>From: "Human Resource Information System" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Fw: Hijaab
>Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 15:42:58 -0700
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Jamiat <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: 17 August 1999 5:53 AM
>Subject: Hijaab
>
>
> >=============================
> >http://www.jamiat.org.za/isinfo/hijaab.html
> >=============================
> >HIJAAB
> >It is late in the afternoon at the University of British Columbia and I
>have
> >been cooped up in this library for hours, trying to compose a thesis for
>my
> >American Literature term paper. Deciding that a break would help clear my
> >thoughts, I leave the confines of the library to sit outside, only to
>hear
>a
> >female voice come up from behind me to ask: "Just how is it that you can
> >live with yourself from day to day wearing that THING on your head and
> >letting THEM control your life?" Granted, it is an original line, a
>creative
> >way to break the ice, yet why the code words? Only because I've been
>yelled
> >at in public before for reasons connected to my appearance do I know what
> >this woman means.
> >
> >Code word # 1: "head thing"= 30inch X 30inch yellow and maroon flower
> >patterned polyester blend, a piece of cloth I happen to be wearing to
>cover
> >my head and neck;
> >Code word #2: "them"= all Muslim men who, sinister-like with their dark
> >beards, heavy accents, and hidden Uzi's get a rush out of making women
>their
> >life-long slaves.
> >Having deciphered all this quickly, I turn to face the stranger-a cross
> >looking thing-I smile politely and signal to the empty chair beside me:
> >
> >"Would you like to have a seat?" HIJAB, the head to ankle covering that
> >leaves only the face, hands and feet visible in public, has made me a
>very
> >patient Muslim woman. The brave individuals who have mustered the courage
>to
> >verbally express their opinions about my scarf haven't been the most
>trying.
> >There are many who can't formulate words coherent enough to communicate
> >their disapproval, and so, rely on simple gestures and sign language.
> >Walking through downtown Vancouver, I've been fingered, spat on, scowled
>and
> >cursed at.
> >
> >Stepping into an elevator, I once traumatized a man who could do nothing
>but
> >shuffle into the corner of the empty lift and mutter "What the ----? WHAT
> >THE ----?!?!?!?!" I have to take the agitation, the horror, and even the
> >hatred in a stride. But never will I be silent about it.
> >
> >I can ignore the flagrant distortions no more than I can deny the fact
>that
> >I am a Muslim living in Canada. Who I am and what popular culture thinks
>I
> >am, has become a tug-of-war-competition of who can explain the status of
>the
> >Muslim hijab-wearer convincingly. The media tells the public that I am a
> >weak freak of nature who has been forced to subject herself to the
>tyranny
> >of Muslim fundamentalists. Catherine Meckes assesses that wearing hijab
>is
> >"some kind of twisted logic" because it entraps women like animals in a
> >cage.
> >
> >The Muslim dress code, she argues, is a form of hiding from society so
>that
> >I don't have to deal with the realities of my "natural habitat." Ms.
>Meckes
> >seems to be familiar enough with the Western culture to know that women
>are
> >constantly objectified, used as commodities, tools to sell beer and boost
> >sales for the next football season. Sadly enough, though, she views women
> >who wish to distance themselves from this commercial degradation with
>fear.
> >
> >She finds women who cover "disturbing" and wished that she didn't have to
> >confront them on their "home turf."
> >
> >Pardon my feeble-mindedness, I've pinned my scarf on too tight and
>squeezed
> >reason out of my brain....just WHO is running away from the truth? I have
> >chosen to set myself apart from millions of Canadians, placed myself in
>the
> >way of ridicule by a society that demands women to conform to certain
> >ideals,I have refused to hide in the crowded university hallways and
>malls
> >by looking the way Cindy, Cosmo, or Calvin Klein think I should- all
>because
> >I'm a spineless caged rodent?!?! I have rejected the hip-hugging jeans,
>the
> >breast-enhancing halter tops, the poofy hair and made-up face, and
>accepted
> >hijab so that I can be appreciated for my intellect and personality
>rather
> >than my figure or fashion sense. When I face a classmate or colleague I
>can
> >be confident that my body is not being scrutinized, my bra-strap or
> >pantyline visible. I have repudiated the perverted values of our society
>by
> >choosing to assert myself only through my mind. I understand my "natural
> >habitat" very well thank you.
