What's common between the following Halloween costumes? A guy who painted his neck red, pretending to be a redneck, his friend wearing a white T-shirt which has "wife beater" written on it, and his friend dressed like a Hasidic Jew keeping a tight grip (literally) over a pack of fake dollar bills.
All three of them represent ethnic or religious stereotyping.
Keeping that in mind, what should you say to someone using hijab, a Muslim woman's head cover, while going to "trick or treat" or a Halloween party? Bad idea.
Why?
For starters, hijab, a religious symbol of modesty for more than a billion Muslims, has already faced constitutional tricks. House bills in Oklahoma and Minnesota have attempted to pass legislation that would prohibit women from wearing a hijab for driver's license photos. And Oregon attempted to ban religious dress, including a hijab, for public school teachers.
Our cultural treatment to hijab is more vitriolic though. Here is an example: One of my close family members who wears an outer garment and a hijab was unloading groceries from her car when two kids from the neighborhood screamed "witch, witch, witch" while looking into her eye. Not just once. They repeated it during all three trips that it took for her to move all the groceries. She felt deeply hurt -- not by the kids, but by their mothers who were present but simply laughed at the incidence.
Don't think that a Muslim American women's chagrin is limited to Halloween. Ignorance about hijab is a year-around phenomenon in some segments of our society. How do I know that? I simply asked my female family members. And before I could blink, they shared not only their painful experiences but also the five commonly asked questions that they face about their hijab (including the answers they give). So here we go:
1. Aren't you hot in this dress?
Well yes, on hot days it's not easy to wear yet another layer of clothing. But then we are reminded of a famous saying, "Faith makes things possible ... not easy." Wearing a hijab is a part of my faith.
2. But isn't Muslim head cover a cultural practice?
A Muslim head cover is a religious commandment, not a cultural practice. The Quran exhorts believing women to "restrain their eyes and guard their private parts, and that they disclose not their beauty except that which is apparent thereof, and that they draw their head-coverings over their bosoms" (24:32).
3. Do you sleep in it? Do you take a shower in it?
Hijab is a protective gear, just like a biking helmet. We wear helmets while riding bikes, not when we are sleeping or bathing. Similarly a hijab is worn primarily when a Muslim women is out of her house.
4. Will your five year old daughter also wear it when she grows up?
She will make her own choice.
5. You don't have to wear this symbol of oppression now that you are in America.
I wear it by my choice, not because someone coerced me into it. My hijab is a symbol of my faith commitment and I should proudly wear it precisely because I am in America -- the beacon of religious freedom.
This is not about celebrating or not celebrating Halloween, this is not about allowing or banning the cultural burqas forced upon women in the developing world, and this is most certainly not about condoning or condemning the remarks of two innocent children.
This is about the ignorance (at best) or bigotry (at worst) of adults toward a Muslim women's right to choose her dress, a phenomenon the President acknowledged when, in his 2009 Cairo address, he asked, "to avoid dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear."
But for every ignorant or bigoted citizen, we find many who are aware and compassionate of the diversity in our nation. Just last week, as my wife was waiting in a pediatrician's office, another young boy looked at her dress and said, "Mommy, isn't that a cool Halloween costume!"
"That's a religious dress son, not a costume," his mother rebuked while exchanging a smile with my wife. Now, that was truly American.
So here is my request: if you see a woman dressed in a head cover and an outer garment, please, tell your children that she is not a witch and that hijab is not a Halloween costume.
Hijab has already won the constitutional tricks in Oklahoma, Minnesota and Oregon. Will cultural America reward it with the treat of acceptance now?
Faheem Younus is an adjunct faculty member for religion and history at the Community Colleges of Baltimore County and a clinical associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He can be reached at Faheem.Younus@Ahmadiyya.us
Follow Dr. Faheem Younus on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FaheemYounus
Halloween in Islam - Should Muslims Celebrate Halloween
"If you claim to know how to follow Islam better than I do, by all means. Follow.”
- No I am an atheist.
The whole idea of my discussion is to explore the effect and nature of religious believes on life in the west based upon Islamic teachings and the current situation of Islamic countries. I have lived in Islamic countries, I speak the language and aware through first hand experiences of the source of their dilemmas and problems. It is very simple it is called religion.
While China Japan Europe have all risen and became super nations we see the east and every Islamic country still struggling with their believes and identity.
1. Many of you thought I was asking for a ban on hijab as a Halloween costume. That’s a misunderstanding. This is a free country. People can dress (and wear costumes) according to their liking. My point was only to educate the readers that Muslim women who are facing stereotyping will find it hurtful. Remember I said, “bad idea”. But if someone want to act upon this bad idea, by all means. Nobody is disputing first amendment rights. You can read my views on this topic here: http://www.aolnews.com/2010/10/22/opinion-juan-williams-firing-not-justified/
2. So I am not saying don’t make hijab a Halloween costume, as much as I am saying, that don’t “take” hijab as a Halloween costume.
