I had a question I was left thinking about after going to an open day at a mosque recently. I had an amazing time, it is a beautiful place and I’m really glad I went. Nevertheless, I was given a pamphlet there that claims to speak for Islam which said some things I’ve been thinking about.
I am really interested to hear what you think about the statements below. I’ve written what I think.
“Both sexes are expected to dress modestly. Women must also cover their hair, as women are ordinarily considered to be the more attractive of the sexes. These restrictions serve to protect women’s honour in public.” “Muslim men do not stand out from the crowd as Muslim women might, mainly due to a severe slide in standards of modesty of women’s dress in western societies.”
I want to start by saying that I absolutely respect women wearing the hijab. But the above explanation of why they should, seems very male-centric, especially the idea that women are the more attractive of the sexes. It begs the question; more attractive to whom? To men. Men are the more attractive sex to heterosexual women. This pamphlet disregards the relevance of the hijab to women, and see it only as a piece of clothing that protects men from women’s sexuality.
I also think that what they wrote makes a caricature of ‘Western’ dress. Women throughout the West dress very differently, although it is fair to say that their clothing is generally more revealing. However, this again doesn’t necessarily stem from wanting to attract men. Women dress the way other people they know dress – their mothers and friends. They dress in a way that is culturally appropriate. Women in films or advertisements aren’t representative of most women in Western culture. Again, it seems to consider only what Western dress means for men i.e. it’s more revealing, and not what it means for women, which is more about identity, culture and comfort.
The pamphlet goes on to make claims about Islam’s attitude toward married women that worry me. “Islam supports the traditional division of labour whereby women assume the main responsibility for home while men are responsible for their financial support … however in Islam these are considered to be of equal worth.”
“Muslims consider it unfair to burden women with the demands of motherhood and the demands of the workplace, which end up exhausting so many women and destroying family life in the West, often merely for the sake of financial gain. Muslims often express sympathy for women of the West, many of whom suffer from sexual exploitation and abuse at home and in the workplace, while being unappreciated in their traditional roles.”
I had two thoughts on these statements
1) It compares the Western reality with the Islamic ideal, so the conclusion is somewhat meaningless. Many Muslim women (like their Western counterparts) don’t have the choice to work; it is a product of necessity. For all women, having money allows you to provide opportunities for yourself and family – things like education, travel and flexibility. These benefits compete with those you can give your children by spending time with them. It’s impossible to ignore either part of that equation when deciding what is best for your family.
2) My worry with a statement like that is, in a situation where both partners have to work, the husband feels he can call on some sort of defined mandate not to do housework. This puts inordinate stress on the woman. It seems better to stress principles of compassion and fairness, and leave couples to work out their own arrangements based on those principles.
The final issue is the statement that “Muslims often express sympathy for women of the West, many of whom suffer from sexual exploitation and abuse at home and in the workplace, while being unappreciated in their traditional roles.” This makes no sense to me. Sexual abuse and exploitation affect women regardless of religion, and I don’t know what ‘traditional role appreciation’ does to change that. Some women in Islamic states can call on little protection from sexual abuse in legal systems where police don’t pursue claims of domestic violence, and where rape within marriage isn’t illegal. I think there is a very valid argument (in a Western and Eastern context) that work in the home should be valued and treated with respect. But the above argument goes way beyond this, drawing links to sexual harassment and domestic abuse that I don’t buy.