The Assembly for the Protection of
Hijab ("Pro-Hijab") was launched at the House of Commons in London on
Monday 14th June 2004. This promised to be the first step towards
establishing an international alliance to protect religious freedom,
particularly the Muslim woman’s right to wear hijab.
The launch was initiated with a gathering of prominent MPs, MEPs, human
rights organisations and other supporters. Fiona McTaggart MP officially
helped launch the campaign, showing unequivocal support by stating that
while the British government did not "promote the hijab", neither would
it "prohibit it", and that it would do all it could to protect the right
of Muslim women to wear it.
A strong message emerging from the press conference was that Britain’s
diversity and multi-culturalism are something to take pride in and that
is the reason the Europe-wide Pro-Hijab campaign was launched in London
rather than any other state in the Union. London’s cosmopolitan nature
and diverse communities existing peacefully with tolerance and
understanding set it apart from most of the other major capitals across
Europe.
Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, could not attend the launch due to it
being the first day of his new term as Mayor. However, he has committed
himself to supporting the campaign and will host a conference on Monday
12th July 2004 on the very same issue. The support from the highest
levels is a boost for Britain’s two million strong Muslim population,
who have come under increasing threat with the rise of Islamaphobia.
Other messages in support of the fundamental human right of freedom of
religion were echoed by Shami Chakrabati of the UK based Liberty
organisation, Milena Buyum of the National Assembly Against Racism,
Caroline Lucas MEP and George Galloway. Each recognised the legal
protection afforded to religious groups and opposed all attempts to
circumvent these provisions.
Coordinator of Pro-Hijab, Abeer Pharaon stated that she was delighted
that "the campaign is underway to protect the religious freedom of all
people, of all religions and no religion, through education and
training". Ms Pharaon, who is also the chairwoman of the Muslim Women
Society, has worked tirelessly since the announcement of the French ban
in December 2003, to form Pro-Hijab and was delighted that the hard work
and commitment of the team was paying off. Although it is clear that
this journey is only just beginning, the initial support has been very
encouraging.
The Muslim Association of Britain continues to play a pivotal role on
the formation of the Assembly and a spokesperson stated that: "The
problem with states such as France is that they have failed to
understand the Hijab and the Muslim woman’s choice to wear it. At the
core of that failure is the lack of education on, and awareness of,
cultural diversity. Equality does not mean that everyone must be the
same. Equality is only achieved when all people of all faiths, ethnicity
and cultures are treated the same regardless of differences."
Groups such as the Islamic Forum Europe ("IFE") committed themselves to
working at grassroots level to promote understanding of the hijab and
other aspects of the Islamic faith through the Pro-Hijab campaign and
other projects. IFE representative Nabila Ferhat stated that a number of
projects were initiated by them independently prior to the formation of
Pro-Hijab, to raise awareness of the issue.
Ahmed Al-Rawi of the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe made
a special trip to attend the event to affiliate his organisation with
Pro-Hijab and encourage all of Europe’s 20 million strong Muslim
population to involve themselves in the societies in which they live.
The clear reason Pro-Hijab was formed was essentially to send out a
clear message to all governments in Europe and the world - that no state
authority has a right to legitimise religious intolerance.
The issue of the hijab is one that unites all Muslims as it is an
integral part of a Muslim woman’s right to practice her religion. That
is why Pro-Hijab is already a worldwide alliance that promises to get
stronger as the weeks and months go by. The support that the campaign
has attracted clearly reflects the fact that, to most people of the
world, justice and freedom are principles that cannot be compromised.
Understanding opposition to the hijab
To understand why many predominantly Christian societies have vocally
rejected the Hijab, quiet surprisingly, one must study the Bible rather
than the Qur’an for a satisfactory answer.
There are various passages pertaining to the woman and her place in
society, including: Timothy 2:11-14: "Let a women learn in silence with
all submissiveness. I permit no women to teach or have authority over
men; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and
Adam was not deceived, but the women was deceived and became a
transgressor."
Corinthians 11: 3-9: "A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the
image and glory of God; but the women 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."
These passages do not reflect favourably on women, and the need for her
to cover her head is described as a means of showing her submission to
men. Unfortunately, those who are unaware of Islamic teachings have only
their own religion to look to, and as the hijab was oppression on them,
they cannot view it in any other manner. In secular states, the
emancipation of women in the latter half of the 20th century was
accompanied by the removal of her ‘hijab’ or covering. This is because
the imposition of it on her by the Bible was seen as oppressive as she
was made to feel sinful and blameworthy. Thus, her emancipation was
achieved by its removal.
For the Muslim women, emancipation was achieved when Islam was revealed
and they were liberated from the slavery that revealing their bodies
brought, to the dignity and respect of covering them, forcing men to
treat them as human beings, not objects. The Qur’an does not blame Eve
for the first sin; it states that both Adam and Eve had sinned and
repented and God accepted their repentance. Woman and men are equal in
the sight of God and the Qur’an seeks to protect women from harm through
the hijab and by ordering that the men in her family be her protectors.
Thus, the Muslim woman is not in need of ‘liberation’ as many well
intentioned yet ill-informed people imagine.
Although the practice of Hijab in Christianity is now largely abandoned,
images depicting the Virgin Mary still show a woman in hijab as a means
of portraying her high status. That is the same status all Muslim women
are given by the hijab.
The strength of Muslim women’s conviction that the hijab is an
inalienable part of their identity and strength of faith is evident when
one considers the challenges that they have faced and continue to face,
because they refuse to give in to the true oppressors – those who seek
to remove their right to wear the Hijab.
By attacking the hijab, people are in fact attacking the very essence of
the Muslim woman and her right to be modest about her appearance. While
it may not be normative in this society, a two million strong population
is not a dismissible minority, thus understanding the hijab is essential
to ensure we do not tread the path of our less tolerant neighbours.
In recent years, the hijab has been portrayed as the prison bars on
Muslim women, the oppressing factor, and a means of subjugation.
However, before passing these judgments one needs to consider this: If
it were such oppression, the British born young Muslim doctors, lawyers,
dentists and academics would have abandoned it long ago. Ironically,
what they are doing is fighting to retain their right to wear it. The
hijab was revealed 14 centuries ago and has been observed by billions
since then. It is slowly becoming the outcasts’ garment, but the Muslim
women will not let it go. It is their God given right, and they have
shown that they will protect it with all their power, because, quite
simply, it protects them.
Source: http://www.themuslimweekly.com/aspx/viewnews.aspx?NewsType=FEATURE
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