Islam is one of the most misunderstood religions in the world today. Anyone with a beard is considered a terrorist. Similarly any woman wearing a scarf or hijab is considered to be one who needs liberation without knowing the fact that whether she is wearing with her own consent or not. The problem that I find here is the lack of transfer of information between different religions. Even in the age of information technology, we find our non-Muslim brothers with either very little knowledge about Islam or with misconceptions about it.
However, I consider them innocent in this manner because of the fact that media in the recent times has portrayed Islam in such a way that we can find many Muslims who would say that west is doing right. I don’t want to go into the detail of what is happening around the globe because I am here to discuss something else. I am here to discuss how we can end these misconceptions with such easy ways. One way which I will focus in this article is that the role our sisters & mothers can play to get rid of some of the misconceptions that non-Muslims have about them.
Due to the change in the living styles in the modern world, Islam is being considered very conservative. This is due to the following misinterpretations:
• Women cannot do jobs
• Women are not allowed to get good education
• Women are forced to wear hijab
• Women have no rights
If you ask a non-Muslim about what they think about Muslim women he or she would usually mention some of these statements. So what is true? How can a religion that is said to be a religion for the whole of humanity, which is said to the most practical religion ignore one half of humans? The answer is it hasn’t. Islam rather gives a path that is beneficial for all times. It puts certain limitations not only on women but also on man so that the society & the whole system could work in a better way & prosper. What I have found in the Quran about the issue that how women should dress has been addressed in the following two verses:
"O prophet, tell your wives, your daughters and the wives of the believers that they shall LENGTHEN their garments. Thus, they will be recognized and avoid being insulted. God is Forgiver, Most Merciful." 33:59
"And tell the believing women to subdue their eyes, and maintain their chastity. They shall not reveal any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary. They shall cover their chests, and shall not relax this code in the presence of other than their husbands, they shall not strike their feet when they walk in order to shake and reveal certain details of their bodies. All of you shall repent to GOD, O you believers that you may succeed." 24:31.
The first verse is debated a lot. Many people say that it was for that particular time however, I think that Quran is not for a particular time period, nor has it any verse been sent for a particular time. So in my point of view on which you have right to argue is that hijab has been asked to wear for recognition same as men are asked to have beard. The question is how women in west can wear hijab & still show that it is with their own consent? One of the ways that I’ve come up is by modernizing the ways in the limits of Islam. For this, I’ve found some amazing works on the internet as well. Mash Allah many people have started o Islamic shopping sites as well. Yesterday I visited Islamic Impressions- Hijabs, Jilbabs, Jubbas and Islamic Books. It is quite good. Although, there is room for improvement but still it’s quite a job well done. It represents Islam in quite a modernized way with stylish jilbabs & other women collection. It has a collection for men as well but women’s collection is worth seeing. These kinds of work will really help give a positive image of Islam to the rest of the world.
The second verse describes the dress code when women are in contact with men other than his husband. This means that women can interact with men but under certain limitations that are for their own betterment. We read & hear so much about sexual harassment in working place with ladies by their colleagues. This will reduce quite dramatically in my point of view if ladies working in offices follow the dress code told by Islam. The site that I mentioned above had clothing that goes with the formal look as well. So by wearing such clothes our sisters, mothers, wives & our sisters can do jobs, get good education & can compete with the world.
