The Media’s Portrayal of Islam and the Hijab

Time, individuals, lifestyle, society, and the surroundings we are surrounded by, can produce the development of numerous views with regards to an concern that we see in present day culture. One particular of a lot of controversial subject areas is Islam and the Hijab. Quite a few issues and generalisations are often shaped in the minds of several non-Muslims in regards to the ideas driving the Hijab through the impact of the media.

In the course of the a long time of conflict in between the “West” and “Islam”, the media has strongly altered the minds of non-Muslims by damaging exploitation of Islam, and Muslims, in individual on Muslim females. Misconceptions this sort of as, “Are you bald beneath” “Do you go to snooze with that on?” to the affiliation of “terrorism” that contrasts to what Muslim women consider the Hijab represents.

A common misunderstanding is “the Islamic Hijab is a thing cultural, not religious”. The use of the word “cultural” is faulty when describing the Hijab as it implies that it is a end result of customs and procedures that are a little something separate from Islam. The cultural costume is referred to the historical Pre-Islamic Period (Jahiliyah). It is the veil from the Pre-Islamic Era that is considered as “conventional” which stops women from contributing in culture. On the opposite, the Islamic Hijab is not deemed as an casual custom, nor does it decreased her self-regard. The Hijab is aimed at presenting girls with poise and equality in society. An illustration of Pre-Islamic period in our fashionable planet is the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Taliban are a celebration who regard this kind of actions un-Islamic for girls, who are prohibited from doing exercises their most important rights. The Taliban have banned ladies from work exterior the property, apart from the well being sector, and have terminated education and learning for women.

Prophet Mohammad (peace & blessings be on him) mentioned, “Looking for expertise is incumbent upon every single Muslim”. Even Henry VIII forbid gals to study the Bible when the initially English translations started to seem. It truly is an irony while the Taliban claim their guiding philosophy on women are in put to ensure the physical protection and self-regard of women, wherever as, many Afghan ladies have been killed, beaten and publicly hung. For quite a few Afghan gals fear of currently being severely punished by the Taliban is their major safety issue.

Another false impression is “Muslim girls have no appropriate in Islam”. Islam gave gals rights more than 1400 years in the past, which is still dismissed by lots of Muslims and non-Muslims nowadays. Firstly, Islam has supplied females the standard appropriate to independence of speech. In the early days of Islam, the leaders of the Islamic condition pertaining to lawful problems consulted women of all ages. Legal rights that have been appointed to Muslim girls considering that the beginning of time are only just surfacing for non-Muslims. In Islam, a lady is free to be whom she is inside of, and safeguarded from getting portrayed as a sex symbol and lusted right after. Islam praises the position of a female by commanding that she “enjoys equal legal rights to those people of guy in everything, she stands on an equivalent footing with person” (Qur’an, Nadvi: 11) and equally share mutual rights and obligations in all aspects of lifetime.

Quite a few women are treated in techniques far from Islamic beliefs, still in the title of Islam. The Taliban is an illustration of a cultural and political title that has been branded with Islam. There is no liberty for females if they are imprisoned in their property in the title of the Hijab and Islam. Furthermore, the veil of Islam is not connected with the veil of oppression.

Women of all ages that are regaining their identification and function in culture, are now wearing the Hijab and are embracing its principle of liberation. They are getting their lawful locations that Islam experienced awarded them fourteen hundred a long time back. In point, the western females had no legal rights nor did they have rights in excess of their spouse. Not only have been girl the assets of their partner but so were being their belongings. In 1919 girls in England fought for their rights to be elected to parliament. For the reason that of their calls for, they have been imprisoned by the govt and experienced enormously. It was not right up until the late nineteenth and early twentieth century when gals had been given these legal rights.

A estimate from the Qur’an in Surah 2: 26 states:
“And for ladies has rights above adult males, very similar to all those of adult males above gals.”

The qualifications history concerning Islam and the West will shed some gentle as to why Muslims are portrayed so negatively in the media. Some robust contributing elements are the medieval western conflict, the crusades, the oil disaster of the 1970’s, the Lebanese civil war, the Iranian revolution, the Gulf war, and the explosive Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the September 11 bombings, the Bali Massacre and the London bombings. All these occasions have prompted Islam to be persistently associated with violence and unresolved conflict. Moreover, the look at of Muslims as currently being violent commonly clarifies why Muslims are seen to establish a menace to the West. 1 of the most efficient techniques the media makes an attempt to somehow avert Islam currently being found in a constructive frame is to acquire propaganda from Muslims and Islam.

