Ellen, if women in Jordan wear the veil because they have to in order to gain freedom of movement and independence, then is veiling really a choice for them?
It's almost impossible to know what they would do if their real choice was to pick from any number of options, not just the one that allows them more freedom of movement in the near term.
So you see, Ellen, I'm not convinced that this topic is really complex at all. I think it's very simple.
It's because we're Western and haven't had to live that life and those choices.
Agree with you that it is cultural rather than Islamic, though. It's interesting that Arab Christians never cover, yet they are part of this same culture. A paradox. And also that not so long ago, Catholic women were made to cover at least part of their hair when entering a church, and that most definitely was a religious mandate.
jitu rajgor says:
Sherry, actually your
Sherry,
actually your response is exatly what I want to convey in long run.
'A woman's apparel has nothing to do with men'
But in fact every thing in and around women, are deliberately designed by men, the main culprit.
Do you think women in mid eastern countries life will be more happy if they will come out as rebels and through away burqas?
People in some countries may think of bikinis, the same way, or as ridiculous as you think of burqas. Who will decide what is right and what is wrong?
This is also not a case of either/or, [burka verses bikini].
I have not pointed out that western outfits are exposing.I am very unbiased and liberal to my thinking.I wanted to make it clear that in spite of having free dress code, there are lot more to do for freedom and empowerment of women in many part of the world.
I strongly believe that every problem, related with women are created by men.I dont think burqa or a bikini was ever created by women.
Ellen R. Sheeley says:
I agree with you, Dr. Jitu,
I agree with you, Dr. Jitu, that using the hijab as a massive issue causes more important issues to fall to the side. It's more about what's going on in the head, less about what's on it. Education, poverty, unemployment, daughter slaughter, and any other number of issues would rate higher, in my opinion.
And this binary thinking (i.e., either you wear this or you are a whore), while rather common in the Middle East, was something that really grew old for me in a hurry. I dress modestly, by almost anyone's standards. I am not a prostitute, nor am I overtly provocative. And just because I have certain freedoms, doesn't mean I elect to use them at every opportunity. It's about choice and not having it imposed on me. These "subtleties" seem to be lost in debates of the either/or variety.
jitu rajgor says:
Yes
Yes Ellen, there are more important issues to be solved for women of world, east or west. Dress code has, I consider, little valuue compare to that. Speaking about issues and making hype from far democratic country and living right between it are two different things all to gather.
I was very much moved by your earlier blogs and expressions like "what will be the fellings of a mother/girl when she is in a process of beating/killing by her own brother, father in a moral killing act? The father, with whom girl felt protected, and the brother with whom, she played and enjoyed as a child", [some thing like that]. Women of this kind of society will certainly choose to wear 'Burqa' as a compromise for better living. One can not advocate against it without giving options. And what kind of options and opportunities one can offer at far most land? But yes, I fully agree that goverment of any country is free to use it's power to disallow any thing that is harmful for sefty and security of that nation.
You have rightly said that, 'Education, poverty, unemployment, daughter slaughter, and any other number of issues would rate higher.'
Sherry Jones says:
Dress Code
Jitu and Ellen, I agree with you both. Dress is a symbol, not the real problem for women -- but as a symbol, it is an important one.
I"m thinking of some of my lesbian friends, how they dress for comfort, not to attract the male gaze or for any other apparent reason. Their clothing tends toward what we might consider "masculine," favored by men for its comfort. Is this how most of us would dress if we weren't culturally influenced, or told that God wants us to dress one way or the other?
When I was a devoutly Christian teen, I adored a pastor who talked about love during his sermons. He told us that God doesn't see our clothing, just our souls. This made the most sense to me of anything I've heard on this topic. In a perfect world, we would all pay attention to one another's inner beauty (or lack of it) and forget the rest.
And yes, boys/men have to be re-educated. In the U.S., I am heartened by college students, many of whom do seem to have internalized messages of equality. The result is, everyone, male and female, seems to dress in jeans and sweatshirts!! It's about as modest as one can get without donning a burqa. ;-) I think a big reason for this change is the way feminist parents are raising their children. More needs to be done, but it is a step in the right direction.
In my books, I do try to show how veiling came to be imposed on every woman during the post-Muhammad era of Islamic expansionism. And I do mean "imposed." The rest, as they say, is history. And, I maintain, hegemony. If veiling were a wonderful thing, believe me, the men would be doing it and forbidding women to!
I'm enjoying this discussion! Thank you both for your thoughts and ideas.
Sherry
Ellen R. Sheeley says:
If veiling were a wonderful
If veiling were a wonderful thing, believe me, the men would be doing it and forbidding women to!
:-D Can't quibble with this.
Sherry, did you read Dr. Jitu's blog post from a couple days ago? I was thinking about the absurdity of a female being lashed for wearing trousers, when men routinely do so. And more is defined in a male's trousers than a female's. These rules of dress are so arbitrary.
Carole Mackin says:
Men and Women
Women definitely send a message to men when they choose what to wear. Men usualy get the message and sometimes respond in the way the woman intends.
But there are other important reasons why both men and women choose to cover their heads. All of you with dark hair know how it feels to stand in the hot sun. In the Middle East sun, an uncovered head may soon be a dead head.
But vanity cannot be ruled out as a reason for a woman to cover her head. The sun can turn lustrous black hair into reddish straw.
When I was young, I wore a headscarf tied under my chin or behind the nape of my neck because my grandmother insisted. She intervened to protect my hair as I challenged social norms, behaved like a tom-boy, then worked at jobs where I was often the only woman.