One Yes Doesn't Speak For All

I would like to respond to the article entitled ‘Our Freedom Makes Us Appealing’ written by Ms. Zainah Anwar which was published in your press on July 14th 2006. Before I move further I must give credits to Ms. Zainah Anwar on her well written article and her persistency in pursuing her fight for women liberation.
Scanning through the article more as a science student than a muslim per se I found the article weak statistically. Just because one or two Arab women claim they lived more normal in our country than in their hometown does not mean all women should feel free to take off their hijab. Not only the size of her population is small; you need at least thirty samples before you can make a conclusion, the reliability of her samples is doubtful. They showed inconsistency in their character. They implied as if for them Islam in their country is different from that in ours. If that is the case than I can use the same mean to argue all women should put on their hijab.
A lady in Britain chose to wear hijab because she felt secured behind the hijab and she confessed that from the time she put on the hijab she was treated respectfully and were given priorities whenever she wanted to use public transports, men made way for her and always speak to her politely and never missed calling her ‘maam’. Mind you she is not a Muslim!
Another British Christian nurse who served in Saudi Arabia had no complains when she was made to wear hijab and abaya. The reasons were unanimous: she felt secured and being treated with respect. Perhaps Ms. Zainah Anwar had been given a mislead information that women there are not given enough freedom for this nurse claimed that the hijab and abaya are only worn when she was out in the public but there are places provided by the government and safely guarded in which she can even wear her bikini!
The first British lady did ask an Arab men haven’t he felt attracted to other women who wore sexy outfit as his wife, like other typical Arab females, wore hijab and abaya and this men answer was,
“Why should I? I know how beautiful my wife is and only I knew. No one can contest her on that and she is mine.”
How sweet is that? I believe many women want that kind of affection and complement. Like the line from ‘Flying without Wings’ by Westlife
Those are things that only I knew
Those little things that make you mine
I had the chance to visit an International Culture Exhibition held in my campus a few years back and I had stopped at a Jordan booth and asked the person in charged why was it that they made all their women put on those black all-covering clothes for I too was skeptical about it. I agree with Ms. Zainah Anwar that here we are given more freedom. But his answer changed my mind. He told me that women to them are like diamonds, precious. Thus who on earth with a sound mind would show off his diamonds like nobody cares? Well, he had a point and a good one! I would not let anybody look at my diamonds and if I am to show it to others I prefer to ensure the security before doing so.
I learned from one of the national program, 3R that men think of sex every six minutes. Isn’t it possible that by covering ourselves we actually protect ourselves from being victimized? Just imagine how alluring a woman will be when she has her hair blown by the wind and worse when she has more flesh exposed. Only God knows what men think about her.
I understand that Ms. Zainah Anwar fights strongly for women to be equally respected and be given chance as men. I wonder why she opts not to campaign for women to put on our hijab. I believe many women will follow her. Let put on our hijab and be liberated from being seen as sex object for men!
Haven’t it occurred to her that there are means to achieve her goal? There are rules and regulations that have been laid out to achieve just that. God created human beings. He has sent us the Prophet to show us exemplary way to live. He gives us His book for us to refer. But you must not interpret everything as you like it. Like when Microsoft builds a new software, it provides the consumer with the guidebook and only trained engineers or computer geniuses can educate others on how to use the program to it ultimate extant.
Ms. Zainah Anwar pointed that our Islamist ideologues want for us what other muslims from foreign countries do not. Well there is a big difference between being extreme and moderate. If you draw the line incorrectly you are prone to move between being a total extreme by making it all seem hard to be a muslim or a total ‘everything is okay as long as you deem it right’ thinking person.
I agree that there are groups that show deep intensity and opt for the extreme in approaching any Islamic law but they do not represent all Islamist ideologues in Malaysia do they? Other Islamist ideologues are fighting with these groups too because they are turning people away from Islam when by right Islam is the perfect way of life: moderate, liberating and not once contradict with the nature of human beings. It is all about perception and interpretation.
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) always opted for the easier way whenever he had two choices in hand yet that never mean he simplified Islam in any way. I am afraid that with solely analyzing a fragment of any law without looking at it as a whole you are like trying to analyze a piece of jigsaw puzzle without knowing the real picture and you might end up over-simplifying Islam and become the ‘everything is okay’ person.
The next thing she pointed was how an Iranian film director said it is real life to find a mosque, a church, a temple within sight of each other and even disco and a pub in that midst. There are things that we must understand. Islam stands on two grounds: upholding the good and forbidding evil. Yes we respect other religion, other beliefs. We are forbidden from badmouthing other beliefs lest they will turn the table to us. That is clearly stated in the Koran. When we muslims do not believe compulsion in religion we believe wholeheartedly that Islam and Islam only is the right religion for human beings as created by God.
It is like using certain fuel for certain vehicles to make sure it serves it purposes optimum. Perhaps it will still run even with the wrong fuel but only for a short while and at the end of the day you found the vehicle is damaged and defeated. Ms. Zainah Anwar should know better I believe for she always started her talk by emphasizing that she speaks as a believer. I am stunned she wrote that paragraph without a tinge feeling of regret that we Malaysian Muslims are still lack in forbidding evil.
To use the some extreme opinion to justify her case to me is unfair. Not all Islamist ideologues deem music, dance and cultural practices lull our minds from God consciousness and must be banned. Why not look at Dr. Yusuf Qardawi’s opinion about music? He sees music as mind soother and refreshing. It is not about the thing but how you carry it out. Even the Prophet allowed his wife, Aishah to watched cultural show from the Habsyees and he sometimes let earlier muslims to conduct such in a mosque that Umar was pissed off but the Prophet calmed him down saying that let it be, it is important for the weaker soul.
I would take a simple route to see this matter. As a science student logic is my thing. To determine how a woman should dress herself the easiest indicator we have in hand is to see how one should dress when she is praying. Simple, she must cover head to toes except for her face and her hands (up to her wrist). Alas! Perhaps the obligations to wear a hijab and abaya might be cultural call but still a woman must cover herself head to toes because we are not with God when we pray alone, we are with Him all the time or should I say He is with us all the time.