Hijabi

American High School Graduation

2006-08-14T14:15:00.000+01:00

An American High School Graduation That Should Be a Model for All
Ray Hanania, Arab News

It was a small high school graduation that took place in Chicago’s Southwest Suburbs, consisting of only 28 students.

They all shared the same hopes, dreams and career aspirations with other teenagers who are graduating from thousands of high schools all across the United States.

But this group is different. They wore white gowns. Their silvered tassels hung from the left side of their cap and were switched to the right after receiving their certificates. And they all wore white-laced hijab. All 28 of the young women are Muslim and graduates of the Aqsa School, an accredited Islamic high school in Bridgeview, Illinois.

That their ceremony passed without any media attention is not unusual. About the only time the mainstream American media covers Muslims and Arabs is when the event relates to the “war on terrorism” or feeds the growing Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment of American society.

There are about four million Arabs in the United States, split evenly between Muslims and Christians. And, there are about seven million Muslims in the United States, about 22 percent are Arab.

Unlike their teenager contemporaries, nearly all boasted honor distinctions and membership in the National Honor Society. Their future plans were shared with the audience of about 300 parents, grandparents and siblings by the Aqsa School principal, Khalida Baste, who also wore a hijab and traditional abaya.

Nearly every one of the graduates said they wanted to serve those in need. All said they wanted to be not only good Muslims but good Americans, too. Like their parents.

Most said they planned to pursue careers in nursing. A few said they wanted to be doctors. Some said they hoped to enter the world of business, a place where not only Muslims struggle but women in general face challenges of gender discrimination.

Two said they hoped to become journalists, with one saying her goal was to work at the Al-Jazeera Satellite television network.

One said she wanted to work to support “the starving young children in Africa, give a voice to the prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison, and champion the rights of Palestinians in the Israeli occupation.”

They will all go on to college. Moraine Valley. Robert Morris. The University of Illinois at Chicago. Loyola. And, the University of Chicago. One will travel to the occupied West Bank to study at the besieged but honored Birzeit University.

The fact that they are all women graduating from college and pursuing advanced careers also stabs at the heart of a vicious stereotype that somehow only women in the Arab and Muslim world face excessive discrimination.

Discrimination against women occurs throughout the world in male-dominated societies. Muslims, at least, can boast that three of the largest Muslim nations of Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh elected women heads of state.

One day, the United States will elect their first woman president. The closest Americans have come to a woman head of state has been on television, with Geena Davis playing the nation’s first woman president on the popular TV program “Commander in Chief.”

Maybe, America’s next president might be one of the graduates of the Aqsa school, which was founded nearly 20 years ago and named after one of the holiest mosques in Islam located in the city of Arab East Jerusalem. It was built, in part, with a donation from Saudi Arabia and funds raised among the growing Arab and Muslim population in Chicago, which numbers more than 250,000.

Sabrina Ahmad, the Salutatorian, seemed to reflect the pride and commitment of the graduating class best when she said, “We have learned much about our religion that we would not have learned anywhere else,” and quoting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who advised others “to seek education from the cradle to the grave.”

Graduate Sanah Yassin said, “Here standing before you are 28 smart Muslim ladies, some of whom are the first to ever graduate in their families.”

Hind Saleh, the mother of one graduate and speaking on behalf of all the proud parents, noted the closeness of Muslims to mainstream American society when she said, “When I was young I did not have a school like this. My parents did not want me to go to public school, so they enrolled me at an all girls Catholic school.”

There, she said, she learned to respect the family, God and her society. If only every graduating class in America could boast having students like them.

— Ray Hanania is a Palestinian American journalist and author. He can be reached at www.hanania.com.

Hijab in Western Countries

2006-07-25T16:51:00.000+01:00

Hijab in Western Countries
Adil Salahi, Arab News

Q. On the basis of my understanding of verses such as 24: 31, and 33: 53 & 55, the hijab is obligatory for Muslim women. However, some of our brothers and sisters living in the US claim that it is optional for those living in the US and other Western countries. They argue that wearing it is counterproductive, as it attracts attention to them and exposes them to pressure, discrimination and ill treatment. Please comment.
Nasima Zakariya

A. It is one thing for a Muslim to say that in his circumstances he finds great difficulty in complying with a particular Islamic duty, and a totally different thing to try to justify his noncompliance with it by saying that it is not a duty.

In the first case, the person concerned acknowledges the duty and his failure to comply with it, praying God for forgiveness. In the second, he tries to twist the meanings of texts in order to show that he does not contravene divine orders. This is extremely wrong, and God has denounced those among the Jews and other earlier communities who did that.

Verse 24: 31 is very clear in its instructions, requiring Muslim women to drop their head coverings over their bosoms so as to cover the top opening of their clothes. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has made clear in many Hadiths that a woman must cover her body, except her face and hands. This verse addresses all believing women, which means that its requirements apply to all Muslim women. As for the other two verses you have referred to in Surah 33, these are applicable only to the Prophet’s wives.

It is true that verse 55 implies the same requirements as certain parts of verse 24: 31, but this is to make clear that the general instruction also applies to the Prophet’s wives.

We need to remind ourselves that the Prophet’s wives had a number of special rulings that applied to them alone. Other Muslim women need not follow their suit, because God tells them clearly that they have a special case and that they are unlike other women. In fact, these rules specify certain additional restrictions, which means that their nonapplicability to other Muslim women is an act of God’s grace, making things easier for us.

Having said that, I understand the difficult position of Muslim women in Western countries, particularly in recent years. There must be collective counter pressure so as to make compliance with Islamic teachings acceptable. Unfortunately, such pressure does not seem to be forthcoming, particularly because governments in some Muslim countries are similarly opposed to the hijab. Nevertheless, all of us, even those who do not wear the hijab, should make clear to Western governments and societies that compliance with our religious duties is an inalienable right of every Muslim, man or woman.

Muslim women should continue to wear the hijab, so that they practically demonstrate that prejudice against them is nothing but flagrant discrimination. If there are certain rules that prevent them from doing their duty, they should do everything within the law to get those rules changed.

The community as a whole should bring pressure to bear on politicians, parliamentarians, the media and the government in their respective countries to ensure that they enjoy their rights of practicing their faith.

Unfortunately they have not been helped by the attitude of certain scholars, particularly by the fatwa given by some scholars. This fatwa is wrong in its very premise, and it betrays total ignorance of how things are done in Western countries. Thus, it gave ammunition to those who are against Islamic practices, and deprived Muslim women and communities of their constitutional rights to observe the teachings of their faith without pressure or prejudice.

A Japanese Woman's Experience of Hijaab

2006-03-17T10:21:00.000Z

A Japanese Woman's Experience of Hijaab
by Nakata Khaula

When I reverted to Islam, the religion of our inborn nature, a fierce debate raged about girls observing the hijab at schools in France. It still does. The majority, it seemed, thought that wearing the headscarf was contrary to the principle that public - that is state-funded - schools should be neutral with regard to religion. Even as a non-Muslim, I could not understand why there was such a fuss over such a small thing as a scarf on a Muslim student's head. The feeling still persists amongst non-Muslims that Muslim women wear the hijab simply because they are slaves to tradition, so much so that it is seen as a symbol of oppression. Women' s liberation and independence is, so they believe, impossible unless they first remove the hijab.

Such naiveté is shared by "Muslims" with little or no knowledge of Islam. Being so used to secularism and religious eclecticism, pick and mix, they are unable to comprehend that Islam is universal and eternal. This apart, women all over the world, non-Arabs, are embracing Islam and wearing the hijab as a religious requirement, not a misdirected sense of "tradition."

I am but one example of such women. My hijab is not a part of my racial or traditional identity; it has no social or political significance; it is, purely and simply, my religious identity.

I have worn the hijab since embracing Islam in Paris. The exact form of the hijab varies according to the country one is in, or the degree of the individual's religious awareness. In France I wore a simple scarf, which matched my dress and perched lightly on my head so that it was almost fashionable! Now, in Saudi Arabia, I wear an all-covering black cape; not even my eyes are visible. Thus, I have experienced the hijab from its simplest to its most complete form.
What does the hijab mean to me? Although there have been many books and articles about the hijab, they always tend to be written from an outsider's point of view; I hope this will allow me to explain what I can observe from the inside, so to speak. When I decided to declare my Islam, I did not think whether I could pray five times a day or wear the hijab. Maybe I was scared that if I had given it serious thought I would have reached a negative conclusion, and that would affect my decision to become a Muslim. Until I visited the main mosque in Paris I had nothing to do with Islam; neither the prayers nor the hijab were familiar to me. In fact, both were unimaginable but my desire to be a Muslim was too strong (Alhamdulilah) for me to be overly concerned with what awaited me on the "other side" of my conversion.

The benefits of observing hijab became clear to me following a lecture at the mosque when I kept my scarf on even after leaving the building. The lecture had filled me with such a previously unknown spiritual satisfaction that I simply did not want to remove it. Because of the cold weather, I did not attract too much attention but I did feel different, somehow purified and protected; I felt as if I was in Allah's company.

As a foreigner in Paris, I sometimes felt uneasy about being stared at by men. In my hijab I went unnoticed, protected from impolite stares.

My hijab made me happy; it was both a sign of my obedience to Allah and a manifestation of my faith. I did not need to utter beliefs, the hijab stated them clearly for all to see, especially fellow Muslims, and thus it helped to strengthen the bonds of sisterhood in Islam.

Wearing the hijab soon became spontaneous, albeit purely voluntary. No human being could force me to wear it; if they had, perhaps I would have rebelled and rejected it. However, the first Islamic book I read used very moderate language in this respect, saying that "Allah recommends it (the hijab) strongly" and since Islam (as the word itself indicates) means we are to obey Allah's will I accomplished my Islamic duties willingly and without difficulty, Alhamdulilah.

The hijab reminds people who see it that God exists, and it serves as a constant reminder to me that I should conduct myself as a Muslim. Just as police officers are more professionally aware while in uniform, so I had a stronger sense of being a Muslim wearing my hijab.

Two weeks after my return to Islam, I went back to Japan for a family wedding and took the decision not to return to my studies in France; French literature had lost its appeal and the desire to study Arabic had replaced it. As a new Muslim with very little knowledge of Islam it was a big test for me to live in a small town in Japan completely isolated from Muslims. However, this isolation intensified my Islamic consciousness, and I knew that I was not alone as Allah was with me.

I had to abandon many of my clothes and, with some help from a friend who knew dressmaking; I made some pantaloons, similar to Pakistani dress. I was not bothered by the strange looks the people gave me!

After six months in Japan, my desire to study Arabic grew so much that I decided to go to Cairo, where I knew someone. None of my host family there spoke English (or Japanese!) and the lady who took my hand to lead me into the house was covered from head to toe in black. Even her face was covered. Although this is now familiar to me here in Riyadh, I remember being surprised at the time, recalling an incident in France when I had seen such dress and thought, “there is a woman enslaved by Arabic tradition, unaware of real Islam,” (which, I believed, thought that covering the face was not a necessity, but an ethnic tradition).

