Hegab Rehab by Ange recently posted a new article, titled "Hijab Rules Rant".

And not too long, there's an interesting discussion going on there! Check out the post and get involved in the discussion. I really want to know what your thoughts about this topic raised by Ange. She talks about

What is hijab really? What is modesty?

Is hijab in its purest form the simple essence of modesty, of making sure you look decent on the street? Or is it a long list of strict rules we must abide by and if we don't we must be lectured by everyone under the sun about it?

And about various hijab style Muslim women around the world wear.

Here is my opinion I dropped in the discussion section. I stressed out especially on the various hijab style worn by Muslim women:

Of course, for me, hijab is about the essence of modesty. In my opinion, like you and Alia said, hijab highlights the important to dress, to look decent on the street. So that you aren't bothered, so that you feel comfortable with yourself, and so that you connect to people on an intellectual level rather than a physical one.

Islam's mandate is to cover the whole body, except hands and face (for feet, as far as I know, it's still in grey area whether they can be showed or not). Islam doesn't prescribe the rigid rules about what color we can wear, or what fabric we should wear.

People, or in this case, Muslim women, also have their own identity (nationally/ethnically, professionally, culturally, etc). They also have creativity and expressions. Dressing is one of their ways to keep their identity, to be creative, and to express their self through clothing. These are allowed in Islam. Wearing hijab doesn't mean that you have to lose your identity or personality, and it's important for us to develop our unique identity or self. As Erik Erikson, a famous child development expert, said (in one of articles in Islamic Horizons magazine, titled Serving Tawheed and Turkey page 44):

"Failure to achieve an identity can lead to confusion and despair".

And I believe that Alloh SWT loves diversity :) He creates beauty in this planet from the diversity of things and creatures who live in it.. :)

As a muslim woman who wears hijab, there is a whole new realm of possibility for our clothes, from traditional clothes to urban or modern outfits, there aren't any rules on what styles it should be. We can wear clothing (hijab/jilbab) in various styles.

In the Qur'an Surah 7:26,

"O ye Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover your shame, as well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness,- that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition."

So clothing does not have to be drab. It is all right for both sexes to use clothing to enhance beauty as well as to cover nakedness.. But the most important thing is to be modest and righteous.

(Alloh knows best).

So, Sisters, let's not be judgemental.. let's show to the world that Islam is full of love and compassion.. :)

Regarding to the discussion that's still happening, so far, I like and agree with the comments from Alia, Zainab, and Hijab Revival.

Zainab and Hijab Revival have a good opinion about what is Hijab really, not only about how we dress (outer hijab), but also how we conduct ourselves in public, how we act towards others (social hijab), and then of course inner hijab (our inner being like our character, thoughts, etc). And even though some scholars have disagreements about some aspects of hijab, the majority agree on the core aspects of hijab in the Qur’an.

So, what is your own opinion about that?

You can read their comments and all other opinions here, in the comment's section of the article.

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Fashioning Faith has just heard about a Hijab Day Challenge. That was happening recently on Thursday, March 4th, 2010. It was a day when the MSU at UCI (Muslim Student Union at the University of California Irvine) put on a challenge for many non-Muslim women: To try to see what it is like to wear the headscarf many Muslim women wear for one day. As part of their Islam Awareness Quarter, the statement was more of a way to see what it's like to be in the shoes of a Muslim woman.

Here was the flyer:

(Image via MSU-UCI official website)

At the end of the day, the MSU also brought in an esteemed speaker, Yasmin Mogahed to talk about hijab at a campus where a hundred women tried on the headscarf for a day to understand how a woman that wears hijab feels. Yasmin spoke about the role of hijab and modesty in contemporary American society.

I wonder how it would be? What are the thoughts from people who accepted this challenge?

You can watch the videos of Yasmin's talk here.
And also watch the videos of the reflections on hijab, by both muslims and non-muslims after Yasmin's talk, here.

What do you think about this?

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Tulisan ini saya temukan ketika saya sedang melihat-lihat beberapa situs yang menawarkan baju renang (swimsuit) yang modest. Saya tertarik dengan tulisan ini, karena ini merupakan pendapat dari salah seorang umat Kristiani mengenai kesopanan dalam konteks agamanya.

Ternyata banyak pula umat agama lain yang juga ingin menjunjung kesopanan di depan umum, dan, berdasarkan tulisannya, di dalam Bible pun dituliskan pula perihal mengenai kesopanan ini (yang menurut saya isinya sama dengan yang diajarkan oleh Al Qur'an. Bukankah ajaran dalam Bible dan Al Qur'an murninya adalah sama-sama Firman dari Allah??).

Situs ini menawarkan baju renang yang sopan bagi umat Kristiani. Pengelola situs ini memiliki pendapat sendiri mengapa ia ingin tampil sopan di depan umum, dan saya sangat menghargai pendapatnya.

Ini pendapatnya: Why I Promote Modesty?

"Why Do You Dress Modestly?"

Glad you asked! :)

I don't speak for any other swimwear company, church group, or individual, but only for myself. Personally, I choose to cover up because I want to glorify God with my body and to save myself for my future husband if I one day marry. I believe that how a person dresses is a personal choice, and that they should do what they know is right before the Lord.

The Bible encourages women to dress in "modest apparel" and also says that "it is good for a man not to touch a woman". We all know that men are stimulated by sight, and women by touch. I believe that these guidelines are given to us by God for our own protection.

Our sexuality is something that is very special and was given to us by God to share with our spouse. I know that our culture would not agree with this, but I do not speak for our culture. This is what I believe to be true from God's Holy Inspired Word, the Bible. But God has also given us free wills. We can choose to treasure and save our bodies, or to expose ourselves for anyone to see.

The Bible doesn't give exact guidelines as to what type of garment is modest and what is not, so we need to use common sense and ask the Lord for discretion. Would this outfit stimulate a man in a way that we wouldn't wish? A man should also use discretion in how he treats a woman so that he doesn't produce feelings in her which may not be right. Because modesty is a personal choice, and something that we each should prayerfully consider, our purpose at Modest Swimwear Solutions is not to make some kind of "rule" about what style of swimsuit is modest. I only wish to make another option available for ladies who appreciate modesty or are looking for sun protection.

Crystal E. Huyben
Simply Modest Swimwear

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