3. The crux of the piece revolved around the story of harassment, “witch, witch, witch”. I was expecting a universal condemnation of that behavior and yes, there was a pretty universal condemnation. So thank you. It means a lot.
5. Some folks feel very strongly about whether Islam requires a woman to cover her face or not. On that I only have to say what Leslie Hazelton considered the biggest surprise about Quran that “How flexible the Quran is, at least in minds that are not fundamentally inflexible”. On this topic, we should allow the flexibility of Quran to favor the women and changing needs of the time instead of towing a traditional line of thinking.
6. I ended the piece asking, “Will cultural America reward (hijab) with the treat of acceptance now? And I am happy to report that based on personal emails and comments, a majority of you responded in affirmative. Thank you. Some remain persistent in their stereotypical attitude. And that’s the beauty of a secular, pluralistic, democratic society that you don’t need a 100% agreement from everyone!
I sincerely appreciate all your comments.
Be well.
Faheem Younus
The misguided 'scholars' raised hell, trying to convince the masses that how can you allow a woman to rule you under Islam? but the answer is yes, a woman can rule and they have ruled.
Yet those who claim to be the champions of human rights here in US, spend all their energies to prove 'how oppressive hijab is.
This is not about winning or losing a point. Clearly, a lot of uneducated men oppress women. yes, they have. Has happened in all religions, all countries. But it serves no benefit to try and prove theological positions where there is no one answer.
I get what they are saying about modesty. I am Christian and do not wear anything close to a hijab, but I do believe in dressing modestly in public. In the Muslim culture, it seems like all the responsibility for the lust and subsequently poor behavior of men is placed on the woman. She has to cover up so as not to tempt men. While I advocate that women stop dressing slutty in pubic, whether at Halloween or any other time, I don't think we are responsible for the poor choices some men make.
Charlie Hebdo Offices Firebombed After It Joked About The Prophet Muhammad (Pictures)
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/11/02/charlie-hebdo-offices-firebombed_n_1070833.html?ref=uk
There have been several cases in Europe of cartoonists, journalists and publishers being threatened or attacked after depicting cartoons and pictures of the religious figure.
http://www.sunnipath.com/Library/Articles/AR00000212.aspx
The jurists have divided woman's nakedness into two categories:
* Lesser nakedness (`awra mukhaffafa): the face, hands, head, neck, forearms, feet, torso and back.
* Greater nakedness (`awra mughallaza): all of her body except the above parts.
When it comes to proving your point, an overhwelming majority of Muslims worldwide rely on this process: Quran is the highest evidence, then comes sunnah or the life of the Prophet pbuh and then hadith - the sayings of the prophet. The "sheikh" you quoted is as marginal as Terry Jones n christianity and his view means nothing. He could write as many books as he like.
Please support your point from the established criteria. We can use google to find an 'expert' saying something unintelligent about anything. Dont cherry pick.
Again, your self-righteous indignation proves to be mere bluster.
- I don't know how you can say such a lie and think that people will just believe you.
He is among the 500 most influential muslims in the world.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22652672/The-500-most-influential-Muslims-in-the-world
Haddad is a well-known scholar and religious leader o Lebanese-American background. He has emerged as one of the clearest voices of traditional Islam in the West. A scholar and translator o classical Islamic texts, Haddad converted to Islam while in his undergraduate years and then travelled to Damascus to pursue his studies. A prolitc author and aHadith expert, Haddad has translated and published over 30 works including Allah’s Names and Attributes by Imam al Bayhaqi and The Prophet’s Night Journey and Heavenly Ascent by Sheikh Muhammad ibn `Alawi al Maliki.
I've encountered both Christian and Buddhist monks. I've encountered Muslim women in head scarves. (There were two rather chatty young Muslim women in head scarves on my bus the other day). I have encountered goths with very noticeable face piercings, nuns, Sikhs in full turbans, Rastafarians and Pastafarians. And each and every one was unique, and I would have been doing each a disservice to pigeonhole any of them based on their dress.
Obligation of Hijab as Stated in Hadith
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=514&
"Ayesha (r) reported that Asma’ the daughter of Abu Bakr (r) came to the Messenger of Allah (s) while wearing thin clothing. He approached her and said: 'O Asma’! When a girl reaches the menstrual age, it is not proper that anything should remain exposed except this and this. He pointed to the face and hands." [Abu Dawud].
And you would have us believe that all them were covered in black from head to toe...
The one-L lama,
He's a priest.
The two-L llama,
He's a beast.
And I would bet
A silk pajama
There isn't any
Three-L lllama.
-Ogden Nash
(So did Ogden Nash, after he published his poem.)
(O.N.'s reply to the person who pointed out the three-alarmer to him? It was classic. "Oh, pooh", he said.)