Hijab: not a defence mechanism against sandstorm

I refer to the article "Culture not part of religion" on your features page No. 26 of the Sunday Observer of 8th September 2006.

Colombo University Senior Sociologist Dr. Subangi Herath in an interview with Afreeha Jawad, has spoken as if she was an authority on Islam. Little knowledge they say, is most dangerous and the learned lady has in my opinion, 'made a hopeless mess of it by rushing in to an area where even angels would fear to tread'. She could and should have based her comments on what she knows of Buddhism and not on the little she knows about Islam.

It is best for her to educate herself firstly that Islam is not about what the Holy Prophet 'is supposed to have said' but what he actually said or did and also, but more importantly, the divine dictates of Almighty God as promulgated in the Holy Quran. Islam is a complete way of life and everything what the Quran and the Prophet have stated are for all peoples and for all times. And as for Islam, unlike her patronizing remarks, there is no question of ignoring the time period during which a particular injunction was made and fit it into modern times.

A case in point is the Hijab. Instead of trying to speculate that it was a defence mechanism against sandstorms (very laughable, indeed!!), it would be good if she can lay her hands on a copy of the Holy Quran and be convinced that this was to promote modesty among women and to protect them in fact, not against sandstorms, so that the men folk would treat them with due respect and dignity and not as mere sex objects.

I am no extremist but a true Islamist and I wish to agree with her on the point that this was never a control of female sexuality but certainly a control over male perversity and enhancement of the status of women as mothers, wives, sisters and daughters coupled with restoration of their due rights and privileges. I wish to digress here a bit. Most people think that women in Islam are treated as 'second class citizens'. This is furthest from the truth. There are several verses in the Holy Quran and many sayings of the Holy Prophet which exemplify the high status of women and how lovingly and respectfully they ought to be dealt with.

Coming back to the good doctor's article, she also displays her ignorance when she pontificates about what the Holy Prophet said about flesh-eating. Now, who is she to comment about our fundamental values (and by extension, our fundamental rights)? Here again, my advice to her would be to read and understand the several injunctions to Muslims in the Holy Quran and the Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet) about flesh-eating.

Her obvious bias and prejudicial views about Islam come through very clearly when she talks about Jihad and about why the Bhagwat Geetha was written.

Although Jihad is essentially about overcoming one's own self so that one could understand himself better, the lesser Jihad is to overcome your enemies in self defence only. No true Muslim will condone terrorism in whatever form, even if committed by some ill-informed radical Muslims. The vast majority of the 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide too believe in peaceful co-existence with others. Islam is essentially a religion of peace that guarantees human rights and respect for all types of life, property, social obligations, etc. Dr. Herath, will agree I am sure, that there are the extremists and miscreants in Buddhism too, although in a minority, who act against the ideals of this great philosophy.

She pontificates once again that 'whatever negative measures they took (the religious leaders) should not be used in this modern era as this would only leave room for extremism.

We Muslims completely submit ourselves to the teachings in our Holy Book and our Prophet and we do not consider any of these as being negative or out of time. Islam is for all times and all peoples. The Holy Quran has remained in its original form since it was revealed over 1,400 years ago and will remain so until eternity. No Muslim can or will ever dream of 'taking bits and parts' of it to suit their whims or fancies or that of any so-called 'authority' on Islam.

Ifthikhar Aziz, Rajagiriya.