Transcript Hijab - cloudfront.net

Islamic Concepts and Social
Concerns: Hijab and Jihad
Hijab
• Hijab = Arabic word meaning “barrier” or
“partition”
• Broader meaning = principle of modesty; includes
both behavior and dress for men and women
• Those who believe the Qur’an requires women to
wear hijab say it must be worn in front of any
man a woman may theoretically marry
• Modesty rules are open to a wide range of
interpretations; practices thus differ greatly
Hijab
Video: Hijab – why I do or don’t wear it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puKosWNjY
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Niqab
Burqa
Hijab Bathing Suit
• Video: Burqa Debate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkh3WB5Ht
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Video: Hijab Ban in the UK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjY8WpVAP
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Catholic Veil: Mantilla
• Mantillas = chapel veils; pieces of black or white lace
that are draped over a woman’s head when attending
Mass, or in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament
– Traditionally, the black veils were worn by married or
widowed women, while the white veils were worn by
young girls, or unmarried women
• Before the Second Vatican Council, the wearing of
chapel veils was required for a woman when attending
Mass as a symbol of her modesty and humility before
God (until 1960s)
Mantilla
Mantilla: Purposes
• Act of veiling a woman's physical beauty, so that
the beauty of God may be glorified instead
• Way of emulating the Virgin Mary, who is the
archetype of purity and humility
• Signifies women’s role of giving life
– Similar to: The chalice holding the blood of Christ,
which is veiled until the Preparation of the Gifts. Also,
the tabernacle is veiled between Masses. Both of
these vessels hold the Eucharist, the very life of
Christ.
France: Hijab Ban
• September 2004: Banned all “obvious”
religious symbols from public schools,
including hijab
France: Full Veil Ban
• April 2011: Passed law against covering one’s face in
public. Muslim women in the niqab or burqa (full face
veil) are banned from any public activity, including
walking down the street, taking a bus, going to shops,
and picking their children up from school
– French politicians say they favored the ban in order to
protect “gender equality” and women’s “dignity”
– Only the French police can confront a woman in niqab.
They can't remove her veil but must refer the case to a
local judge, who can hand out a fine, a “citizenship training
course,” or both
France: Hijab Ban
• March 2013: Public poll
shows that 84% of the
public would support a
ban on the hijab in any
workplace that the public
frequents and 86% would
support a ban on religious
symbols in a workplace
centered on children, such
as a school
Yuna: Hijabi Swag
• 25 year old Muslim pop singer from Malaysia
• Law-school graduate and fashion icon
(“modern Muslim chic”)
• Has turned her personal style into a business
with her I AM JET FUEL shop in Malaysia
– Carries her own line of traditional Malaysian head
scarves
Q: You wear your head scarf beautifully. It seems
like it’s an intrinsic part of who you are.
A: I am never without my head scarf. It’s a part of
me. As a Muslim woman, I embraced it on my
own a few years ago, and I love wearing it. I
wanted to give life to it, and I like having fun with
it.
• Video: Mermaid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhH24I4mSpk
• Video: Lullabies (Adventure Club Remix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsGiBwK4Ycc
Jihad
• Jihad = “struggle”
• Sometimes referred to as the 6th pillar of Islam
• An effort to practice Islam in the face of oppression
and persecution
• Personally: Refers to an individual’s struggle against
anything that prevents her/him from obeying Allah and
Allah’s divine law
• Socially: Refers to the preservation of the order that
Allah willed for the world
Jihad in the Qur’an: Holy War?
• Muslims are commanded in the Qur'an not to begin
hostilities, violate the rights of others, or harm the
innocent
– Even hurting or destroying animals or trees is forbidden
• If non-Muslims are peaceful or indifferent to Islam,
there is no justified reason in the Qur’an to declare war
on them
• Armed struggle is only approved as a last resort and
only for self-defense
Jihad: Forced Conversion?
• The Qur'an says: "Let there be no compulsion in
religion" (2:256).