> >
> >I fully comprehend the distorted image of the "ideal woman," but the
> >difference between me and the Catherine Meckes's of the world is that I
>am
> >NOT afraid to defy those standards. Islam liberated me from THAT prison.
> >
> >Perhaps hijab is so misunderstood because it is prescribed by a religion
> >that makes a bold and shocking statement: Women are precious creatures
>who
> >have the right to be valued for who they are, and not what they can
>juggle.
> >When I decided to start wearing hijab, my mother pulled me aside and
>posed
> >this question: "If you found a diamond that was exquisite in every way,
> >would you show it to all your friends, let them gawk at its dazzle,
>caress
> >it, or would you covet the stone and protect it by preserving its natural
> >splendor?"
> >
> >Once you bear something for all to see, the second you display something
>for
> >its beauty, you objectify it and diminish its value. Because its worth is
> >built on its ability to attract, when it no longer elicits awe from
> >onlookers it becomes worthless. Is it a wonder that neck lines keep
>plunging
> >every year?- more cleavage means women won't bore oglers, the commercial
> >industries, and the rest of society for awhile. But when will those
>skirts
> >quit shortening?? For how long will women remain sex objects??
> >
> >Islam tells us that every woman is a jewel and when she respects herself
> >enough to preserve her beauty for herself and her loved ones, she rejects
> >being objectified by a society which does NOT value her. Only the dearest
> >people in my life know me without hijab because they love me enough to
>value
> >ALL of me. John and Jane Doe don't love me or care for me, so why must I
> >meet their notions of an "ideal woman" if they are meaningless to me? It
>is
> >the desire to please popular culture that makes 15 year old girls want to
> >fit Kate Moss's jeans by sticking their fingers down their throats and
> >wretching(throwing up) three times a day. It is the unattainable
> >Perfect-Body society has conjured, that make "fat", "ugly" girls splatter
> >themselves on sidewalks because they just are "not thin and pretty
>enough".
> >AND THEY TELL ME ISLAM OPPRESSES WOMEN??
> >
> >I am thankful that I am not suicidal or psychologically unbalanced
>because
>I
> >can't meet the demands of my culture. I am fortunate that my concerns and
> >goals in life lie on a higher plane than the dictates of a pretty fashion
> >industry. I am quite content with my religion, for it values my power to
> >achieve great things through my mind, not through my body. Whether I am
> >physically beautiful or not, you have no clue. Perhaps this fact is
> >disturbing for Catherine Meckes and the library stranger because they are
> >not ready to meet a woman who can get by without her looks. Then again,
> >perhaps it is because they are just ignorant of the (WHAT IS IT?) facts.
> >Either way, I don't need anyone's sympathy, I am not really that scary,
>and
> >your anger does me no harm.
> >
> >I am not under duress, or a male-worshipping female captive from the
> >barbarous Arabian deserts.
> >
> >I'VE BEEN LIBERATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> >=============================
> >http://www.jamiat.org.za/isinfo/hijaab.html
> >=============================
> >==============================================
> >For the latest updates and Islamic info, send a message to
> >[log in to unmask] with the following text in the body of
>the
> >message:
> >subscribe mail-list <email address>
> >______________________________________________
> >http://www.jamiat.org.za
> >Council of Muslim Theologians
> >P.O. Box 62564
> >Bishopsgate 4008
> >(South Africa)
> >Tel: 0027 31 3067786
> >Fax: 0027 31 3064786
> >______________________________________________
> >
> >
> >
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
