Islam asks its followers, both men and women, to dress modestly. Nudity is not allowed for either sex. The only difference in dressing between men and women, as dictated by religion, is that women are specifically asked to cover their bosoms. Covering the face was made compulsory only to the Prophet’s wives because they are considered mothers of the faithful and as such were not allowed to be remarried. Also, their interaction with other men (especially after Prophet’s death) was much more than ordinary women because those who had questions about the new religion would come to them for consultation. Their remarriage would have thus come in their way of elucidating the Islamic principles to the seekers.
As far as other women are concerned, there is no compulsion in this aspect. However, if a woman feels comfortable covering her face, she is allowed to. As far as the covering of the head is concerned (hijab), there is no clear instruction in the Koran. That may be because: (i) It was always a part of their dressing, and (ii) Men and women of the other two religions, Judaism and Christianity, were already used to wearing the scarf in accordance with their religious instructions. And the source of Islam is supposed to be the same as these two religions.
Since Islam came from Arabia, its non-Arab followers also began to follow the Arabian customs which were dictated by the middle-east geography and were not really required outside of that region. Growing a beard, wearing an abaya, and even circumcision, are not mandatory practices. These were customs made compulsory by geography. A beard protected men from the sand. The abaya, while covering the women’s bodies modestly, also provided comfort and free movement. Scarves were worn by both men and women to protect themselves from excessive heat and sand. Lack of water made it prudent to get boys circumcised.
In India, Muslim women generally took the ghunghat and of course, covered their bosoms. In fact, Muslim women were actively involved in education as well as the feminist movement. Fatima Shaikh (friend of Savitribai Phule) and Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain have done exemplary work in breaking the shackles of women in Indian society. There are many such examples.
The burqa is derived from the concept of Abaya. It came in vogue when Muslim men, working in the middle-east, wanted their wives back home, to look like rich wives of the Sheikhs. As India began witnessing riots and subjugation of Muslims escalated, the bigots within the Muslim community began to force their views to stop the community’s women from moving out of their homes, and cover themselves top to bottom whenever they had to. It will be right to point out here that according to Arabic customs, women are allowed to work and contribute to society. So what the Indian Muslim women were forced to do was neither Islamic nor Arabic.
Indian Muslim girls, in spite of all the difficulties, were keen on getting educated (unlike Muslim boys). Burqa had almost become history during the end of the 70s and till around the end of the 80s. Then the Babri Masjid episode happened. In Mumbai, after the riots in 1993, the Muslim women forced their men to stay inside, and instead ventured out themselves for their family’s daily needs, just so that it won’t trigger fights among the men of the two communities. But they were scared to show their real identity to the men who beat their boys and brothers and husbands and fathers. The burqa provided them that cover. In the era post 93, Muslim girls from Mumbai, continued with their education, but Burqa became an integral part of many among them. Successive riots and consequent subjugation made it into an all-India phenomenon (I am not so sure about the Muslim women in UP/Bihar).
Education made these girls confident and self-sufficient. Less educated Muslim men made these girls into even bigger fighters. What we saw during the CAA protests was a result of all these circumstances in Independent India. Remember those veiled women with sharp tongues and intellect ready to defend their actions?
What is happening in Karnataka is simply an extension of these episodes. As a group, Muslim girls are not the ones who take things lying down. They cannot be forced by men, at home or outside. They will show their faces to those with whom they are comfortable. And those boys, who were in dozens and trying to intimidate a lonely girl, definitely can’t be among those who Muskan and her sisters would feel comfortable with. This is defiance, nothing else.
Having said that, the rules of the school have to be followed. Uniform, in the first place, is to bring uniformity. All should abide by it. The rules do not ask the girls to go against Islam. Don’t fall into the trap laid by politics of division. Hooliganism need not be answered back with hooliganism. Students’ first and foremost duty is to get educated. They should concentrate on that. The more educated a student is, the more will the rascals (both within and outside your homes) be intimidated, without ever needing to retaliate in their ways. Even silence would do the trick. These unsocial elements are an insecure bunch and they will forever remain so. No need to worry. It is they who should be worried.
As regards the case, since there is nothing in the Koran that says Burqa/Hijaab is mandatory in the way it is understood and practiced in India, the court will not be wrong in delivering a judgment that might go against the girls. Gracefully accepting the verdict will go a long way in making people, who are not bigots, think about this resistance without passions and biased emotions.
Meanwhile, the point the girls wanted to make, asking for their right to wear a burqa/hijab as an expression of their religious belief, has been made. And that in itself is a big victory.
PS – “Many people assume that it is all about the headscarf alone. But hijab is an entire way of dressing, behaving and believing, a concept to be adopted by both men and women. Moreover, the best type of hijab is not as much the physical one, but a state of mind pertaining to the inner self.”
From Rafiq Lasne’s wall: A commentary regarding the ongoing issue of Muslim girls in Karnataka, India asking for the right to wear a hijab to school.
