The Niqab In the West

MuslimSister —

Salaam

Rahmanara Chowdhury is a bright, affable woman with a charming laugh and an approachable manner. She is a part-time teacher in Loughborough and, given her friendly disposition, it's not surprising that her subject is communication. What is unexpected is that she teaches teenagers 'interpersonal skills, teamwork, personal development' while dressed in an outfit that conceals her whole body and face, except for the eyes.

Chowdhury is one of a growing number of Muslim women in Britain who choose to wear the niqab, the veil that leaves only the eyes on public view. Where once the sight of a fully hidden woman was restricted to a few traditionalist communities, nowadays it is not unusual to see the niqab on high streets throughout the major cities of England and in a number of smaller towns. Just a decade ago, this form of enshrouding was seen as an unambiguous sign of female oppression and feudal custom, but now it is frequently referred to as an expression of religious identity, individual rights and even, in some cases, female emancipation.

If wearing a niqab is an assertion of Chowdhury's individual and human rights, what does it say about the rights of others about her and her responsibilities to the students under her charge? Can they really gain a full understanding of personal communication skills when their teacher conceals that part of the human anatomy that is designed for universal communication: the face? Is there not a problem in explaining the subtleties of facial gestures and non-verbal dialogue?

'No, not really,' Chowdhury argued from behind her veil as we sat together in a busy hall in Loughborough University. 'I've had to teach those things, but it shifts to verbal skills.'

[url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,1646389,00.html]Guar…]

I was talking about job discrimination with a Niqabi friend of mine (she doesn’t view the Niqab as being Fard)… she believed that people who wear the Niqab are rightfully discriminated against in jobs.

My thoughts on this issue are not black and white…

The face is very expressive and one can tell a lot about someone by just looking at their face, one can relate to someone more so if the face is on display....in professions such as teaching or working with kids this is important…

This issue is very interesting. And I do NOT wish to discuss whether or not Niqab is Fard/wajib or Mubah etc We should accept that differences of opinion exist on this issue and we should learn to respect them…I just want to bring up the implications and limitations (if any) of wearing a Niqab full time in the West.

How do YOU view a Niqabi? Do you (Niqabi’s) ever face job discrimination? Is it important to keep the face on display when working in certain professions?

How do you (Niqabi’s) travel, especially with the security situation post-9/11 and 7/7?

Does covering the face attract more attention? Is it necessary? Can it be harmful? And how do you (non Muslims) perceive the Niqab?

Share your thoughts..

Wasalaam

Forum

Dave — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 - 22:57

[quote="*DUST*"]IMO its more important for girls than it is for guys. :)[/quote]

lol I sparred once with my girlfriend.

I basically got anihilated - i'm too slow to react and had no idea what I was doing...

essentially i volunteered to be a punching bag.

*DUST* — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 - 23:01

[quote="Don Karnage"][quote="*DUST*"]IMO its more important for girls than it is for guys. :)[/quote]

lol I sparred once with my girlfriend.

I basically got anihilated - i'm too slow to react and had no idea what I was doing...

essentially i volunteered to be a punching bag.[/quote]
lol cool! 😃 wot typa martial art did she learn?

Dave — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 - 23:07

[quote="*DUST*"][quote="Don Karnage"][quote="*DUST*"]IMO its more important for girls than it is for guys. :)[/quote]

lol I sparred once with my girlfriend.

I basically got anihilated - i'm too slow to react and had no idea what I was doing...

essentially i volunteered to be a punching bag.[/quote]
lol cool! 😃 wot typa martial art did she learn?[/quote]

A very painful one - I have no idea its all karate to me. I think it was "chinese" as opposed to "korean" though because she went on and on after our tuesday smackdown sessions - usually while I was ad lunch bleeding and she was ordering a hamburger several times the size of her.

It was my fault though - she's a very pretty girl 5'3ish and basically a wafer, if I touch my thumbs together I can just about touch my index fingers around her waist.

And she goes to Columbia.

In the Ghetto.

That didn't sit well with me so I told her to take martial arts - signed her up for a class and dropped her off.

And before you know it she stole the pants in our relationship - i'm afraid of her.

So it more or less backfired.

But i worry less about her walking around up there

*DUST* — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 00:03

[quote="Med"]i didnt say those words.[/quote]
if ur talking about Dave's quote, yeh that was me, but the quoting mechanism seems to have gotten messed up in his post.

You — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 00:08

I have fixed the above posts now.

(and no, I did not leave a sig... no point.)

*DUST* — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 00:14

[quote="Don Karnage"]lol so what belt are you?

(that's how they rate you right)[/quote]
the grading of belts differs from one type of martial art to another. the only thing they seem to agree on is that black is the top belt (tho even that is subject to discussion...) 😂

Dave — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 00:14

[quote="*DUST*"][quote="Don Karnage"]lol so what belt are you?

(that's how they rate you right)[/quote]
the grading of belts differs from one type of martial art to another. the only thing they seem to agree on is that black is the top belt (tho even that is subject to discussion...) :lol:[/quote]

lol okay so what are you?

*DUST* — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 00:16

[quote="Don Karnage"][quote="*DUST*"][quote="Don Karnage"]lol so what belt are you?

