DOES ISLAM ENSLAVE THE WOMAN?

Mr. Sarkozy says that the burqa or niqab makes the woman a slave to the man. No-one is arguing that Mr. Sarkozy doesn’t know a thing or two about “Female enslavement” – he is after all married to Carla Bruni – a former nude model. However, Muslim women do not need lessons in how to dress from the husband of a woman who earnt her fame from showing the world how to undress. Nor do we need lessons in female enslavement from the leaders of any secular liberal state where the enslavement of women is legal under the law, with the existence of brothels, pornography, and lap-dancing clubs – all under the premise of liberty, of sexual freedom – women who serve no other purpose but to service the desires of men.

Some argue that freedom in the West brings the dignity of women. If so, what dignity has it brought the 1 in 4 women who are victims of domestic violence in the UK; what respect did it bring to the 2 women killed each week in Britain by their partners or husband; what dignity has it brought to the 28 million women battered by their husband or partner in the US – the Land of freedom where a woman is beaten every 9 seconds and where battery is the single major cause of injury to women between the ages of 15-44 – more than car accidents, mugging, and rape combined.

If freedom has brought dignity to the woman, then why have 1 in 20 women been raped in the UK; and why is a woman sexually assaulted every 2 and ½ minutes in the US according to the US justice department? What has freedom brought to the 1000’s of women who face sexual harassment in the workplace in Western societies – 50% of women in the UK according to an Equal opportunity commission report in 2000.

So when people say that the woman in Islam is not free to dress how she likes – I say Yes, you’re right, we are not free, we dress according to the Commands of Our Creator – hijab, jilbab, the One who gave us life, the One to whom we will return, the One to Whom we will forever be grateful? He (swt) says, “… let them draw their head-coverings (khumur) over their necks and bosoms (juyub).” [An-Nur 31]

“When a young girl begins to menstruate, it is not correct that anything should be seen of her except her face and hands up to the wrist.” (Hadith Reported by Abu Dawud) “Oh Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (Jalabeeb) all over their bodies.” [Al-Ahzab:59]

We embrace a religion, Islam, that says a man is not free to view a woman as he likes, nor use the woman to sell a product – no amount of money in the world will let you buy the respect of the woman.Why? Because in Islam her honour, her respect is priceless.

The Prophet (saw) said, “The world and all things in the world are precious but the most precious thing in the world is a virtuous woman.”

As Muslim women, we embrace a dress that says – we refuse to be an ornament for public display.A dress that says – we demand to be respected as a woman for what we can give to society rather than what fulfillment we can give to men. This is the liberation that Islam and this dress brings to the woman.