I wanted to tell the lady in Cairo that she was exaggerating in her dress,that it was unnatural and abnormal. Instead, I was told that my self-made dress was not suitable to go out in, something I disagreed with since I understood that it satisfied the requirements for a Muslimah. But, when in Rome, I bought some cloth and made a long dress, called khimar, which covered the loins and the arms completely. I was even ready to cover my face, something most of the sisters with whom I became acquainted did. They were, though, a small minority in Cairo.

Generally speaking, young Egyptians, more or less fully westernized, kept their distance from women wearing khimar and called them “the sisters”. Men treated us with respect and special politeness. Women wearing a khimar shared a sisterhood which lived up to the Prophet’s saying (Allah’s blessings and peace on him) that “a Muslim gives his salaam to the person he crosses in the street, whether he knows him or not.” The sisters were, it is probably true to say, more conscious of their faith than those who wear scarves for the sake of custom, rather than for the sake of Allah. Before becoming a Muslimah, my preference was for active pants-style clothes, not the more feminine skirt, but the long dress I wore in Cairo pleased me; I felt elegant and more relaxed.

In the western sense, black is a favourite colour for evening wears as it accentuates the beauty of the wearer. My new sisters were truly beautiful in their black khimar and with a light akin, to saintliness shone from their faces. Indeed, they are not unlike Raman Catholic nuns, something I noticed particularly when I had occasion to visit Paris soon after arriving in Saudi Arabia.

I was in the same Metro carriage as a nun and I smiled at our similarity of dress. Hers was the symbol of her devotion to God, as is that of a Muslimah. I often wonder why people say nothing about the veil of the Catholic nun, but criticise vehemently the veil of a Muslimah, regarding it as a symbol of “terrorism” and “oppression.”

I did not mind abandoning colourful clothes in favour of black; in fact, I had always had a sense to longing for the religious lifestyle of a nun even before becoming a Muslimah!

After another six months in Cairo, however, I was so accustomed to my long dress that I started to think that I would wear it on my return to Japan. My concession was that I had some dresses made in light colours, and some white khimars, in the belief that they would be less shocking in Japan than the black variety.

I was right. The Japanese reacted rather well to my white khimars, and they seemed to be able to guess that I was of a religious persuasion. I heard one girl telling her friend that I was a Buddhist nun; how similar a Muslimah, a Buddhist nun and a Christian nun are! man who would not normally be accustomed to talking about religion.

My father was worried when I went out in long sleeves and a head-cover even in the hottest weather, but I found that my hijab protected me from the sun. Indeed, it was I who also felt uneasy looking at my younger sister’ s legs while she wore short pants.

Muslims are accused of being over-sensitive about the human body but the degree of sexual harassment which occurs these days justifies modest dress. Just as a short skirt can send the signal that the wearer is available to men, so the hijab signals, loud and clear: “I am forbidden for you.”

The Prophet once asked his daughter Fatima, "What is the best for a woman?” And she replied: “Not to see men and not to be seen by them.” Having married, I left Japan for Saudi Arabia, where it is customary for the women to cover their faces outdoors. I was impatient to try the niqab (face cover), and curious to know how it felt. Of course, non-Muslim women generally wear a black cloak, rather nonchalantly thrown over their shoulders, but do not cover their faces; Non-Saudi Muslim women also often keep their faces uncovered.

My first niqab left my eyes uncovered. But in winter I wore a fine eye-covering as well. It is an error of judgment to think that a Muslim woman covers herself because she is a private possession of her husband. In fact, she preserves her dignity and refuses to be possessed by strangers. Observing the hijab from outside, it is impossible to see what it hides. The gap, between being outside and looking in, and being inside and looking out, explains in part the void in the understanding of Islam. An outsider may see Islam as restricting Muslims. Inside, however, there is peace, freedom, and joy, which those who experience it have never known before.

Practising Muslims, whether those born in Muslim families or those reverted to Islam, choose Islam rather than the illusory freedom of secular life. If it oppresses women, why are so many well-educated young women in Europe, America, Japan, Australia, indeed all over the world, abandoning “liberty” and “independence” and embracing Islam?

A person blinded by prejudice may not see it, but a woman in hijab is as brightly beautiful as an angel, full of self-confidence, serenity, and dignity.

Muslim girl basketball players compete in modesty & effort

2006-02-02T11:15:00.000Z

Muslim girl basketball players compete in modesty and effort
Thursday, February 02, 2006
JEFF DIAMANTNewhouse News Service
SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Each afternoon before basketball practice, Hiba Hussain swaps her regular polyester Muslim head scarf for a cotton one.

The cotton better absorbs sweat as she hustles down the court, scurries for rebounds and dives for loose balls.

Hiba, 15, is a point guard for the state's only girls basketball team from an Islamic school. The players at Noor-Ul-Iman School in South Brunswick compete while wearing head scarves - called hijabs - long sleeves and sweat pants.

"It gets a little in the way, but what can you do?" Hiba said of the hijab. "It's part of the religion. It doesn't bother me, I really don't mind. I deal with it. ... People say, `Don't you get hot? Don't you sweat?' But it's part of the game."