(that's how they rate you right)[/quote]
the grading of belts differs from one type of martial art to another. the only thing they seem to agree on is that black is the top belt (tho even that is subject to discussion...) :lol:[/quote]

lol okay so what are you?[/quote]
i'm three belts away from black. the grading in my (old :() school goes:

white
red
yellow
orange
green
blue
purple
brown
black

and when i had to leave i had a blue belt. 😢

star — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 00:20

[quote="*DUST*"]naj, there isnt really anything particularly tomboyish about karate - IMO its more important for girls than it is for guys. :)[/quote]

honestly speaking your the first girl i've come across whose actually done that....but yea girls do need it coz they dont know how to defend themselves lol...

Dave — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 00:23

So you must be pretty scary.

How long did it take you to get that far?!

*DUST* — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 00:28

[quote="Don Karnage"]So you must be pretty scary.

How long did it take you to get that far?![/quote]
lol nah not really - unless u happen to be ManfromZarqa. :twisted:

erm, i think it took about 5 years in total (i started when i was quite young, took a break from it and then went back when i was a bit older).

Dave — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 00:30

[quote="*DUST*"][quote="Don Karnage"]So you must be pretty scary.

How long did it take you to get that far?![/quote]
lol nah not really - unless u happen to be ManfromZarqa. :twisted:

erm, i think it took about 5 years in total (i started when i was quite young, took a break from it and then went back when i was a bit older).[/quote]

lol the forums ninja.

Why did you stop again? Sounds like you wanted the black belt!

*DUST* — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 00:31

[quote="Don Karnage"][quote="*DUST*"][quote="Don Karnage"]So you must be pretty scary.

How long did it take you to get that far?![/quote]
lol nah not really - unless u happen to be ManfromZarqa. :twisted:

erm, i think it took about 5 years in total (i started when i was quite young, took a break from it and then went back when i was a bit older).[/quote]

lol the forums ninja.

Why did you stop again? Sounds like you wanted the black belt![/quote]
when i was a kid i took a break coz i wasnt serious about it. :roll:

yeh if i was still in the same city i would atleast have my brown belt by now... 😢

Dave — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 00:35

[quote="*DUST*"][quote="Don Karnage"][quote="*DUST*"][quote="Don Karnage"]So you must be pretty scary.

How long did it take you to get that far?![/quote]
lol nah not really - unless u happen to be ManfromZarqa. :twisted:

erm, i think it took about 5 years in total (i started when i was quite young, took a break from it and then went back when i was a bit older).[/quote]

lol the forums ninja.

Why did you stop again? Sounds like you wanted the black belt![/quote]
when i was a kid i took a break coz i wasnt serious about it. :roll:

yeh if i was still in the same city i would atleast have my brown belt by now... :cry:[/quote]

Then you could be an urban ninja!

lol your new avatar suits you so very well - excellent choice

ChechenSufiMuslimah — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 06:55

As'Salam Alikum All :),

There are also sisters who wore it purely for the sake of Allah subhaanahu wata'aala. They are so busy remembering Allah, they couldn't care less about all the looks, stares and harrassment they get. A lot of them are simply doing as many nafl deeds as they can, like prayers, du'as, quran recitation, their tongues are constantly praising Him even while they are doing the housework! Those sisters wore the niqab for the love of Allah and wouldn't take it off for any of His creation. People look at them with pity and scorn, but don't realize that they are actually in a state of ecstasy. Their hearts are filled with sakeenah, and their faces filled with nur. Subhaan Allah.

The niqab is not for the faint-hearted. And you are right, the niqab is more than a piece of material covering the face, it means much more than that to the sisters with sincere intentions. Many of them are wearing it out of pure love for the Mothers of the Believers. They would do anything to try and follow in their footsteps. There's a hadith that says 'whoever dresses like a people is one of them.' Of course we can never compare with our Mothers, but we can only hope to be raised up with them on the day of Judgement. Insha Allah!

You will never know the taste of a mango until you try it, no matter how much people try to describe it. And you will never know what it's like to wear the niqab until you try it. So, try it for a day and see if it's suitable for you sis. There are sisters who do go out of the Muslim areas alone in the niqab, but they are the ones who don't care what the people say or do, they only fear the One Who ought to be feared. Their voices are ringing in my ears: 'I put the niqab on for Allah, and I'm not going to take it off for anybody!' Another one has told me: 'The Creation of Allah has no power, Allah is The Doer of Everything.' They have absolute firm belief in Allah the Most High. Subhaanahu.

As for me, I have my ups and downs in iman, sometimes I feel threatened so I never go outside the areas with Muslims by myself. People mainly just stare. I hardly ever get any rude comments, and I've never been assaulted Alhamdullaah. People do chill out if I talk to them with good manners. I usually go with another sister who wears the niqab so we can both do our shopping together. I think it's the same with sisters who wear hijab nowadays? I'm not sure.

I do know some sisters who wore the niqab before they married and had kids too, it all depends on your level of iman. We are all tested in this dunya, and niqab is easy for some whilst it is impossible for others just the same as tahajjud is easy for some whilst it is impossible for others. You can draw closer to Allah subhaanahu wa'taala by nafl (extra) acts of worship, and the niqab is one of those

Wailaikum salaam.

sis Ayesha

Beast — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 11:18

[quote="yashmaki"]beautifully said sister![/quote]

It's beautifully copy and pasted.

Omrow — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 - 11:42

Yes. Beast [b]meant[/b] that she is copying other people's
work and passing it as her own. However, what he had in [b]mind[/b] was that a Chechen is stealing text.