Posted: Mar 11, 2010 10:28 am
HomerJay wrote:Nora_Leonard wrote:
In fact, in Britain, even in Catholic schools, crucifixes are not allowed as they are classed as jewellery rather than an item of clothing required by one's religion. There is nothing in the Bible which says that Christian's must wear a crucifix, whereas it is the consensus (religious term) that Muslim girls are required to wear the hijab, and also initiated Sikhs are required to wear the 5 signs, which include the steel bracelet and the kirpan (ceremonial dagger; in the case of school kids this is usually a small, sealed unit). Obviously not all Muslims feel obliged to wear the hijab.
This is really factually incorrect nora, do you have a link you can post where the hijab is even mentioned in the koran?
I didn't say it was in the Qur'an, I said it had been determined by consensus (ijma). At least that is my understanding of the matter.
wikipedia wrote:Ijmā' (إجماع) is an Arabic term referring ideally to the consensus of the ummah (the community of Muslims, or followers of Islam).
What is in the Qur'an, and what forms the basis for insistence on wearing the hijab, is an injunction to be modest in dress.
wikipedia wrote: The Qur'an instructs Muslims to dress in a modest way. The following verses are generally interpreted as applying to all Muslim men and women.
The surah 24:30-31 say:[7]
And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; 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, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss; [...] (Qur'an 24:31)
In the following verse, Muslim women are asked to draw their jilbab over them (when they go out), as a measure to distinguish themselves from others, so that they are not harassed. Whilst in sura 33:59 we read[7]
Those who harass believing men and believing women undeservedly, bear (on themselves) a calumny and a grievous sin. O Prophet! Enjoin your wives, your daughters, and the wives of true believers that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad) That is most convenient, that they may be distinguished and not be harassed. [...] (Qur'an 33:58–59)
The following verses give special directives to the wives of Muhammad though some commentators believe that all women should imitate their example.[citation needed]
O Wives of the Prophet, ye are not like any of the (other) women. If ye do fear (Allah), be not too complaisant of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire: but speak ye a speak that is just. Abide still in your homes and make not a dazzling display like that of the former times of ignorance: and establish regular prayer, and give regular charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye Members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless.
[...] (Qur'an 33:32–33)
Another verse in the Qur'an (33:53) talks about the veil as being a separation of two men and spheres of life such as the public and the private, rather than between men and women. This could very well be the definitive verse on hijab as it has been quoted as such by a number of Islamic theologians.[citation needed]
O Ye who believe! Enter not the dwellings of the Prophet for a meal without waiting for the proper time, unless permission be granted you. But if ye are invited, enter, and, when your meal is ended, then disperse. Linger not for conversation. Lo! That would cause annoyance to the Prophet, and he would be shy of (asking) you (to go); but Allah is not shy of the truth. And when ye ask of them (the wives of the Prophet) anything, ask it of them from behind a curtain. That is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. And it is not for you to cause annoyance to the messenger of Allah, nor that ye should ever marry his wives after him. Lo! That in Allah's sight would be an enormity. (Qur'an 33:53)
However, whereas I agree that this is a topic of considerable debate among Muslims, the fact is that there are places in Britain, e.g. where I live, where Muslims make up a substantial percentage of the population (~25%), and many of these Muslims are newly arrived refugees with very fixed ideas of what rules they need to follow. To ban the hijab in schools would cause enormous consternation and probably widespread demand for Muslim schools. This way these children get a secular rather than religious education.
And as I also said above, in the class that I visited yesterday it was the teacher, not any of the pupils, who was wearing the hijab. And I thought she was fantastic, she even pointed out that it was perfectly all right to be atheist!
I really don't want to get into a debate about Islamic law. I myself find nothing offensive about the headscarf, I've said this repeatedly on the many, many hijab threads on the old forum. I don't like the niqab and in fact that is banned in schools, and rightly so. However IMO there are other far more important battles to be fought than forbidding the wearing of a headscarf.
Cheers, Nora