By several accounts, Hiba is the most intense player on a team of enthusiastic teenagers that has been around three years. The team is 1-4 so far this year - it beat Academy Charter High School of Lake Como. But even in losing, the team is a minor spectacle, attracting stares for its garb and surprising opponents with its aggressive play.

In a recent 49-15 loss to Piscataway Tech, players battled so hard for rebounds and loose balls that afterward a Tech player emerged from the locker room and loudly criticized Noor-Ul-Iman's players for their aggressive play as they left the gymnasium.

Scarves an afterthought:
It is the head scarves, though, that usually draw the most attention and initially make the girls seem out of place on the court to many fans. To the girls themselves, the scarves are an afterthought.

"We wear it everywhere outside the house. I'm used to it," said Asma Saud, the tallest player on the team at 5-foot-9. Like most of her teammates, she began playing basketball in a hijab as a child with brothers or male cousins. "You don't really remember how it was when you didn't play with it."

There are fewer than a half-dozen girls basketball teams at Islamic schools in the country, according to the Islamic Schools League of America, a networking organization for Islamic schools. The players at Noor-Ul-Iman view their team as a way to teach Americans something about Muslim women.

"You want to show people we can do things," Hussain said. "We can go out and play sports, we can go out and do this. ... Yeah, it (a hijab) is obligatory, but it doesn't hold us back from anything. We can do everything that everyone else does."

Clearly, the players and their coach aren't satisfied with being an anomaly on the high school sports scene. They want to win more games.

"You have to demand more of yourselves!" coach Abir Catovic told her players after their loss, in which Noor-Ul-Iman scored 2 points in the second half. "You have to run your little tails off! ... I'm going to be hard until you meet my expectations!"

The Noor-Ul-Iman girls said no one has ever taunted them at a game, and that opponents almost always are friendly. Only once, Catovic said, has anyone asked about the hijabs, and that was during a boys game.

"People who saw me cheering once asked about the head scarf; they asked, `What is this called?' and `What are you wearing?'" Catovic said.

Noor-Ul-Iman has only 28 high school girls, and 15 of them play on the team. The school is associated with the Islamic Society of Central Jersey, which is considered a religiously progressive mosque.

Imam is supportive:
While some adults at the mosque oppose the idea of girls playing sports in public, the mosque's religious leader, Imam Hamad Chebli, said he is strongly in favor of the team as long as the girls are modestly attired.

"We're very proud of them," he said. "I encourage it."

Iran, a predominantly Muslim country, hosts the Muslim Women's Games every four years. Athletes there do not need to dress modestly because no men are allowed to watch the events, and no media broadcast them.

Source: the Birmingham News

We must move beyond the hijab

2005-12-01T13:29:00.000Z

We must move beyond the hijab

Had reporters asked, they'd have known a headscarf does not cover the face, writes Fareena Alam

Tuesday November 29, 2005
The Guardian

It looked like Imperial College had lost its liberal bearings: a ban on hijab at one of Britain's foremost universities would have set a dangerous precedent (College security ban on hijabs and hoodies, November 24). This caused significant distress among British Muslims. But the agony could have been avoided had the report been more accurate: the college has only banned clothing that covers the face, preventing an individual from being identified- something the hijab does not do. An Imperial spokeswoman told me: "We are absolutely not banning people who wear the hijab because the headscarf does not cover the face. We welcome diversity at Imperial College and hijabs, turbans and other items of clothing that represent this diversity are very welcome."

If Muslim women's dress is going to make news on a regular basis, then it's about time we got our terminology straight. Generally, the term hijab refers to "modest dress", and this is interpreted differently depending on cultural context and one's approach to the sacred law. In Britain, the hijab usually refers to the headscarf, which covers the hair and often falls down around the shoulders. The niqab is a veil that is drawn across the face, usually leaving the eyes visible. The jilbab has nothing do with covering the face or hair. It is a long, loose gown that does not show the shape of the body. In many traditional Muslim societies both men and women wear jilbabs (or jalabiyyas when referring to men's clothing). The Taliban "popularised" the burqa, a shuttlecock-like garment that envelops the entire body including the face. The burqa is peculiar to certain Muslim cultures and is certainly not a feature of British Muslim life.

Having said that, Imperial's decision seems both ill-conceived and badly timed. By referring to the London bombings to explain the need for greater security, they fail to mention that none of the 7/7 attackers covered their face, hid behind a niqab or even a hood. While the college's statement embraces diversity, it would have served its own interests by acknowledging the current sensitivities around Muslim religious dress. A consultation with campus Muslim organisations would have made the announcement less susceptible to the ensuing hyperbole and alarm.

For most, the choice of religious dress reflects a spiritual commitment. Most Muslim women don't fixate about it; they just make their decision and get on with it. Both the pundits and the pious need to get beyond the superficialities of cloth. The hijab is one way Muslim women choose to express their spirituality. It is neither the sum total of their identity nor does it indicate a uniform understanding of Islam. For some Muslim women, dress has become a powerful political symbol and an emblem of resistance to a dominant culture that objectifies women's bodies. Inadvertently, the hijab lobby has fallen into the same trap.

No one is free from cultural baggage. Nobody is a value-free zone. So many British women feel forced to look physically attractive. Studies show that overweight and scruffy women aren't as successful in their careers. Is that fair?

For most, the hijab is based on choice. Our liberal values are surely flexible enough to take this in stride. You don't have to love it to acknowledge someone else's freedom to wear it.

