Ali Al-Gudairi Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 22 | Size: 3 MB
1-Hijab in Islam
Many Westerners think that hijab (veil)
is the symbol of oppression of the Muslim woman. Several western
caricaturists depict the Muslim woman typically as one wearing a black
«aba›a» : a dress that covers all her body except for her eyes. She is
usually fat and sad! The aim behind this is usually to criticize such
costume and confirm the image of the oppressed Muslim woman in the
western minds! We refuted that image in a previous article «Arabs and
Women Slavery» in which we mentioned the reaction of Saudi female
students to the comments of Karen Hughes, the Middle East emissary of
the American Administration, and how they proved their love of their
Islamic costume and hijab. They were proud and had no intention to give
this up. However, is hijab an Islamic innovation?
2-Hijab was an Old Jewish Custom
Although Muslim women are the ones that
mostly observe the hijab, it is not correct that Islam is the only
religion that orders its followers to wear hijab! Laila Lia Bruner,
professor of Jewish history at the Jewish University and the visiting
professor at Shiva University Institute for Adult Studies indicates
that, «the early divine classic literature, Talmud and Midrash, had
completely different viewpoints regarding covering woman’s hair. At that
time, covering hair was not just a costume or a habit as in the Bible.
Rather, it was the rule and regulation for pious women. The later divine
literature of the middle ages asserted that issue as a complementary
part of Jewish religious rituals.» (1) Hijab, then, was a habit and then
a religious obligation on the Jewish woman. The Talmud Encyclopedia
asserts this through comparing the opinion of the «mishna», the main
source of rabbinic Judaism, and that of the Talmud regarding hijab:
«It seems that the mishna considered
covering the hair as a Jewish habit despite that Talmud had already set a
Torah rule for that and stated it as an obligation. Moreover, it is
interesting that the term ‹dat yahudit› is used only for the behavior of
women so that many defined the term as related to women›s modesty in
particular.» (2)
Whether covering hair was a Jewish habit
or a religious obligation, it is an established fact that was known and
widespread in old Jewish societies.
In his book The Jewish Woman in Rabbinic
Literature, Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer, Professor of Biblical
Literature at Yeshiva University, indicates that it was the habit of
Jewish women to go in public with the head cover which covered at time
the whole face except for one eye. (3) He quotes the words of some old
famous Rabbis as saying, «it is not the habit of the girls of Israel to
go with bare head», «damned be the man who let his wife›s hair to be
seen … The woman who keeps her hair bare brings poverty.» The divine law
prohibits the recitation of blessings or prayers in the presence of a
married woman whose hair is not covered. This is considered as
«nakedness»(4). Professor Brier adds that, «during the period of Tanitic
the failure of woman to cover her hair was considered as a humiliation
of her modesty. She was fined four hundred «zeuzem» for that (zeuzem was
about a quarter of a shekel)». He indicates as well that the hijab of
the Jewish woman was not always a sign of modesty; at times it was an
indication of distinction and luxury for noble women. It also symbolized
the non-attainment of the married woman as being a sacred ownership of
her husband. (5) Hijab also symbolized self-respect of the woman and he
social status. Women of the lower classes used to wear hijab to give the
impression that they were of a higher class. Hijab, in fact, was an
indication of the noble class and this was the reason prostitutes were
prevented from covering their hair in old Jewish society. However,
prostitutes often wore a special scarf to look respectable. (6)
___________
1 Dr. Leila Leah Bronner, «From veil to
wig: Jewish women›s hair covering», From: Judaism: A Quarterly Journal
of Jewish Life and Thought. 91993/22/.
2 Encyclopedia Talmudit [Talmudic Encyclopedia], s.v. «Dat Yehudit,»
VIII, 19 [Hebrew]; Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Nashim, Hilkhot Ishut
24:12.
3 Menachem M. Brayer, The Jewish Woman in Rabbinic Literature: A
Psychosocial Perspective (Hoboken, N.J: Ktav Publishing House, 1986) p.
239.
4 Menachem M. Brayer, The Jewish Woman in Rabbinic Literature: A
Psychosocial Perspective (Hoboken, N.J: Ktav Publishing House, 1986),
pp. 316317-. Also see Leonard J. Swidler, Women in Judaism: the Status
of Women in Formative Judaism (Metuchen, N.J: Scarecrow Press, 1976),
pp. 121123-.
5 Menachem M. Brayer, The Jewish Woman in Rabbinic Literature: A
Psychosocial Perspective (Hoboken, N.J: Ktav Publishing House, 1986), p.
139.
6 Susan W. Schneider, Jewish and Female (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984) p. 237.
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Contents:
1-Hijab in Islam
2-Hijab was an Old Jewish Custom
3-European Jewish Women wore Hijab until the 19th. Century
4-Christianity as well believes that Women should wear Hijab
5-Hijab is not an Islamic Innovation
6-The Objective behind Wearing Hijab
Islam pays more Attention to the Woman’s Psyche
7-Why is the Percentage of Rape and Harassment High in the Societies that Reject Hijab?
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