Qatar’s Gulf Times published three different articles in its February 15, 2008 “Islam” section that have an unsettling theme: telling women how to act.
The first article, by Fatima Barakatullah, is titled “Reviving Our Sense of Gheerah,” and has run in several other outlets that are specific to conservative Islamic interpretations.
For any readers unfamiliar with the word “gheerah,” Barakatullah defines it as “protectiveness or jealousy.” According to her, it’s “a good type of jealousy, like when a man feels jealous or protective over his wife or sisters and other-womenfolk and doesn’t like other men to look at them. It is a natural inbuilt feeling Allah has given men and women.”
Barakatullah ostensibly admonishes both Muslim men and women for “los[ing] their sense of shame,” blaming feminism for the suppression of “natural emotions” in men and women:
“We live in societies in which most men and women have lost their sense of modesty, women are obsessed with their appearances and wear clothes to be seen by others and to attract the attention of other men even if they are married! … Men are not even embarrassed when their wives are dressed up and attract the attention of other men…”
But the rest of the article berates only women for being shameless if they don’t do what their “menfolk” tell them to: “If your husband asks you not to wear a certain colour of khimaar [scarf] because it brings out the beauty of your eyes, or if he wants you to cover your face – by Allah, be thankful!”
The second article, titled “Hijaab and the real beauty” and written by Aboo ‘Abdul-Fattaah Salaah bin Bernard Brooks, is more of the same. He presents this article as “a reminder of the excellence of the women who wear hijaab” because “A sister who does not truly know the superiority of hijaab will always remain envious of disbelieving women. Why? Because they observe these misguided disbelievers attempting to look beautiful for all to see. Hence, the Muslim woman then compares herself to that woman which causes her to feel ashamed of her own hijaab.”
The author does not describe what he means by “disbelieving women,” so we’re left to guess whether he means non-Muslims, Muslim women who don’t wear hejab, or both. His ambiguity doesn’t stop him from throwing around judgments and condemnations: “…displaying oneself is indeed unlawful. Further, it is a quality of the most evil of women! Therefore, do not be envious of the disbelieving women. They only have this life to enjoy, while the believing women will have Paradise.”
The third article, by ‘Ifrat Azad, discusses the haraam-ness of women’s aspirations to beauty. In “In search of the body beautiful,” Azad beings with “There seems no limit nowadays to the extent that women (and men) are prepared to go to for that ‘perfect look.’” This is the only instance in which the author includes men. The entire rest of the article is aimed at women’s beauty practices (none of which Ms. Azad partakes in, I’m sure) such as plastic surgery and hair removal.
When Ms. Azad rages against the beauty industry, I rage with her. I completely agree with her statement that
“Beauty today is big business. Beauty contests are very profitable …The cosmetics market is a multi-billion dollar industry; the demand for cosmetic surgery is growing at a tremendous rate. All three industries promote the same notions of beauty that women everywhere are expected to meet: mainly a white, European, “Barbie-doll” like standard. The pressures on women to conform to these standards are enormous and few are able to withstand them.”
But in her attempt to comfort her sisters, Ms. Azad merely criticizes them for doing things that are considered “un-Islamic” and yet she is surprised that “Muslim women too develop inferiority complexes about themselves.”
Since the Gulf Times considers itself to be “a cornerstone of the Qatari information media,” maybe it should rethink how it views journalism. Newspapers are for news, not for patronizing women and their choices.
Very well written!! All these articles seemed filled with sexist propoganda. They are trying to opress women by telling them to listen to their men, not look beautiful. What I don’t understand is where in the Qur’an does it say that women cannot look beautiful. Sure we are told to guard our beauty but does it say to cover it?
Eww…ewww….and…ewwwww…..Sexist and mysogynistic propoganda if you ask me. This is all actually quite disturbing. Great analysis!!
It seems the burden of “real” Islam will always be placed squarely on the shoulders of women..or should I say heads. Women who choose to step out of the pre-packed box of “Islamic rules and regulations”…will always have to bear the brunt of the box builders animosity and accusations of anti-Islamic behavior. The sad thing is…that some of our sisters are just as defiant in defending that box as the brothers that built it.
I did not see anything wrong with those articles.
I could not understand what is wrong with articles ?Are you saying that husbands and fathers should not have a say in what clothing women wear ? Why not ? That they have say is clear from the Quran and Hadith Secondly have you heard of the terms called Editorials/OpEds and Columns in Newspapers ? They do not have only news .Or is it that you do not like to be told what to do ? Are you one of those individuals who cannot see beyond thier own Nafs ?
