It says: you cannot avoid them
But you can protect yourself
Your creator knows better your good wellness
ON THE HIJAB
It is true that male domination was prevalent in society till recently and its traces still exist. This is true of all communities. But in the case of Muslims, male dominance assumes a different colour because of the hijab. Muslim women had the right to property 1400 years ago. They could not be forcibly married. They had the right to divorce and widow re-marriage was accepted by society. They had the freedom of expression and participated in decision-making. Unfortunately, Muslims started following other communities in which men dominated and are paying the price for it.
Islam, while granting equal rights to women, advises them to use the hijab only to prevent male domination over them and to avoid situations causing the same. The crime rate against women is proof of the fact that irrespective of development, women are victims of sexual harassment. While taking up challenging careers and scaling new heights, women should also take care of family values.
N. Mohamed, Chennai (courtesy: The Hindu)
POEM ON HIJAB
This is a Letter to Your Beautiful Mind
from the scarfhead you glanced at uneasily
as you went past in the street today
as you pretended to take aim and fire
as you scornfully called out go back to iran or wherever
how old this is getting
i’d rather write about the sky
response #1: go with your gut, girl i wear this
for fun, actually. it’s a scarf. deal with it.
response #2: politics and the fine art of the reactionary
no, i’m not oppressed –
not a soldier of wrath –
no, i’m not patriarchy’s last victim –
no, i do have rights – i’m not a fundamentali – hey.
Hey! I’m talking to you –
response #3: the appeal to intellect through reason
I want someday to manage the word God in a poem
without committing travesty
response #4: it’s ironic
how what covers my hair slows traffic scares boys
stops ultraviolet rays
starts riots keeps my ears warm in winter.
by rahat kurd copyright 1997 “You never understood me.
You never really tried.”- Kate Bush This is
a Letter to Your Beautiful Mind from Rahat Kurd
from the scarfhead you glanced at uneasily
as you went past in the street today the one you judged
and dismissed in the fraction of a second it took for your eyes
to transmit the image to your brain. it is being written
out of a weary kind of anger because really i mean it’s
only a scarf.
Relax the first response: go with your gut i
wear it because i want to. deal with it.
the second response: politics and the fine art of the reactionary
no i’m not oppressed no i don’t come from iran
no i’m not a fundamentali- hey.
Hey! I’m TALKING to you–
third response: the appeal to intellect by reason my scarf,
my resolve, my love achieved after seventeen years
of edging apologetically
toward this fringe far out Islamic way of life
will command your respect:
assert my right to dignity over the insolent
stare of disbelief, contempt, or pity will declare
with pride our name, out faith, our identity
will LIBERATE my SISTERS from
becoming VICTIMS OF PATRIARCHAL SEXIST TYRANNY!! …
will keep my ears quite warm in winter, actually…
”Jazaakallaahu khairan” http://www.jannah.org/sisters/hijpoem.html