Friday, February 17, 2012

The Sacred Unknown..

Continuing on the topic of religion, I'd like to take a different route today and talk about one other than my own, Islam. I have recently learned more about the principles and main beliefs of the religion and have come to have a new understanding and appreciation of Muslim woman, the way that they carry themselves, and specifically, what they wear. I'm sure you have seen a Muslim woman at some point in your life, if not even just walking around campus. You may see her in what many would refer to as a "headscarf," with virtually nothing showing on her face but her eyes. Or in their long colorless 'gowns' that lack in style and originality.

I have often times seen people laughing at this sight, saying that these women look like ninjas because of their all black fits. I'm sure they would have a new found respect for them if they truly understood why they wear what they do. I have also heard many people ignorantly link this type of dress to Muslim women being surpressed as though they are forced to wear these clothes.

We'll here's some insight. The scarf covering the hair and face is correctly referred to as a hijab. Women of the Islam faith wear these to send a message that many religions believe is appropriate for all women. They reflect the fact that women are not supposed to be overtly sexy or physically appealing at all for that matter. Although the Koran and the Bible are different but they both exclaim that a woman is supposed to be modest, in everything that she does. It also speaks of refraining from doing anything in excess. They believe that covering their bodies forces men to have to know their personalities and not only want them because of their appearance. Contrary to popular belief these women are not forced to wear anything. Women freely choose what they wear and see it as a form of liberation!
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2 comments:

  1. Jack SmallFebruary 21, 2012 at 12:45 PM

    That is actually incredibly interesting. I have seen Muslim women wearing these outfits for so long, and have even been friends with people that wore them, but never asked the reason behind them. The fact that they represent liberation and a focus on the personality is so far from what I expected. Needless to say, I am happily surprised that women are not forced by oppressive husbands/fathers to wear what they wear.

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  2. Meghan HenniganFebruary 24, 2012 at 11:59 AM

    I agree with Jack that the topic is very interesting. I have seen women dressed this way, and I usually assumed they were forced to dress in accordance with their religion, not in a way personally chosen. This is also very interesting to me because of the stereotype I see people assigning to women dressed this way. Even I am guilty of it thinking they dress this way purely as a result of their religion. However, after reading this, I think it is great that these women are not concerned about looking any certain way to ensure a pursued judgement about their looks. I think there are a lot of women out there who could be inspired by them and could stop feeling self-conscious as a result of trying to look pretty, beautiful, etc. for someone other than themselves.

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