Veil, is it really Dishonour or unsuitable for Modern life ?
Finally, let us shed some light on what is considered in the West as the greatest symbol of women's oppression and servitude, the veil or the head cover. Is it true that there is no such thing as the veil in the Judaeo-Christian tradition? Let us set the record straight. According to Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer in his book, The Jewish woman in Rabbinic literature, it was the custom of Jewish women to go out in public with a head covering which, sometimes, even covered the whole face leaving one eye free. He quotes some famous ancient Rabbis saying," It is not like the daughters of Israel to walk out with heads uncovered" and "Cursed be the man who lets the hair of his wife be seen....a woman who exposes her hair for self-adornment brings poverty." Dr. Brayer also explains that veil of the Jewish woman was not always considered a sign of modesty. Sometimes, the veil symbolized a state of distinction and luxury rather than modesty. The veil personified the dignity and superiority of noble women. Women of lower classes would often wear the veil to give the impression of a higher standing. It also represented a woman's inaccessibility as a sanctified possession of her husband.
What about the Christian tradition? It is well known that Catholic Nuns have been covering their heads for hundreds of years, but that is not all. St. Paul in the New Testament made some very interesting statements about the veil: "Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head - it is just as though her head were shaved. If woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or shaved off, she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head" (I Corinthians 11:3-10). The reason for the veil, as offered by their Church leaders, is that "The head covering is a symbol of woman's subjection to the man and to God", which is the same logic introduced by St.Paul in the New Testament.
From all the above evidence, it is obvious that Islam did not invent the head cover. However, Islam did endorse it. The Quran urges the believing men and women to lower their gaze and guard their modesty and then urges the believing women to extend their head covers to cover the neck and the bosom: "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty......And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms...." (24:30,31).
The Quran is quite clear that the veil is essential for modesty, but why is modesty important? The Quran is still clear: "O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their bodies (when abroad) so that they should be known and not molested" (33:59).
This is the whole point, modesty is prescribed to protect women from molestation or simply, modesty is protection. Thus, the only purpose of the veil in Islam is protection. The Islamic veil, unlike the veil of the Christian tradition, is not a sign of man's authority over woman nor is it a sign of woman's subjection to man. The Islamic veil, unlike the veil in the Jewish tradition, is not a sign of luxury and distinction of some noble married women. The Islamic veil is only a sign of modesty with the purpose of protecting women,all women. The Islamic philosophy is that it is always better to be safe than sorry.
Some people, especially in the West, would tend to ridicule the whole argument of modesty for protection. Their argument is that the best protection is the spread of education, civilized behavior, and self-restraint. We would say: fine but not enough. If 'civilization' is enough protection, then why is it that women in North America dare not walk alone in a dark street - or even across an empty parking lot ?
If Education is the solution, then why is it that a respected university like Queen's has a 'walk home service' mainly for female students on campus? If self-restraint is the answer, then why are cases of sexual harassment in the workplace reported on the news media every day? A sample of those accused of sexual harassment, in the last few years, includes: Navy officers, Managers, University professors, Senators, Supreme Court Justices, and the President of the United States! I could not believe my eyes when I read the following statistics, written in a pamphlet issued by the Dean of Women's office at Queen's University:
· In Canada, a woman is sexually assaulted every 6 minutes,
· 1 in 3 women in Canada will be sexually assaulted at some time in their lives,
· 1 in 4 women are at the risk of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime,
· 1 in 8 women will be sexually assaulted while attending college or university, and
· A study found 60% of Canadian university-aged males said they would commit sexual assault if they were certain they wouldn't get caught.
Something is fundamentally wrong in the society we live in. A radical change in the society's life style and culture is absolutely necessary. A culture of modesty is badly needed, modesty in dress, in speech, and in manners of both men and women. Otherwise, the grim statistics will grow even worse day after day and, unfortunately, women alone will be paying the price. Actually, we all suffer but as K. Gibran has said, "...for the person who receives the blows is not like the one who counts them." 84 Therefore, a society like France which expels young women from schools because of their modest dress is, in the end, simply harming itself. It is one of the great ironies of our world today that the very same headscarf revered as a sign of 'holiness' when worn for the purpose of showing the authority of man by Catholic Nuns, is reviled as a sign of 'oppression' when worn for the purpose of protection by Muslim women.

Is the Islamic attire for women unsuitable for modern life?
1. Every nation has its own distinct character and way of life. It has its traditional meals, drinks, attire, and architecture. All this reflects the nation’s culture, civilization and beliefs. God has created people different from each other in many aspects, and nations also differ from each other, and this difference will continue until the end of the world. Furthermore, what suits and pleases one nation might not suit or be accepted by another. For example, Indian women wear the sari and this attire is not criticized by the western world although the sari is not practical in modern life. The sari is worn by all women in India and the ;ate Mrs. Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India, also wore it and nobody ever objected to it and claimed that it prevented Indian women from pursuing their careers or that it hindered their ability to be productive citizens.
2. Most European women until the beginning of the twentieth century, wore clothes that reached the ground and they all wore hats or some form of head-dress when they went outside the house, yet nobody ever criticized this. The style of women’s clothes developed year after year till it reached its current style, which is no longer subject to any rules and it will continue to change according to the ideas and whims of those responsible for the fashion of women’s clothes.
3. Islam does not impose any particular style of attire on Muslim women other than its being decorous so that she would not subject herself to the harassment of any irresponsible youth. Furthermore, this decorous and respectable attire does not hinder the Muslim women in any kind of post or work which she practices. Women in all walks of life wearing the Islamic attire are officials in factories, companies, departments of Ministries, schools, and colleges of the universities. They perform their duties just as efficiently as their colleagues who wear European fashioned clothes. The accusation is completely groundless and no study has ever been made to try and prove this ridiculous allegation. The fact is that the western world would like to prove that their way of life, customs, traditions, and fashions are more suitable than all other customs and traditions, and this in itself is against the law of nature since every nation has its own distinctive character. The Muslim woman has the right to be proud of her distinctive character, which is reflected in her attire and her conduct in the same way that Indians and Europeans have that right.
4. Currently, there are many Muslim women dressed in the Islamic attire who have significant role in their countries and execute their work in the best possible manner. Mrs.Tawakkol Karmaan one of the key figures of the Yemenian revolution who is a Noble peace prize laureate, also Dalia Mogahed ,Obama's advisor in the white House and Bakinam Esharkaawi , the Egyptian president's advisor.
Bibliography :
Websites :
*http://www.islam4theworld.net/eBooks...Fact/index.htm
Books :
*WOMEN IN ISLAM VERSUS WOMEN IN THE JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN TRADITION: THE MYTH & THE REALITY
BY Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem