Life Under the Veil

The typical belief surrounding Muslim women is that they are in fact oppressed, discouraged, and mistreated by the men in their country. Although these things are true in some cases, I would like it to be realized that the veiling of Muslim women is at all times a cultural aspect and a part of their religion. The Quran states that women must be covered, and not seen. Nowhere in the Quran does it explicitly state that women must veil themselves or even wear hijabs. The veiling of women is something that was adopted by Islam from the Byzantine and Persian empires. In today's world western feminists see the veil as a symbol of oppression; however, to many Muslims it is a symbol of empowerment and rejection of Western culture, as well as a way to put themselves closer to their God. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the way women are treated in the Middle East, but I feel as that most people do not fully understand the meaning of the veil to Middle Eastern culture. Those are the true intentions of the veil, but there is also the negative aspect to it.

In the Middle East women are treated with such scrutiny that it would make an American woman’s head spin. In some countries, like Iran, women must completely clothe themselves from head to toe. In fact, they must actually go forth and hide their own figure. It is strongly believed in their culture that men cannot control themselves; this is why it is up to women to cover themselves so drastically. Aside from this, women cannot walk the streets alone; they must be with a man at all times, but not just any man. This man must be blood related, for if the woman is caught walking the streets with a man who isn’t family then she is called a whore, slut, and prostitute. What’s worse is that she is either taken to jail or beaten by mobs for her actions. The books “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi discuss this type of life style and living condition for woman in Iran, who does not even have to be Muslim to be veiled. It is in situations like these when the veiling is oppressive, and therefore must be stopped. I believe that the treatment of woman in these foreign countries is wrong, but being uniformed on the topic is even worse.