A dress no one else can wear
The BBC reported last week on the case of Shabina Begum, whose school has won its appeal against a ruling of unlawful exclusion for barring her from wearing a jilbab in school. Legally, I suppose it all makes sense; after all, she knew the school's policy and chose to attend there nonetheless. What I would like to see, instead of a challenge to the school's acting on its policy, is a challenge to the policy itself.
Those who criticise Shabina Begum for her actions tend to do so on the basis that leading Muslims advised the school that their uniform policy satisfies Islamic requirements. But she is quoted by the BBC as saying that "I feel it is an obligation upon Muslim women to wear this [the jilbab], although there are many other opinions." Those who criticise her decision are denying her a freedom of religious interpretation and expression, suggesting that mainstream opinion (and, let's face it, in most faiths that means "male opinion") should govern her, rather than any sense of personal spirituality and understanding of her own religion. This is, frankly, ridiculous. Mainstream opinion, for example, argues that drinking alcohol in moderation is perfectly acceptable within Christianity; some groups, however, choose to avoid it entirely on religious grounds. They are not being difficult or unreasonable, but expressing their own understanding of what their faith requires in a way which neither distorts nor goes against the spirit of that faith.
It seems to me that much of the criticism of Shabina Begum is a smokescreen to hide the fact that commentators simply don't like the idea that a Muslim woman is actually choosing a way of dressing which seems to them to pander to patriarchy and male supremacy. But, as I've argued before, I see the difference between Muslim views on dress and those of "modern" Western society as being one of degree, rather than of inherent content. As such, while I question the cultural background which makes such distinctions between the sexes apparently necessary, I nonetheless believe that Shabina Begum has the right to stand up for her own understanding of her faith, and applaud her for so doing.
Those who criticise Shabina Begum for her actions tend to do so on the basis that leading Muslims advised the school that their uniform policy satisfies Islamic requirements. But she is quoted by the BBC as saying that "I feel it is an obligation upon Muslim women to wear this [the jilbab], although there are many other opinions." Those who criticise her decision are denying her a freedom of religious interpretation and expression, suggesting that mainstream opinion (and, let's face it, in most faiths that means "male opinion") should govern her, rather than any sense of personal spirituality and understanding of her own religion. This is, frankly, ridiculous. Mainstream opinion, for example, argues that drinking alcohol in moderation is perfectly acceptable within Christianity; some groups, however, choose to avoid it entirely on religious grounds. They are not being difficult or unreasonable, but expressing their own understanding of what their faith requires in a way which neither distorts nor goes against the spirit of that faith.
It seems to me that much of the criticism of Shabina Begum is a smokescreen to hide the fact that commentators simply don't like the idea that a Muslim woman is actually choosing a way of dressing which seems to them to pander to patriarchy and male supremacy. But, as I've argued before, I see the difference between Muslim views on dress and those of "modern" Western society as being one of degree, rather than of inherent content. As such, while I question the cultural background which makes such distinctions between the sexes apparently necessary, I nonetheless believe that Shabina Begum has the right to stand up for her own understanding of her faith, and applaud her for so doing.
posted by EJ at 6:46 pm
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