Time, people, culture, society, plus the environment were surrounded by, can produce occurance of many perspectives regarding an issue that we view in today’s society. One of several controversial topics is Islam along with the Hijab. Many questions and generalisations are sometimes formed inside minds of several non-Muslims regarding the concepts behind the Hijab over the influence from the media.
Throughout many years of conflict involving the “West” and “Islam”, the media has strongly altered the minds of non-Muslims by negative exploitation of Islam, and Muslims, especially on Muslim women. Misconceptions for instance, “Are you bald underneath” (i.e) on the alliance of *terrorism* that contrasts from what Muslim women believe the Hijab represents.
A common misconception is “the Islamic Hijab is a thing cultural, not religious”. The use from the word “cultural” is faulty when describing the Hijab because it implies that it’s a result of customs and practices that happen to be something outside of Islam. The cultural dress is referred for the ancient Pre-Islamic Era (Jahiliyah). It will be the veil through the Pre-Islamic Era that may be considered as “traditional” which stops women from contributing in society. On the contrary, the Islamic Hijab (veils) is not regarded as an informal tradition, nor should it lower her self-respect. The Hijab is directed at presenting women with poise and equality in society. An illustration showing Pre-Islamic era within our modern world could be the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Taliban really are a party who regard such activities un-Islamic for female, who’re prohibited from exercising their foremost rights. The Taliban have banned women from employment away from home, apart on the health sector, and also have terminated education for young girls.
Prophet Mohammad (peace & blessings be upon him) said, “Seeking knowledge is incumbent upon every Muslim*. Even The formal King of England “Henry VIII” ban women to analyze the Bible once the first English translations started to appear. It’s an irony even though the Taliban claim their guiding philosophy on women come in place to ensure that the physical protection and self-respect of girls, where, many Afghan females have been killed, beaten and publicly hung. For many Afghan women nervous about being severely punished through the Taliban is main security concern.
Another misconception is “Muslim girls have no directly in Islam”. Islam gave women rights over 1400 in the past, that’s still ignored by many Muslims and non-Muslims today. Firstly, Islam has given women the fundamental right to freedom of speech. In the early days of Islam, the governor from the Islamic state regarding legal issues consulted women. Rights which are appointed to Muslim women since the beginning of their time are only just surfacing for non-Muslims. In Islam, women is free to become whom the girl with inside, and protected from being portrayed to be a sex symbol and lusted after. Islam praises the status of a female by commanding that they “enjoys equal rights to people of man in everything, she stands upon an equal footing with man” (Qur’an, Nadvi: 11) and both share mutual rights and obligations in every aspects of life.
Many women are treated in manners far from Islamic ideals, yet inside the name of Islam. The Taliban is surely an example of the cultural and political name which has been branded with Islam. There is no freedom for girls if they are imprisoned into their home inside name on the Hijab and Islam. Moreover, the veil of Islam will not be associated with the veil of oppression.
Women which might be regaining their identity and role in society, at the moment are wearing the Hijab and are also embracing its notion of liberation. They are taking their lawful locations Islam had awarded them fourteen hundred years back. In fact, the western women had no rights nor did they have got rights over their husband. Not only were woman the exact property of their husband but so were their possessions. In 1919 women in England fought for his or her rights to get elected to parliament. Because of these demands, these people were imprisoned through the government and suffered greatly. It was not before the late nineteenth and early last century when women received these rights.
A quote from your Qur’an in Surah 2: 26 states:
“And for females has rights over men, similar to people of men over women.”
The background history between Islam plus the West will shed some light as to the reasons Muslims are portrayed so negatively inside media. Some strong members are the medieval western conflict, the crusades, the oil crisis in the 1970’s, the Lebanese civil war, the Iranian revolution, the Gulf war, as well as the explosive Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the September 11 bombings, the Bali Massacre and also the London bombings. All these events have caused Islam to get consistently related to violence and unresolved conflict. Furthermore, the vista of Muslims to be violent typically explains why Muslims are located to establish a threat to your West. One with the most effective ways the media tries to somehow prevent Islam being observed in a positive frame would be to develop propaganda against Muslims and Islam.