• Using violence and thus forcing someone to choose
death or Islam = foreign to the spirit of Islam
• There is no command in the Qur’an to wage a "holy
war" in order to "spread the faith" and thus force
people to embrace Islam
• This would be an unholy war and the people's forced
conversions would not be sincere
Jihad and Islamic Fundamentalism: Wahhabism
• Wahhabism = an ultra-conservative branch of
Sunni Islam
• Founded by theologian Muhammad ibn Abd al
Wahhab during the eighteenth century (17031791)
– Sought to reverse what he perceived as the moral
decline of his society
Wahhabism
• Seeks to “purify” Islam of any teachings/practices that
deviate from the seventh-century teachings of the
Prophet Muhammad and his companions
• Both religious and political
• Its ideology has influenced Islamic extremist groups
such as the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda
– Often see non-Muslim, especially Western, influence as a
threat
Nasheed Music and Islamic Extremism
• Videos: Nasheed Music
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOdphEf
21jg (jihad)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l83oI1zwC
sQ (Umma)
Islamic Extremist Quotes
• “We destroyed the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
and Allah ordered us to... punish everyone who stands
alongside (US President George W) Bush.” – al-Qaeda
• “Congratulations to the Islamic nation, to our sheikh Osama
abu Abdullah ( Osama bin Laden ), to our emir Mullah
Mohammad Omar, to sheikh Ayman Zawahiri (bin Laden's
deputy)... for the destruction of America, which is at the
forefront of evil.” – al-Qaeda
• “Sons of Islam everywhere, the jihad is the duty – to
establish the rule of Allah on earth and to liberate your
countries and yourselves from America’s domination and its
Zionist allies, it is your battle – either victory or
martyrdom.” – Ahmed Yassin (founder of Hamas, a nonWahhabi Palestinian extremist group)
Islamic quotes against jihadi attacks on the West
• “The undersigned, leaders of Islamic movements,
are horrified by the events of Tuesday 11
September 2001 in the United States which
resulted in massive killing, destruction and attack
on innocent lives. We express our deepest
sympathies and sorrow. We condemn, in the
strongest terms, the incidents, which are against
all human and Islamic norms. This is grounded in
the Noble Laws of Islam which forbid all forms of
attacks on innocents. God Almighty says in the
Holy Qur’an: ‘No bearer of burdens can bear the
burden of another’ (Surah al-Isra 17:15).”
• “There is no terrorism or a threat to civilians in jihad
[religious struggle].” – Abdel-Mo’tei Bayyoumi, al-Azhar
Islamic Research Academy, Cairo, Egypt
• “You must know Islam’s firm position against all these
terrible crimes. The world must know that Islam is a
religion of peace and mercy and goodness; it is a
religion of justice and guidance…Islam has forbidden
violence in all its forms. It forbids the hijacking [of]
airplanes, ships and other means of transport, and it
forbids all acts that undermine the security of the
innocent.” – Abdulaziz bin ‘Abdallah Al-Ashaykh, chief
mufti (Muslim legal expert) of Saudi Arabia
Why do Islamic extremists see
Western influence as a threat?
Islamic History Post-Caliphate
• 1258: Mongols captured/destroyed the city of Baghdad and
brought about the fall of the caliphate
• The caliphate became united and expanded under the
Ottoman Empire but remained an Islamic state
• WWI: The collapse of the Ottoman Empire
• Post WWI: Britain came to occupy the territory that was to
become Iraq, Palestine, Trans-Jordan, Syria and Lebanon
– British and French forces drew the boundaries of these Middle
Eastern nations without regard for local regional, familial, and
tribal connections
• Video: Israeli-Palestine conflict
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKfV8wCLjl
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• 1. Do you think that Islamic extremists’ views of the
West as a threat are justified? Why or why not?
• 2. How does Quranic exegesis play a role in Islamic
extremists’ calls for jihadi attacks on the West?
– i.e. How are they interpreting what the Qur’an says about
jihad in relation to West-Middle East conflict?
• 3. Can extremists’ calls for jihadi attacks on the West
be tied to both oppression and resistance? Why or
why not?
• 4. How can Catholics follow the Church’s teaching on
religious tolerance of Islam and esteem for Muslims
despite Islamic extremists’ violent views and actions?
– (If you don’t think this is possible or that they should,
explain.)