· Fareena Alam is editor of Q-News, the Muslim magazine

Students' fury at ban on hoodies and Islam veils

2005-11-24T15:55:00.000Z

Students' fury at ban on hoodies and Islam veils
by LAURA CLARK and STEPHANIE CONDRON,
Daily Mail 24/11/05 - News section

A leading university has banned students from wearing Islamic headscarves and hooded tops in a security clampdown.

Imperial College London has ruled that 'hoodies' and veils which obscure the face pose a threat in the wake of the London bombings.

Guards have been ordered to challenge 'unrecognisable individuals' and remove them from campus if they refuse to expose their faces.

All staff and students at the university, which has a large Muslim population, have been told they must wear photo identity cards, and security staff must be able to compare their face to the picture.

But angry students are claiming the new code is an attack on their freedom.
Is security a valid excuse for banning veils? Tell us using the reader comments link at the bottom of the page...

The code stipulates: "Clothing that obscures an individual's face is not allowed on any of the college's campuses.

"Employees and students should refrain from wearing clothing which obscures the face, such as a full or half veil, or hooded tops or scarves worn across the face."
It adds that the university will 'sympathetically consider' any student's complaint that the rules conflict with their religious belief.

Clamp down on extremists
The code has been introduced at Imperial following an order from Education Secretary Ruth Kelly that all universities clamp down on student extremists following the July terror attacks.
Muslim leaders were also asked to help 'identify and isolate' potential extremists on campuses.
Earlier this year, an academic report named Imperial College as one of 31 universities which has harboured terrorists.

The study, by security experts at Brunel University, claimed the institution provided a base for extreme Islamic organisations.
But Sarah Khatib, deputy president of Imperial's student union, said members are unhappy with the code.

"We all understand that the college wants to identify people, so we're trying to find a middle way," she said.

"People have happily accepted the fact that there is increased security and they have to wear their swipe cards.

"But they aren't happy about the hoodies. People like wearing them and when it's cold the hoods are necessary. They feel it is an infringement on freedom."

'Civil rights issue'
Inayat Bunglawala, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said it would be unfortunate if women who wear the burka out of religious conviction were penalised.

He said: "We hope the university would work out some sort of arrangement so if a student does believe part of their faith requirement is to wear one they can continue with their studies.

"In today's world we understand there has to be security, but measures should not be so drastic as to prevent Muslim women taking up higher education, especially as they are being encouraged to do so."

Imperial, one of the most prestigious universities in the country, is known for its maths and science degrees.

On campus yesterday, environmental technology student Nanna Baldvinsdottir said: "I think it's a civil rights issue.

"Even if it affects just three people, I think they have the right to go their own way, whatever their background.

"Its nobody's business. It's very imperialist to tell people what they can wear."

Earlier this year, a Muslim girl took her school to court after being told she could not wear traditional Islamic dress.

Court of Appeal judges ruled that the school had unlawfully excluded her, denying her the right to practise her religion or provide her with an education.
Source: DailyMail.co.uk

Hijab costs woman French residency

2005-11-17T23:01:00.000Z

Hijab costs woman French residency
Thursday 17 November 2005 5:22 PM GMT

A Moroccan woman living legally in France for eight years has been refused a long-term residence card because she covers her hair with an Islamic head scarf, says her lawyer.

A regional government official wrote in a rejection letter this month that the head scarf worn by Chetouani El Khamsa was a sign of Islamic fundamentalism, her lawyer Pascale Torgemen said on Thursday.

Torgemen said El Khamsa planned to appeal and to file suit for what she contends is a discriminatory, racist and sexist decision.

"Does this mean that a man with a beard is systematically Islamist, a fundamentalist?" the lawyer said.

El Khamsa has lived legally in France - where her four children were born - since 1997, employed by her husband's business. To replace her current residence card that must be renewed annually, she wanted a residency permit that is valid for 10 years, like the one accorded her husband.

But in a 2 November letter refusing her the 10-year card, Francois Praver, sub-prefect in the town of Raincy outside Paris, noted that during her interview, El Khamsa wore a head scarf "entirely covering your neck and the roots of your hair, comparable to a hijab, sign of belonging to a fundamentalist Islam".

The lawyer gave a copy of the letter to The Associated Press.

Hijab ban

France, looking to uphold its secular foundations and discourage Islamic fundamentalism, last year banned Muslim head scarves and other conspicuous religious symbols from public schools. But the ban does not apply outside of classrooms.

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has said women cannot wear head coverings in official identity photos. But Torgemen said that her client does not wear her head scarf for official photos - her head is uncovered in her Moroccan passport.

Torgemen said she had not previously heard of a case of women being refused the 10-year residency card because their heads are covered.

El Khamsa and her family are "people without a history, without problems", the lawyer said.

"For me, this is discrimination. They compare the fact that one wears a scarf to fundamentalist Islam," she said.
aljazeera.net

Strasbourg court decision on Hijab condemned

2005-11-14T12:04:00.000Z

Nov 13, IRNA
Europe is victimizing Muslim women who wear Hijab, according to a group which is campaigning for the rights of Muslim women to wear the Islamic dress code.

The group 'Protect-Hijab' has expressed its great disappointment with the European Court of Human Rights ruling against Leyla Shahin of Turkey, who has been pursuing her right to wear the Hijab since being evicted from an examination hall in Turkey in 1998.

The Hijab ban, wherever it is in place, is being used as a disguise for governments to suppress the free practice of religion, said the UK-based group in a statement received by IRNA in Brussels.

"The court's reasoning, based on the impact of the practice of Hijab on those who choose not to wear it, is unconvincing at best, and unashamedly paradoxical at worse." The court in Strasbourg on Friday confirmed an earlier ruling against Leyla Sahin, 32, who was barred from sitting at a university exam in Turkey in 1998 because she wore a headscarf.

"The ECHR is saying that the right of women who choose not to wear the Hijab is greater than the rights of women who wish to observe this religious code." "There is no legal reasoning that can convince us that this is a fair decision. It is simply a reflection of long established European policy on the issue of the Hijab, which has victimized Hijab wearing Muslim women," stated Rajnaara Akhtar, Chai person of Protect-Hijab.

Protect-Hijab said it feels this decision will be unhelpful to the integration of Muslim communities in Europe.

The aim of 'Assembly for the Protection of Hijab' is to campaign nationally and internationally for the protection of every Muslim woman's right to wear the Hijab in accordance with her beliefs and for the protection of every woman's right to dress as modestly and as comfortably as she pleases.

Take a look at this beautiful Hijab Poem

German State Bans Headscarves

2005-10-26T18:55:00.000+01:00

Germany's most populous state has banned Muslim teachers from wearing headscarves in classrooms in a government bid to protect pupils from the influence of 'Islamic fundamentalism'. Deputies from the ruling Christian Democrats and Free Democrats in have agreed unanimously to put the measure to a vote in the state legislature next month. Headscarf bans for teachers have already been introduced in the German states of Hesse, Lower Saxony, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria and Saarland. In Hesse the ban applies to all civil servants. Germany is home to more than three-million Muslims. -Sapa

Hijab by Sumayyah Joan

2005-10-19T09:38:00.000+01:00

Originally published in Resalah, December 1999

It will be three years ago, this December 25th, that I stood before two Muslim sisters and declared openly my belief in Allah and His Messenger, Sallallahu-‘Alaihi Was-Sallam, and thus freeing and liberating myself from my former self-imposed bondage. Stepping out of the darkness of disbelief into the light of Islam, it’s funny that I found such freedom in the very thing that was keeping me from Islam in the first place; the hijab. Even though I get the wide gamut of strange stares, points, and comments, this covering makes me feel honored, safe, and cherished.

The word hijab comes from the Arabic word "hajaba" meaning to hide from view or to conceal their beauty in this society and do not give in to its oppressive system, are looked upon as invisible, without sexuality, and backward. Because I’m often mistaken for a nun, a terrorist, who may be hiding Allah knows what’s under all that stuff, or the poster-child for oppressed womanhood everywhere, I feel the reactions to the hijab for many women, is the truest test of being a Muslim. In instructing us to wear the hijab, Allah has given Muslim women what they can bear of injunctions and obligations. For Allah says,

"And we do not lay on any soul a burden except to the extent of it’s ability, and with Us is a Book which speaks the truth, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly." (23:62)

Unfortunately, Satan and his cohorts are calling the Muslim woman to enslave her to the creation, and to forget about her servitude to her Creator. Chastity, modesty, and piety are deceptively marked as shackles on personal freedom. Allah warns the believers that they should not let Satan deceive them, as he deceived their parents, Adam and Eve. Under the guises of fashion, culture, and modernism, however, Satan has succeeded and is succeeding to lead the Muslim woman into immodesty.

From the dawn of civilization, flowing dresses and headscarves has always been associated with "Godliness" or "God consciousness". Even the Christian pictorial representation of the earlier prophets and their womenfolk bear familiar likeness to the dress ordained for Muslim men and women. This tradition of modesty is reflected in the Qur’an, wherein Allah says,

"O Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover yourselves (screen your private parts, etc.) and as an adornment. But the raiment of righteousness, that is better" (7:26)

But since the heyday of feminist movement, there has been an increasing amount of scrutiny placed on the dress and status of Muslim women. According to these "liberated" women, the hijab not only covers the head, but also covers the mind, will, and intellect. They say that our dress code is outdated and oppressive, and it stops us from being productive human beings. They speak out of ignorance when they say that our hijab does not belong in these modern times, when due to the constant decrease in moral values in the world today, circumstances make the hijab even more necessary. More than ever before, sex crimes are rampant and "liberated women" in the larder society now face increasing higher chances of being raped or sexually harassed. The Federal Government conducted research in which they found that in America, a rape is committed every six minutes.

The women, who uncover their beauty and show off their bodies and made-up faces for all to enjoy, expose themselves to be harmed by wolves in human clothing. Allah enjoined hijab on the Muslim woman to protect her from harm. He knows his creation, and knows that when women make a dazzling display of themselves, with immodest clothes, perfumed bodies and made-up faces, it serves to increase the sexual deviance of the overall society. Many of those who are misguided would have us thing though that the hijab is a portable prison that restricts our minds, lives, and hearts. It is none of these things, and in order not to fall victim to their plots, we must begin to understand what the hijab truly is.
from truereligion.org

Police force Muslim woman to remove veil

2005-10-14T23:48:00.000+01:00

By Shaista GohirCourtesy of MVUK,
this article appeared in following newspapers : The Jang (2nd June), Pakistan Post (3rd June), Asian Post (3rd June) and The Asian Leader, North Edition(6th June)

A Muslim woman from Birmingham has branded West Midlands Police as racist and Islamophobic. She says her calls to the police for help resulted in her being arrested and claims that she was ordered to remove her hijab (head scarf) and niqab (face veil) by police officers at the station.

Mrs Mahfooz Bibi has been arrested four times in a 14 month period over disputes with her neighbours. Although her neighbours are also Muslim the Pakistani mother of five claims that she was victimised because she wears the hijab and niqab.

