Social, historical Constructions: Muslim Women and Veiling

Social, historical Constructions: Muslim Women and Veiling
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Social Historical Constructions: Muslim Women and Veiling
The veil in their minds and on our heads: the persistence of colonial images of Muslim women by Hoodfar Homa script reveals the ignorance on the position of Muslim women on veiling. According to Hoodfar (1992), the existing colonial images on the veiling by Muslim women have instituted barriers in understanding the significance of the veil in their societies. While some people support the idea, others emphasize on the stance that the action reveals patriarchy (Hoodfar, 1992). However, none of the groups, supporting or protesting the plan, makes an effort to enquire and gain knowledge on the significance or impact of the veil from the women living with it. To begin with, the supporters do not have any other reason apart from decency to maintain their stance in the veiling of Muslim women. Do they know how the women feel about it? Have they inquired about the comfortability instituted by the veil on Muslim women? Is the part of dressing significant to their culture and is unveiling wrong, or does it yield consequences? The groups supporting the idea have not enquired and gained knowledge about the issue. Hence, they can only help their perception, but without distinct reasons. On the other hand, the protesters argue that veiling is a type of oppression against the female gender. For instance, feminists say that veiling is imposed by men who want to lead while women follow what they say, irrespective of whether it is right or wrong, and the impact of the action (Hoodfar, 1992). Hoodfar demonstrates how the existing arguments by groups of people like feminists about veiling in Muslim women have not considered the opinions of the women living with the issue.
Although the significance of veiling in the Muslim women remains unknown, the battle on whether it should or should not continue has never come to an end. While people living outside the culture emphasize on abolishing of veiling, they do not know the impact of their steps on the affected populations of Muslims. For instance, de-veiling movements affect some women, especially ladies from low-income status (Hoodfar, 1992). If the action is culturally deviant for some natives in the religion, some women are punished for supporting the ideas going against their cultures. “Compulsory veiling in the Islamic Republic of Iran under Khomeini and voluntary veiling of Muslim women in Canada, I argue that while veiling has been used and enforced by the Iranian state and by men as a means of regulating and controlling women's lives, women have used the same institution to loosen the bonds of patriarchy imposed on them.” (Hoodfar, 1992)The difference between the two Muslim groups reveals that veiling can be a will, depending on the region's birth and growth for the women.
On the other hand, the Gender, Place, and Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography reading by ROBINA MOH...