mumbai: it certainly seems like
much ado about a shapeless black polyester costume. last month, a virtually
unknown militant group warned muslim women in kashmir that unless they cloaked
themselves in burqas, they would be subjected to acid attacks. then, copycats in
hyderabad started a door-to-door campaign urging women to cover up. not to be
outdone, the muslim league issued veiled threats in mumbai.
that anybody should dictate what nazia or nikhat wear when they step out of
their homes in bandra or banjara hills seems unthinkable. but those involved in
the battle over the burqa sense that the next few months are critical. warns
farzana syed of aawaaz-e-nishwaan, a group which works with muslim women,
``today, preachers and politicians are telling us what to wear. tomorrow, they
will prohibit us from leaving the house. we must nip this in the bud.''
given the fractured nature of the debate, the invasion of the dress code
enforcers has yielded mixed reactions. while the liberal fringe sees it as an
attack on women's rights, orthodox muslim groups support the ends if not the
means. ``the burqa is a mechanism of suppression, a way to make women
invisible,'' says zeenat shaukat ali, a mumbai-based professor of islamic
culture. ``it may offer some relief to women who, otherwise, would not be
allowed to step out of the house. but by and large, women are programmed to
believe that the burqa is a religious duty.''
counters dr shuaib sayyad of the islamic research foundation, ``promiscuity
spoils the minds of our youth. while we do not believe in acid attacks, it is up
to all of us to implement the will of god.''
interestingly, few indian muslims know that the quran is completely silent about
the burqa. the key verse on the dress-code issue merely advocates: ``say to the
believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty, that
they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily
appear therof, that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not
display their beauty except to their husbands, fathers, sons..''
clear as these words are, the interpretation is hotly disputed. ``all it means
is that women should dress in a dignified manner and not flaunt their
sexuality,'' says social reformer asghar ali engineer, pointing out that in its
early years, islam neither veiled nor secluded its women. concurs ms shaukat ali,
``hijab is about decorum, not putting women in a uniform.''
others, however, come away from the quran and religious texts with a more rigid
message. ``muslim women are supposed to cover the entire body, barring the hands
and face. and some scholars believe it is beneficial to cover the face as
well,'' says uzma naheed, an educationist, who herself dons a coat and scarf.
adds dr sayyad, ``according to the rules of `hijab', clothes should not be
tight, transparent or glamorous. muslim women should not dress like men or in a
way which hides their identity as muslims.''
given that a salwar-kameez or phiran could well fulfil even these criteria, why
this growing insistence on the clumsy, sweat-inducing burqa? says dr sayyad,
``it is popular because it fulfils the conditions easily.''
this simplistic explanation does not, however, explain the sudden status
accorded to the burqa. whatever politicians might imagine, indian muslims have
never been a homogeneous mass. so, although conservative families in up or west
bengal traditionally donned burqas, the islamic dress code in the konkan or the
south often implied a demurely draped sari pallav or dupatta. ``in the decades
after independence, the burqa had all but disappeared from urban india,'' says
mr engineer, adding that the costume had acquired a small-town,
lower-middle-class tag.
but events of the '70s--the islamic revolution in iran and the gulf boom--gave
the garment a new lease of life. ``individuals who went to the gulf for jobs
invariably brought back burqas as gifts,'' recalls hasina khan of
aawaaz-e-nishwaan, describing how the garment gradually infiltrated homes across
the country. ``today, many women believe that the it is prescribed by religion.
others are pressurised by parents. often, as a subtle hint, brides are presented
burqas by their in-laws on before the wedding.''
the last decade has, however, witnessed a more aggressive trend in mumbai--one
which has swept even skinny schoolgirls and carefree collegians into cloaks,
scarves, nose-pieces and veils. ``the 1992-'93 riots led to ghettoisation and a
tremendous search for identity,'' explains farida lambay of nirmala niketan
college of social work, pointing out that fundamentalism is growing across
religions. ``many orthodox groups have mushroomed, which influence youngsters
through discourses and lectures.''
while some women have adopted `hijab' as an assertion of identity, others are
victims of subtle pressures. the bohras, for example, insist that all women
participating in community functions wear the rida (a colourful variation of the
burqa).
some muslim organisations have started enforcing a dress code among their
employees. educational programmes within the community are viciously criticised
if their students turn up in salwar-kameezes. ``one six-year-old boy threw
tantrums until his teenaged sister finally wore a burqa,'' recalls naseem of
aawaaz-e-nishwan, pointing out that schools and religious classes also play a
role. adds her friend razia, ``recently my 11-year-old came home from school and
demanded a burqa.''
do such stories bode badly for the status of muslim women in india? ``a woman's
position in islam is like that of a pearl. rather than acting as an instrument
of suppression, the `hijab' guarantees protection and respect,'' says naheed,
who is delighted that educated, working women the world over are adopting this
dress code.
counters ms lambay, who sees this as a backward step for indian women, ``this
retreat into the burqa will only isolate the muslim community further, and feed
existing stereotypes.''
while the dress code debate is likely to rage on for decades, another matter is
simpler to settle. for, as ms khan emphasises, ``some women might choose to wear
a burqa, but that is a personal decision. we absolutely refuse to be pawns in
any religious or political game.''
Courtesy: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/855184109.cms