Anonymous–I am not going to debate with you about whether the Qur’an allows men to control what their wives wear. It’s obvious we will disagree, and I don’t want to get bogged down in a religious discussion when I am talking about media criticism. But I will address your other criticism. These articles did not appear in an OpEd/Editorial section. They appeared in a section titled “Islam,” which one would assume is for news about Islam (i.e., new edicts issued by religious figures or other such stuff). These articles criticize women and women only for failing to abide by the respective authors’ viewpoints. In Islam, there is no compulsion. Allah (swt) granted us all the right to practice Islam to the best of our ability, and it seems that these authors criticize women for not doing what they think is a good job. That’s not fair. Women must listen only to God, not to newspaper articles.
FirstUnder the heading Islam it is very much relevant to talk of Islamic acts based on the traditional understanding of the Quran and Sunnah.You may not agree with thier viewpoints but to suggest they the Newspaper was wrong in publishing them is IMHO rather too much .What about the principle of enjoining good and forbidding evil Amr bil Ma’roof and Nahi anil Munkar ?You are the best of peoples, evolved for humankind, enjoining what is Ma’roof and forbidding what is Munkar and believing in Allah … [3: ale-Imran: 110]Thus, have We made of you an Ummah justly balanced, that you might be witnesses over the humankind and the Messenger a witness over yourselves … [2: al-Baqara: 143]Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining the Ma’roof and forbidding the Munkar: They are the ones to attain felicity. [3: ale-Imran: 104]
Anonymous:These articles have nothing to do with enjoining good and forbiding evil. They are promoting a sexist interpretation of Islam which seeks to subjugate and oppress women going strictly against the egalitarian messages of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). So if anything, they are promoting anti-Islamic messages which aim to harm women in some form or another. How is this enjoining what is good? If you support those mysogynistic messages that’s your perogative. But saying that it is “enjoining” what is right would be inaccurate as mysogyny is not good – it is simply bad and degrading for women. But of course, if you believe, like these writers, that women are stupid, inferior beings who cannot dress themselves then I can understand your defence of the articles.
Anonymous:Which verse in the Qur’an tells men they can tell women what to wear?
I don’t see how the articles are promoting ‘a sexist interpretation’.The articles are by women so where is it men telling women what to wear?Even if it is, then what is wrong with it. Men family members do have a right to advise thier women folk what to wear.It is time you got out of the feminist inspired mentality of ‘bad men putting down women’What you suggest is a slur against pious scholars of our Ummah.So according to you ,most of the scholars of the Ummah ( Imam Abu Hanifa ,Imam Shafii , Imam Ahmad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal ,Imam Maliki and thier disciples )were all wrong.http://seekingilm.com/?s=niqab&sa.x=16&sa.y=12
Anonymous, you have not provided the sura that tells Muslims that men have a right to tell women what to wear. What is it that we are suggesting that slurs Islamic scholars? How is promoting women’s rights in Islam un-Islamic?
Verse 4:34 of surah Nisaa Also additionally supported by hadiths proves this.I am talking about the refusal of “feminists” to accept traditional scholarship in general because they were “men”.Whether you like it or not look up most books of Fiqh,hadith scholarship and Tafsir support the hijab and even the Niqab.You dismiss it “oh it is because they were men”Look up the earlier link seekingilm site in my previous comment.I did not suggest that talking about women’s rights is UnIslamic.I was saying that men family members have a duty of guiding thier womenfolk in general.A husband or father in general should guide his female members of the family.You seem to suggest that no family do not have any duty or any such right.I agree that everyone will be responsible for his/her own actions on the Day of Qiyamah but this deny the duty of a father or a husband to guide his womenfolk or a mother to her children or a wife to a husband.
In short I asked you to get out of the mentality of “Oh they are men and so they must not tell us womenfolk what to do”We should strive to get rid of this rugged individualism of “this is I want to do and woe betide anyone who suggests anything else”.Accept that is more likely that our Nafs is doing wrong than that others are wrong.The gender of the teller is immaterial .If he/she is saying is suggested by the Quran and hadith and the writings of pious scholars then we should accept it.After all as muslims we have been created only for the worship of Allah SWT and should strive to seekHis pleasure in everything we do and in the manner He has asked us to do.
dudes, most Muslims neither believe nor desire this egalitarian form of Islam that this website promotes. i do not see any way, myself, that Islam can be interpreted to promote women’s EQUALITY with men. the rules for each gender are clearly different, particularly if u look at the hadith. even if u dismiss the 1400+ years of fuqaha as sexist, there are simply glaring inequalities in the holy text and hadith that u can’t ignore. i’m not trying to bash here – i have just never managed to read the work of a single feminist scholar that can, for example, tell me how the differing sentences for fornication can be excused. and there are many other examples…
I guess if someone has derogatory ideas about women then promotion of women’s rights would be offensive to them.
