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The Islamic Bulletin
Volume X X No. 26
Page 10
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How I Came to Love the Veil
Yvonne Ridley is the Political editor of Islam Channel and
author of In The Hands of the Taliban and Ticket to Paradise.
Politicians and journalists just love to write about the oppres-
sion of women in Islam ... without even talking to the females
beneath the veil. They simply have no idea how Muslim
women are protected and respected within the Islamic
framework which was built more than 1400 years ago.
Yet, by writing about
cultural issues like
child brides, female
circumcision, honor
killings, and forced
marriages, they
wrongly believe they
are coming from a
point of knowledge.
And I am sick of
Saudi Arabia being
cited as an example
of how women are
subjugated in a country where they are banned from driving.
The issues above have simply nothing to do with Islam yet
they still write and talk about them with an arrogant air of
authority while wrongly blaming Islam. Please do not confuse
cultural behavior with Islam.
Misinterpretations
I was asked to write about how Islam allows men to beat
their wives. Sorry, not true. Yes, I’m sure critics of Islam will
quote random Qur’anic verses or hadiths but all are usually
taken out of context. If a man does raise a finger to his wife,
he is not allowed to leave a mark on her body ... this is
another way of the Qur’an saying “Don’t beat your wife,
stupid.
”Now let’s take a glance at some really interesting statistics,
hmm. I can almost hear the words pot, kettle, black. Accord-
ing to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, four million
American women experience a serious assault by a partner
during an average 12-month period.
On the average, more than three women are murdered by
their husbands and boyfriends every day ... that is nearly
5,500 women battered to death since 9/11.
Some might say that is a shocking indictment on such a
civilized society, but before I sound too smug, I would say
that violence against women is a global issue. Violent men
do not come in any particular religious or cultural category.
The reality is that one out of three women around the world
has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused
during her lifetime. Violence against women transcends
religion, wealth, class, skin color, and culture.
Equality Illusion
However, until Islam came on the scene women were treated
as inferior beings. In fact we women still have a problem in
the West where men think they are superior. This is reflected
in our promotion and wages structure right across the
spectrum from cleaners to career women who make it into
the boardroom.
Western women are still treated as commodities, where
sexual slavery is on the rise, disguised under marketing
euphemisms, where women’s bodies are traded throughout
the advertising world. As mentioned before, this is a society
where rape, sexual assault, and violence on women are
commonplace, a society where the equality between men and
women is an illusion, a society where a woman’s power or
influence is usually only related to the size of her breasts.
I used to look at veiled women as quiet, oppressed creatures
and now I look at them as multi-skilled, multi-talented,
resilient women whose brand of sisterhood makes Western
feminism pale into insignificance. My views changed after the
truly terrifying experience of being arrested by the Taliban for
sneaking into Afghanistan in September 2001 wearing the
bhurka.
During my 10-day captivity I struck a deal that if they let me
go I would read the Qur’an and study Islam. Against all the
odds, it worked and I was released. In return I kept my word,
but as a journalist covering the Middle East I realized I
needed to expand my knowledge of a religion which was
clearly a way of life.
And no. I’m not a victim of Stockholm Syndrome. To be a
victim you have to bond with your captors. During my impris-
onment I spat, swore, cursed and abused my jailers as well as
refused their food and went on hunger strike. I don’t know
who was happier when I was released — them or me!
Women in Islam
Reading the Qur’an was, I thought, going to be a very simple
academic exercise. I was stunned to discover that it clearly
stated women are equal in spirituality, education, and worth.
A woman’s gift for child birth and child-rearing is very much
recognized as a quality and attribute. Muslim women say with
pride they are homemakers and housewives.
Furthermore the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that the
most important person in the home was The Mother, The
Mother, The Mother. In fact he also said that heaven lies at
the feet of the mother. How many women make it into the top
100 power lists for simply being a “great mother”?
With Islam, choosing to remain at home and raise children
takes on a new dignity and respect in my eyes, similar to
those sisters among us who choose to go out to work and have
careers and professions. I then began looking at inheritance,
tax, property, and divorce laws. This is where Hollywood
divorce lawyers probably get their inspiration from. For
instance the woman gets to keep what she earns and owns
while the man has to stump up half his worth.
Isn’t it funny the way the tabloid media gets very excited over
the prospect of some pop or film star’s prenuptial wedding
agreement? Muslim women have had wedding contracts from
day one. They can choose if they want to work or not, and
anything they earn is theirs to spend while the husband has to
pay for all the household bills and the upkeep of his family.
Just about everything that feminists strived for in the ’70s was
already available to Muslim women 1400 years ago. Islam
dignifies and brings respect to motherhood and being a wife.
If you want to stay at home, stay at home. It is a great honor to
be a homemaker and the first educator of your children.But
equally, the Qur’an states if you want to work, then work. Be a
career woman, learn a profession, become a politician. Be
what you want to be and excel in what you do as a Muslim
because everything you do is in praise of Allah SWT.