The media will be able to use the Hijab to be a means of exploiting Muslim women, and degrading them. The media assumes, now and again, which the actions of a single Muslim are representations in the general Muslim populace. This is generalisation. This sets a example for members of society to abuse and degrade them.
An image of any Muslim woman wearing the chador was labelled as “like death out for any walk” within the (Australian Magazine, 25-26 Jan. 1995 publication). The media implied to discover the position of females in Islamic society as dominated. The image also portrayed the real difference between Muslim and Western Women in the current society.
In current affair programs, watching people are bombarded with images of Muslims as ferocious terrorists, killing innocent people with no remorse. What comes from this could be the viewers these programs, recognise and accept exactly the labels, and for that reason with Islam immediately associating it with negative images.
I asked a resident from Parramatta, who wished for being kept anonymous if “the September 11th bombings altered their mind about Islam and Muslim women?” He said “I didn’t know Islam plus the Qur’an preached terrorism. It has forced me to be aware of Islam as well as the teachings. It increased my awareness in the complexities of Islam and politics within the Middle East such as the veiling of Muslim women”. This respond manifest how dominant the media is towards its viewers.
Throughout the western society, the concept of Muslim women wearing the Hijab has ended in extreme viewpoints towards their so-called “oppression” and deficiency of freedom. Despite the obvious portrayal of Muslim ladies and myths that surround it for example; “Muslim women are laden”, there continues to get an copiousness of Western women reverting to Islam. What Islam uses to shield women will be the Hijab. This is ironic as the Western media often portray the Muslim veil being a suppressive force in women’s life.
Every Muslim woman is necessary to wear a scarf or getting some sort of head covering and loose-fitting, modest attire. This is just not a means of controlling a girl’s sexuality or suppressing her instead, a method for protection. It implies by dressing by doing this she will not seen to be a mere sex symbol and definitely will be appreciated on her behalf intellect. Furthermore, it doesn’t subject her to harassment. It is interesting expressing the head covering for women isn’t an Islamic innovation but seemed to be practiced by Judeo-Christian women centuries earlier, yet is laughed at because of the West today.
Naima Omar, trainees of University of Western Sydney says “It is funny to state the same veil worn by catholic nuns for God is despised and presented like a symbol of subjection and domination if it is worn by Muslim women with the intention to safeguard themselves and devoting themself to God”.
The term Islam means “submission for the will of Allah” and “peace”. Muslims believe Islam will not be a religion but a gift that was awarded in their mind. They believe Islam would be the way of life and which is harmonious even so the media portrays the contrary.
Maria Moskovakis, 18, a Greek Orthodox says “yes obviously Muslims are presented negatively inside the news. An action by one Muslim is given so much bias. If one Muslim commits a criminal offence, it isn’t the person even so the religion presented that would go to trial. What we hear and pay attention to is all controlled.
As El-Gharib (1996-97) noted, television, books, newspapers, and magazines are widely used to present Islam being a backward and barbaric religion. It has been considered as oppressive and unjust; and most this, it’s seen to be most harsh to women. These assorted forms of media misreport Islam in a different way, however largely achieve precisely the same negative result – the creation of the growing barrier of misunderstanding and hostility between Islam this is followers, as well as the West.
Muslims produce an obligation to fulfil that is to educate themselves, their children to find knowledge which can be ordained upon them regardless of the race, gender and marital status etc.
A Hasan Hadith narrated by Ibn Majah inside Qur’an states:
“Seeking knowledge is often a duty on every Muslim” and for that reason gaining knowledge is considered as an act of adoration. Stopping any Muslim from gaining an education no matter what age and sex will not be Islamic.
Dr Homer of Sweden was asked through the United Nations in 1975 to review the status of Women inside the Arab countries and said: “It will be the Swedish woman who should demand her freedom, because the women within the Arab countries has now reached the peak of her freedom under Islam.” From “Status Of Women In Islam” page 23.
Many are getting to be used to believing the false information that they’re spoon fed when they turn on the screen, listen to your radio or open a newspaper.
by Derya Goren