Mrs Bibi’s husband who is also a policeman, but based at a different station, is shocked at the way his wife has been treated. Despite lodging formal complaints a year ago, they are still waiting to hear the outcome of the case.

The first incident ironically occurred on September 11th 2003, the second anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Mrs Bibi, who lives in the Sparkhill area, had called the police after she and her two sons had been physically assaulted by neighbours. She complained about what had occurred to a Muslim Police Officer in Urdu, as she was not fluent in English. She alleges that although the Muslim Officer was sympathetic, the other police officer ignored her version of events and instead ordered her to be arrested. “I could not believe what was happening. I had called the police yet I was being arrested for causing a breach of the peace. There was physical evidence of injuries to my sons but my complaint was ignored,” says Mrs Bibi, speaking through an interpreter.

When she was taken to Belgrave Road Police Station, which serves a predominantly Asian area, she was released without charge. However Mrs Bibi describes how she was mocked and ridiculed by police officers. “At the station, officers were looking at me and putting their hands over their face and making gestures to show they were wearing niqabs. One of the officers that drove me back home even mimicked me by making whimpering noises because I was crying in the back of the car.”

On another occasion Mrs Bibi was arrested and charged for criminal damage although the allegations were unfounded and the case later dropped due to the lack of evidence. She explains how officers had ordered her to remove her head scarf and veil while she was in custody at the police station.

“The male officer demanded that I remove my face veil for a photograph. After consulting my interpreter and solicitor I agreed providing I was dealt with by a female officer. However, the female officer told me to remove my entire hijab and uncover my head. I even asked her if this would be the case for everyone, including for Sikh Males who wear turbans. I was told it was normal practice, so I removed my hijab.”

After the incident Mrs Bibi was upset to learn that Sikh males are not required to remove their turbans for photographs.

A month later, Mrs Bibi was taken to the police station again. She alleges that the same male officer demanded she remove her veil so he could see her face. “I felt vulnerable and his oppressive behaviour made me very scared. Through duress I unveiled my face to the male sergeant. I felt humiliated at having to remove my niqab in front of this man.”

Still upset at her ordeal, Mrs Bibi added, “The police force’s lack of sensitivity towards the Muslim culture is evident from the way I have been treated.”

Mrs Bibi’s, then 17 year old daughter, Sofina Bibi claims she was also ordered to remove her face veil by the same male police officer when she attended the station voluntarily to answer questions. “When I asked him why this was necessary the officer replied ‘You are a danger to me’. However, I refused to remove the veil in front of him,” explains Sofina.

When Mrs Bibi lodged two formal complaints last year about her treatment, senior police officers dismissed her allegations. However Mrs Bibi pursued the matter with the Independent Police Complaints Commission who instructed West Midlands Police to investigate the complaint further. Although the case has now been taken up by the Professional Standards Department at Lloyd House, Mrs Bibi accuses West Midlands Police of not taking her complaints seriously. “They have failed to take any action against the officers concerned and a year on I am still waiting to hear the outcome of the case.”

It is thought that the negative perceptions the Muslim community already has about the police will be reinforced by Mrs Bibi’s case. Already counter-terrorism powers are used disproportionately against Muslims and recently a Met police officer was suspended over claims of racial abuse after he was secretly recorded by a Kurdish teenager that he had arrested.

Also the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) concluded their inquiry earlier this year, which was launched in October 2003 in the wake of the undercover BBC documentary that revealed racism among police recruits. According to the CRE report, a new disciplinary offence of "racial misconduct" should be created to combat bigotry in the police. At present, racial misconduct cases are brought under a number of different sections, increasing the chance that they are not recorded properly.

Although it will be impossible to entirely stamp out racism in the police force, implementation of the 125 recommendations by the CRE report should go a long way in improving the situation.

Shaista Gohir is the Director of Muslim Voice UK
If any Muslim women have been treated in a similar manner by any organisation, please e-mail contact@mvuk.co.uk

Hijab on Campus

2005-10-03T23:38:00.000+01:00

HIJAB ON CAMPUS
By Wida Kamal Hamidi

My senior year of high school was a memorable time. It was a year of changes, of saying goodbye, of learning to let go of youth and begin the voyage to adulthood, a voyage that started the first day after graduation. My classmates would discuss college with such yearning and anticipation, because to them, it spelled F-R-E-E-D-OM, freedom to finally live life as they wanted, to experience independence, in other words to "party". I always viewed college as a place to study, to mature, and to gain the necessary skills and tools to live a full, rewarding life as a responsible adult. How different my views were from those of my peers!

Many Muslim parents are not aware of exactly what occurs in the university. I have heard horror stories of Muslim youth, who have become engulfed by the whole college experience. Parents should be wary and really talk with their children before they send them off on their own. There have been numerous studies conducted regarding the amount of alcohol that is consumed in the freshman year. According to the Core Institute, an organization that surveys college drinking practices, 300,000 of today's college students will eventually die of alcohol-related causes such as drunk driving accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, various cancers and heart disease. And 159,000 of today's first-year college students will drop out of school next year for alcohol or other drug-related reasons. (http://www.factsontap.org/collexp/Collexp.htm)

The only way to protect our Muslim youth from the vices of college life is by giving them a strong foundation in the deen. For example, praying five times a day serves as a continuous reminder that we are always in the presence of Allah (SWT), and thus it helps us to avoid being led astray by Satan. Likewise, hijab serves the same purpose; similar to police and other officials in uniform, we tend to behave more honorably when dressed such. We are human beings; we are imperfect, and we tend to forget and slip at times (like our parents, Adam and Eve, who forgot and ate from the tree). Hence, we need to be consistently reminded of the fact that we are never alone; Allah is always watching.

Hijab, also, helps to safeguard and protect Muslimahs from the negative aspects of the college environment. There are many benefits to wearing hijab on campus, but before I name them, I would first like to define what hijab is.

Many of my sisters mistakenly think that by simply wearing a headscarf, they are observing proper hijab. However, this is not the case. Hijab is an all-encompassing term that denotes the entire aura, demeanor of the Muslimah, from her clothes, to her attitude, and most importantly to her hayah and modesty. When we practice true hijab, we never allow ourselves to be alone in the company of non-mahrem men because we know this would negate our hijab. When we practice true hijab, we not only ensure that all of our hair is covered, but also that the rest of our body is properly attired with LOOSE, modest clothing. When we practice true hijab, we do not lie or tell improper jokes; we safeguard our tongue because we know this is one of the shortest routes to the Hellfire. When we practice true hijab, we know that we are ambassadors of Islam and that the impression we give to non-Muslims will influence their overall opinion of Islam; therefore, we make sure that we are always polite, courteous and respectful. The Muslimah in proper hijab is an aweinspiring figure, a no-nonsense, independent, strong personality who does not have time to waste in futile activities, but uses her time on campus productively. She takes her studies seriously, and she only participates in those activities that will please her Creator. The college campus can be a wild terrain full of temptations, but it will have no attraction for her.

Benefits of wearing hijab on campus:

1. Hijab helps to keep women from being objectified by her male peers and to be taken more seriously, thus easing the way for her to succeed in the academic environment.

2. Hijab makes her stronger because wearing it on campus is not an easy task, and most likely she may be viewed as odd or a social "misfit" who does not belong with the rest of the sorority sisters or typical college coeds. She becomes immune to the stares and the whispers and uses each experience to become wiser. Contrary to popular opinion, she is a strong, independent woman who doesn't compromise her values and beliefs in order to fit into the popular mold. She upholds her morality in an environment that has long since forgotten the meaning of the word. She stands apart, and she knows that though she may be a figure of ridicule to some, in the eyes of her Lord, she is BEAUTIFUL. She does not need society's acceptance, nor stamp of approval, because she only aims to please her Creator.

3. Hijab serves as a protective barrier between her and the ills of campus life. In hijab, she is less likely to be approached by members of the opposite sex and less likely to be invited to parties and other such gatherings where, most likely, alcohol and drugs will be prevalent.

4. Hijab improves her self-image and confidence because she does not need to spend an hour each morning primping and pruning to please others. She dons her modest clothing and presents a clean, fresh image, for she knows that cleanliness is half of deen. By not having to worry about fixing her hair and wearing tons of makeup, she saves valuable time that she uses to study or just rest. She has a healthy self-image of herself because beauty and fashion is not as important to her as most of the other young college women. Thus, she is not part of the10% of college women who suffer from a clinical or nearly clinical eating disorder. (http://womensissues.about.com/cs/eatingdisorders/a/edstats.htm)Women, who place a strong emphasis on physical appearance, are usually the ones who will succumb to an eating disorder. Many of my friends were victims of anorexia and bulemia, and with them, it resulted from a constant fixation on their bodies. Hijab helps us to take control over our bodies, by limiting access. When we cover our bodies day in and day out, we devalue the importance that society has placed on image and physical appearance.

5. Hijab helps to protect her from the horrible fate of rape that occurs so commonly on college campuses, because she attempts, as best as possible, to not place herself in risky situations. This is very important because rape is the most common violent crime on American college campuses today; an estimated 25 percent of college women have been victims of rape or attempted rape.(http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/e03021472.pdf) According to researchers, high rape rates among college women exist due to the environment of the campus (the frequent unsupervised parties, the easy access to alcohol, single students living on their own, and the availability of private rooms). Also, research indicates that in over three-quarters of college rapes, the offender, the victim or both had been drinking and that fewer than 5% of victims report the crime to the police.

Alhamdulillah, the benefits of hijab are numerous. As Muslims, we know that when our Creator decrees something for us, it is in our best interest. Obviously, the One who created us knows us much better than we. We should be thankful that Allah has given us this beautiful gift of hijab and that we have the right to wear it freely in the US, whereas so many of our sisters do not have this same right. Whether it is a Muslim-majority country like Turkey, or a non-Muslim one like France, young Muslim women all over the world are struggling to have the right to wear hijab. May Allah help them in their noble cause and easy their difficulties, as well as guide all of our sisters to don the hijab.

www.MessageOnline.org February-March 2004

Hijab

2005-09-27T16:12:00.000+01:00

The Islamic Veil or Hijab

For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in God's praise -- for them has God prepared forgiveness and great reward. [ Quran 33:35 ]

Opening the eyes of the spirit takes a certain courage and a moment of decision...The moment of realization that maybe it is all real is where submission to God begins. It is not the end of the story by any means, but only the beginning. -- Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood, Thinking About God

Why wear Hijab?
Hijab Protects
Hijab- Questions and Answers
Liberation by the Veil
Hijab: A lesson to be learned
Only For Allah
My Body is My Own Business
The War of the Women
Thinking about Hijab...some steps to consider?
Some advice to a young sis who wants to wear hijab
Veiled? One Muslim woman on her choice to veil
Poem on hijab!