Anonymous:We are not saying those scholars are wrong persay, but one does have to acknowledge the times in which they worked and the society in which they lived. Those cultures in which they lived had biases and prejudices. They could have very well been influenced by those attitudes. Look at you. If you were to interpret Islam you would interpret it in a sexist way. If you think it’s ok for a man to tell women what to wear then your ideas of women is questionable.
I’m tired of this debate. Anonymous, I told you that I wasn’t going to change my mind and you weren’t going to change your mind, but you insisted. I don’t read the Qur’an the way you do, and you don’t read it the way I do. I have only Allah to answer to. I just want to make one correction: feminists do not dismiss things just because men did/said them. Feminists dismiss things because they see logical problems in them from a gendered perspective.
Ummm….Surah 4:34 doesn’t tell men to tell women what to wear.”The men are to support the women by what God has bestowed on them over one another and for what they spend of their money. The upright women are dutiful; keeping private the personal matters for what God keeps watch over. As for those women from whom you fear desertion: advise them; and abandon them in the bedchamber; and let them go forth. If they respond to you, then do not seek a way over them; God is High, Great.”
What a funny debate… I cant see why you guys dont see that theres a perfect medium to what u are both raving on about!I cover fully simply cos ALLAH and His messenger told me too …and that includes being modest, respectful of my behaviour and my dress and my association with men….that came about long before I married or my male relatives started to practise Islam.But then again… I do feel a great pride that my husband and father and brother look out for me and are protective over me. Anyone who denies that right is losing out if you ask me….and I agree it is a natural state of man to do so and the natural state of women to accept so.Perhaps this media watch would be better at criticisng the articles that oppose Islam, not those that that actually hold some truth. If its not quite your flavour then that doesnt mean that it is wrong. But those articles made some very good points if you ask me and if one looked beyond her painted toes then she could see that good on a general basis rather than a personal one!
I completely agree with Uz… It’s really sad that Muslims are attacking articles on Islam, which are based on the teachings of the Quraan and Sunnah. I am a Muslimah, and I wear hijaab and niqaab, because I do it for the sake of Allaah, not for any man. In fact, my father did not want me to wear hijaab!! Besides, Allaah, Who has Created us, knows us best. So He will never have made obligatory on us something which is oppressive or denies us any kind of right. Hijaab is so liberating that women who want their rights should be promoting it. May Allah reward the people who wrote the articles in the Gulf Times, and may we all benefit from them and return to the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah, aameen.
Salaam, Uz & Sadia. Your statements are welcome, but I suggest you read more of our articles (and our mission statement) before you assume all our time is devoted to “attacking” other Muslims (and whether we paint our nails, which I feel is irrelevant and meant to be condescending). Our aim is to critique ALL media representations of Muslim women, from west or east, from Muslim or non-Muslim.
the articles seem fine to methe comments initially were offensive to me but i concede that not all people hold the same opinion and that is what has made me post, it is very important that you realise just becouse some of us hold a different opinion to you we are not simple minded and just doing what we are told etc infact most of us have studied extensively the issues surrounding our decisions and have chosen what we believe to be most pleasing to Allah!also am i correct in thinking that at least one of these articles was written for the female audience and this is why it addresses women rather than men?on a very simplistic level can i ask a question? i hope so and so i pose it – do you think Allah would have sent down his message and left us to think of 1001 different ways to understand it or given us a guide on this point? it seems to me that most feminist stumble on this very simple point but this is a side issue and not as important as having respect for oneanother and guiding each other to allahs pleasure which is surely what we are all aiming for or is it just talk for the sake of it?
Amongst the many sadly ignorant statements made on this blog such as “where in the Qur’an does it say that women cannot look beautiful. Sure we are told to guard our beauty but does it say to cover it?” (Farheen) and “They are promoting a sexist interpretation of Islam” (Duniya) Islam is protected through many forms from diligent recording of hadith to the strict adherence to systems to how analytical deduction can be made. When people start asking ‘where does it say in Islam…’ they should do so after having done their research first, rather than follow their own whims and desires. When something goes against what they know or percieve to be true they question and criticise rather than sincerely look for the truth. Understanding Islam is simple, “Obey Allah and His Messenger” [Qur'an.] As a Muslim women i defend the fact women have rights, but not at the expense i lose my Islamic identy as defined by the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah. This means i accept the fact that men are protectors of women and that obedience to one’s husband is a must. This is ‘real’ Islam not the feminist version bandided around.I am sure there are those of you jumping in your seats waiting to tear my statements apart, but before you do so please think about the following. Are you doing so because your feminist feathers have been ruffled or because you sincerely seek the truth? Faith is about belief. Believing that the Creator knows what is best for us and adhereing to that fact regardless if (we feel) it goes against our sensibilties. Usually those very sensibilities are jaundiced by western influences and not really a genuine concern for the truth. The articles were honest and for some a bitter pill to swallow, I suggest you take it with a spoonful of sugar, but swallow you must.