Beyond the piece of fabric is an
invaluable gem, a pearl, an exclusive diamond gifted to us by our beautiful
religion. Hijab fascinates me. I am fascinated by its concept; its meaning and
the lasting effect it has. It may seem odd that I am writing this. After all, I
am male (unless this is all one big lie) and the Hijab is commonly associated
with females. Granted, male hijab exists, but I thought it may be interesting
for me to discuss the female hijab from a guy’s perspective.
Many people look beyond the physical
piece of cloth, claiming that this is merely the foundations of the concept and
while this may be true, the covering itself is remarkable. In a culture where
the aesthetic appearance of a woman is of utmost significance – often for women
and most definitely for men – I find it startling, amazing, and inspiring to
see so many of my sisters in faith give up all of this, simply to follow God’s
command. I cannot salute them enough. We live in a society where if females want
the best jobs, their physical appearance needs to be in total shape, but a man
can be butt-ugly and be a CEO of a multi-national company. The fact that society
sees nothing wrong in this absolutely disgusts me. I once saw an advert where a
guy gladly offers a chocolate to an attractive looking woman, and as soon as he
exchanges it, the woman becomes ugly and he retracts the bar. I think I was
meant to find that funny – you know, because injustice, objectification, and
bullying are so comical. Yeaaaaaaah, no. I was seething.
I have heard all sorts of analogies
regarding the Hijab; the view that Hijabis are lollipops baffles me. By
attempting to remove the notion of objectification, you label them a sweet? To
me, it is far simpler than that; it embodies modesty, dignity and self-respect.
As a man, I can promise you that Hijab serves its multi-dimensional purpose.
The majority of men’s’ first reaction when they see a non-hijabi woman is their
physical appearance. I stress that this does not mean lust; it’s simply the
first noticeable aspect. However, the rule changes for Hijabis. Every day when I
spot a Hijabi on the train or at university itself, my initial reaction is
literally admiration. This act of modesty just commands respect from others,
particularly men, and I am sure most Hijabis would agree that they notice this.
They say Hijab is oppression and a violation of freedom yet I can’t fathom how
Hijab is anything but freedom. Freedom from thirsty guys making moves on you. Freedom
from conforming to today’s derogatory norms. Freedom from being judged on the
outside rather than the all-important inside.
The lack of modesty that we see on a
daily basis is a major contributor in a number of vile crimes, be it prostitution,
rape, gender inequality or unfair treatment of women at work. It would be
ridiculous to blame women for some of these issues; of course men are at fault.
But prevention is the best cure, right? If you are ill, you take medication to
stop the microbes from spreading. If you are cold, you wear a jacket to keep
warm. Likewise, this form of self-respect – that you are worth more than your
exterior self – is a powerful message that is a protector from such vices. A
common response to this would probably be, ‘why should women have to suffer for
men’s evil intentions?’ but that’s the beauty of hijab; it is not a punishment,
but rather a source of identity and modesty.
‘Verily, every religion has a natural disposition and the
natural disposition of Islam is modesty’ ~ Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
One thing that hurts me is to see those
who acknowledge that Hijab is the right course of action, but abstain from it
due to fear. Not only does Hijab define self-empowerment but ask yourself,
would Allah give you anything to fear after this pure sacrifice? Give in the
way of Allah and he will return to you so much more.
‘If you knew the worth of Allah’s mercy, you would rely solely
on that.’ ~ Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
It is ironic to me that women either refrain
from wearing the Hijab or even remove it in search of more beauty. Quite
frankly, I have not seen anything more beautiful than Hijab.
