Between separation and veil, where does the Muslim woman stand?

Between separation and veil, where does the Muslim woman stand?
By Hayfaa Tlaiss

Critics of Islam continue to describe it as a gender-biased religion based on the superiority of men and the demeaned status of women. However, and with massive media attention on them, it seems the non-mixing between sexes and the strict dress codes imposed on some Muslim women remain the most debatable aspects. What is really heating up this debate, in addition to the failure of the West to understand the causes for such practices, is the fierce battle between Muslim scholars as each party tries to prove its interpretations as the correct ones.
The non-mixing between the sexes in all aspects of social and economic life seems to be the most prominent facet of Islam. This regulation is perceived by the West as clear-cut evidence about the token status that women in Muslim societies are given. This separation between genders, which continues to be the rule in several Muslim countries, makes it even harder for the West to understand the Muslim culture. As a result, the West deems Islam as incompatible with the pillars of today's modern business world that is based on freedom of movement and interaction.
On the one hand, conservative Muslim scholars support and defend this regulation, describing it as "a philosophy [that] serves the benefit of women." In their defense, they consider that this regulation protects women from the lustful desires of men who see them as seductive creatures. On the other hand, Muslim reformists and feminists believe it is unfair to isolate women just because of how they are perceived by men. This school of thought believes, in the absence of any direct command emphasizing the separation as a core requirement in the Muslim faith, that such a regulation needs to be revised. Fatima Mernissi, a pioneering Islamic feminist, takes this a step further, demanding the reinterpretation of Koranic verses assumed to promote such regulations in their historical contexts and in consideration of the reasons behind their revelation.
And yet, the veil remains the hottest, and perhaps the most contentious aspect that attracts the attention and arises the curiosity of the whole world about Islam. In the absence of any dress code imposed on men, and along with the strict dress code that some Muslim women are expected to wear, the headscarf is perceived by Westerners as limiting the freedom of women while men continue to enjoy an ample degree of freedom. Moreover, the hijab serves as confirmation of their assumptions about the inferior status of women in the Muslim faith, as suitable for child-raising and domestic chores only.
Apparently, the disagreements between the scholars have struck deep water as each party tries to pull the strings its way. The pro-veil Muslim party considers that since the feminine nature of women is highly valued and sensitive, the veil serves as another social rule that goes hand-in-hand with the non-mixing of the sexes to protect women. In supporting the non-oppressive nature of the veil and its respectful objective, the conservative Muslim scholars resort to their interpretation of the Koranic verse in which the veil is mentioned. ("O prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the women of the believers to lower their outer garments on their persons. That is likely to allow them to be recognized and by consequence not to be molested." The Confederate Tribes 33:59). Furthermore, and to put an end to the Western claim that Islam represses the rights of women in society and treats her as a second-class creature, the Muslim conservatives again resort to their interpretation of the Koranic verses that describe the equality of creation of men and women from the same soul, emphasize gender equality in Islam and highlight the complementary roles of Muslim men and women ("Reverence. Your guardian Lord who created you from a single soul." The Women 4:1).
The climax of this controversy is reached when the feminists, and in defending their anti-veil stance, re-interpret the same verses that the conservatives used to prove their own stance. Hassan al-Turabi, a religious and Islamic political leader in Sudan and a leading progressive Islamist, considers that the previous verse is clearly addressed to the wives of the Prophet and cannot be generalized to all Muslim women. Similarly, Mernissi reinterprets it as evidence of the absence of a divine Koranic order asking all Muslim women to wear the veil, but limiting it only to the wives of the Prophet. To support their argument that the Koran does not order all Muslim women to wear the veil, the reformists resort to the following verse from their own subjective angle. ("O you who believe! Do not enter the houses of the Prophet unless permission is given ... and when you ask of them any goods ask of them from behind a curtain; this is purer for your hearts and [for] their hearts." The Confederate Tribes 33:53).
This conflict between Muslim scholars is further projected on the practices and beliefs of Muslim women. Some complain about the non-mixing because they perceive it as an obstacle preventing their progress through limiting the exchange of information and the building of networks. Many researchers seeking to understand Muslim culture have conducted research with women in several countries across the region and concluded that a lot of women in these societies do not feel disadvantaged, and do not perceive non-mixing as an obstacle for advancement. Similarly, anti-veil Muslim women consider it as a punishment for being female, while pro-veil women perceive it as a sign of identity and a dress code that allows them to be perceived as human beings and not sexual objects.
And therefore Muslim women
end up living in a state of diaspora. Chained by the patriarchal cultures of their countries that limit the
physical and intellectual freedom
of women, the many cultural practices that are mistakenly associated with Islam and stuck between the disagreements among the Muslim scholars on the interpretation of
the koranic verses addressing the
status of women in Islam, Muslim women continue to be trapped in this dilemma. They go to sleep and dream of answers to their unreciprocated questions: Does gender
separation serve our hopes and pursuits of advancement and progress in our careers? Is the veil a doctrine imposed by God and the Koran or by the prevailing social culture that is held in reserve?
Hayfaa Tlaiss is a doctoral researcher at Manchester Business School.