Never an item of clothing has been under such scrutiny and dispute as the Islamic clothing hijab. From the past few years persecution of hijab has increased manifold. Its various merits and demerits have been discussed by all and sundry and it comes as no surprise that the most vocal critics of hijab have been the western leaders who leave no opportunity to disparage hijab. In 2006, a British minister was quoted as saying how he finds veil as a barrier in “forming positive relations between two communities.” Even US President Obama has been unable to escape from the predicament, last year during his campaign rally, two hijab clad women were not allowed to sit behind Obama’s podium in Detroit. The latest addition to this never ending list is the French President Nicholas Sarkozy who called burqa a “sign of subservience, a sign of debasement”… going on to say it will not be “welcome on the territory of the French Republic.”
Though France’s bashing of Islamic dress is nothing new, it was in spotlight earlier for banning hijab in public places. Much has been said about the garment and how it is a throwback to an era of darkness. Curiously, one voice which has been obfuscated is the voice of Muslim woman herself. It cannot be denied that many women are forced into wearing hijab but at the same time there are a large number of women who choose to cover themselves out of their own free will without any pressure from any male member of their families contrary to the popular belief.
This is hard to digest for many non-Muslims and Muslims alike who fail to fathom how in an era of so-called gender equality a woman would want to hide herself under a “dull garb” like burqa. However, the fact is that women are ruthlessly used and subjected to much discrimination in all spheres and this is not limited to uneducated or poor women but is a reality for their much educated and sophisticated counterpart in the western world as well.
The media is quick to denounce hijab and is equally deaf to the voice of countless educated, liberal and independent women for whom hijab is not only a sign of liberty but also a vital part of their identity. Whenever some brave woman tries to speak her mind, she is swept away by a tornado of noises that either dismisses her without a second thought or calls her a puppet in the hands of extremists. The chief reason for this is that Muslim women do not have an adequate platform to voice their thoughts in the popular media, which completely sidesteps them and spares not a single second in hailing anyone who defames Islam.
Sadly, it is not only non-Muslim countries alone where hijab is banned but also the Muslim countries like Turkey and Tunisia that have banned hijab in their effort to portray themselves as “modern and liberal”.
In an age when women are chartering unmeasured heights, there is still a section of society that is hell bent on demeaning women by trying to infringe their rights by deciding for them something as basic as their attire. The west is the most outspoken exponent of freedom and democracy, but its imposing superfluous ideas and opinions on others is indeed a sacrilege on freedom and democracy.