The media is able to use the Hijab as a implies of exploiting Muslim gals, and degrading them. The media assumes, in some cases, that the steps of one Muslim are representations of the standard Muslim inhabitants. This is generalisation. This sets a example for associates of culture to abuse and degrade them.

An picture of a Muslim lady putting on the chador was labelled as “like demise out for a wander” in the Australian Journal, 25-26 Jan. 1995 problem. The media implied to locate the place of women of all ages in Islamic modern society as dominated. The image also portrayed the variance amongst Muslim and Western Gals in present day modern society.

In recent affair programs, folks watching are bombarded with illustrations or photos of Muslims as savage terrorists, killing innocent folks with no remorse. What effects from this is the viewers of these packages, recognise and take only the labels, and consequently with Islam promptly associating it with damaging illustrations or photos.

I requested a resident from Parramatta, who wished to be stored anonymous if “the September 11th bombings altered their thoughts about Islam and Muslim females?” He said “I never ever understood Islam and the Qur’an preached terrorism. It has made me aware of Islam and the teachings. It greater my consciousness of the complexities of Islam and politics in the Middle East together with the veiling of Muslim females”. This respond to demonstrates how influential the media is in direction of its viewers.

In the course of the western modern society, the practice of Muslim ladies carrying the Hijab has resulted in extreme factors of see toward their so-termed “oppression” and absence of liberty. Even with the apparent portrayal of Muslim females and myths that surround it this kind of as “Muslim women are oppressed”, there carries on to be an abundance of Western gals reverting to Islam. What Islam works by using to guard females is the Hijab. This is ironic since the Western media normally portray the Muslim veil as a suppressive pressure in a woman’s lifetime.

Each and every Muslim woman is expected to have on a scarf or some form of head masking and loose-fitting, modest apparel. This is not a signifies of controlling a woman’s sexuality or suppressing her but fairly, a means for safety. It implies by dressing this way she will not be witnessed as a mere intercourse image but will be appreciated for her intellect. Moreover, it will not matter her to harassment. It is intriguing to point out the head covering for ladies is not an Islamic innovation but was also practiced by Judeo-Christian females centuries before, and but is laughed at by the West now.

Naima Omar, a student of College of Western Sydney claims “It is amusing to say the identical veil worn by catholic nuns for God is despised and introduced as a image of subjection and domination when it is worn by Muslim gals for the intention to secure on their own and devoting themself to God”.

The time period Islam means “submission to the will of Allah” and “peace”. Muslims imagine Islam is not a religion but a present that has been awarded to them. They believe that Islam is the way of existence and that is harmonious having said that the media portrays the opposite.

Maria Moskovakis, 18, a Greek Orthodox claims “sure of training course Muslims are introduced negatively in the information. An motion by one particular Muslim is introduced with so significantly bias. If just one Muslim commits a crime, it is not the individual but the religion presented that goes to demo. What we listen to and see is all controlled.

As El-Gharib (1996-97) pointed out, tv, publications, newspapers, and publications are made use of to existing Islam as remaining a backward and barbaric religion. It has been observed as oppressive and unjust and much more than this, it is observed as remaining most oppressive to females. These a variety of sorts of media misrepresent Islam in various methods, having said that largely achieve the very same adverse end result – the generation of a developing barrier of misunderstanding and hostility amongst Islam and it really is followers, and the West.

Muslims have an obligation to fulfil which is to educate themselves, their small children to get know-how which is ordained on them regardless of their race, gender and marital status etcetera.
A Hasan Hadith narrated by Ibn Majah in the Qur’an states:
“Trying to find knowledge is a responsibility on every Muslim” and as a result attaining knowledge is regarded as an act of worship. Halting any Muslim from getting an schooling no matter of age and intercourse is not Islamic.

Dr Homer of Sweden was requested by the United Nations in 1975 to examine the status of Ladies in the Arab international locations and mentioned: “It is the Swedish female who must desire her flexibility, as the girls in the Arab international locations has presently achieved the peak of her independence beneath Islam.” From “Status Of Girls In Islam” site 23.

A lot of have turn into utilized to believing the false information that they are spoon fed each time they turn on the screen, listen to the radio or open a newspaper.