The Media's Portrayal of Islam and the Hijab
Time,
people, culture, society, and the environment we are surrounded by, can produce
the formation of many perspectives regarding an issue that we see in today's
society. One of many controversial topics is Islam and the Hijab. Many
questions and generalisations are often formed in the minds of many non-Muslims
in regards to the concepts behind the Hijab through the influence of the media.
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Throughout
the years of conflict between the "West" and "Islam", the
media has strongly altered the minds of non-Muslims by negative exploitation of
Islam, and Muslims, in particular on Muslim women. Misconceptions such as,
"Are you bald underneath" "Do you go to sleep with that
on?" to the association of "terrorism" that contrasts to what
Muslim women believe the Hijab represents. latest islamic news
A
common misconception is "the Islamic Hijab is something cultural, not
religious". The use of the word "cultural" is faulty when
describing the Hijab as it implies that it is a result of customs and practices
that are something separate from Islam. The cultural dress is referred to the
ancient Pre-Islamic Era (Jahiliyah). It is the veil from the Pre-Islamic Era
that is considered as "traditional" which stops women from
contributing in society. On the contrary, the Islamic Hijab is not considered
as an informal tradition, nor does it lower her self-respect. The Hijab is
aimed at presenting women with poise and equality in society. An example of
Pre-Islamic era in our modern world is the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Taliban
are a party who regard such activities un-Islamic for women, who are prohibited
from exercising their primary rights. The Taliban have banned women from
employment outside the home, apart from the health sector, and have terminated
education for girls. islamic news today
Prophet
Mohammad (peace & blessings be upon him) said, "Seeking knowledge is
incumbent upon every Muslim". Even Henry VIII forbid women to study the
Bible when the first English translations began to appear. It's an irony
although the Taliban claim their guiding philosophy on women are in place to
ensure the physical protection and self-respect of women, where as, many Afghan
women have been killed, beaten and publicly hung. For many Afghan women fear of
being severely punished by the Taliban is their main security concern.
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Another
misconception is "Muslim women have no right in Islam". Islam gave
women rights over 1400 years ago, which is still ignored by many Muslims and
non-Muslims today. Firstly, Islam has given women the basic right to freedom of
speech. In the early days of Islam, the leaders of the Islamic state regarding
legal issues consulted women. Rights that were appointed to Muslim women since
the beginning of time are only just surfacing for non-Muslims. In Islam, a
woman is free to be whom she is inside, and protected from being portrayed as a
sex symbol and lusted after. Islam praises the status of a woman by commanding
that she "enjoys equal rights to those of man in everything, she stands on
an equal footing with man" (Qur'an, Nadvi: 11) and both share mutual
rights and obligations in all aspects of life. muslim news media
Many women are treated
in ways far from Islamic ideals, yet in the name of Islam. The Taliban is an
example of a cultural and political name that has been branded with Islam.
There is no freedom for women if they are imprisoned in their home in the name
of the Hijab and Islam. Moreover, the veil of Islam is not associated with the
veil of oppression.
Women that are
regaining their identity and role in society, are now wearing the Hijab and are
embracing its concept of liberation. They are taking their lawful places that
Islam had awarded them fourteen hundred years ago. In fact, the western women
had no rights nor did they have rights over their husband. Not only were woman
the property of their husband but so were their possessions. In 1919 women in
England fought for their rights to be elected to parliament. Because of their
demands, they were imprisoned by the government and suffered greatly. It was
not until the late nineteenth and early twentieth century when women were given
these rights.
A quote from the
Qur'an in Surah 2: 26 states:
"And for women has rights over men, similar to those of men over women."
"And for women has rights over men, similar to those of men over women."
The background history
between Islam and the West will shed some light as to why Muslims are portrayed
so negatively in the media. Some strong contributing factors are the medieval
western conflict, the crusades, the oil crisis 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 events have caused Islam to be consistently
associated with violence and unresolved conflict. Furthermore, the view of
Muslims as being violent typically explains why Muslims are seen to establish a
threat to the West. One of the most effective ways the media attempts to
somehow prevent Islam being seen in a positive frame is to develop propaganda
against Muslims and Islam.
The media is able to
use the Hijab as a means of exploiting Muslim women, and degrading them. The
media assumes, in some cases, that the actions of one Muslim are
representations of the general Muslim population. This is generalisation. This
sets a example for members of society to abuse and degrade them.
An image of a Muslim
woman wearing the chador was labelled as "like death out for a walk"
in the Australian Magazine, 25-26 Jan. 1995 issue. The media implied to locate
the position of women in Islamic society as dominated. The image also portrayed
the difference between Muslim and Western Women in today's society.
In current affair
programs, people watching are bombarded with images of Muslims as savage
terrorists, killing innocent people with no remorse. What results from this is
the viewers of these programs, recognise and accept only the labels, and
therefore with Islam immediately associating it with negative images.
I asked a resident
from Parramatta, who wished to be kept anonymous if "the September 11th
bombings altered their mind about Islam and Muslim women?" He said "I
never knew Islam and the Qur'an preached terrorism. It has made me aware of
Islam and the teachings. It increased my awareness of the complexities of Islam
and politics in the Middle East including the veiling of Muslim women".
This answer shows how influential the media is towards its viewers.
Throughout the western
society, the practice of Muslim women wearing the Hijab has resulted in extreme
points of view towards their so-called "oppression" and lack of
freedom. Despite the obvious portrayal of Muslim women and myths that surround
it such as; "Muslim women are oppressed", there continues to be an
abundance of Western women reverting to Islam. What Islam uses to protect women
is the Hijab. This is ironic because the Western media often portray the Muslim
veil as a suppressive force in a woman's life.
Every Muslim woman is
required to wear a scarf or some sort of head covering and loose-fitting,
modest attire. This is not a means of controlling a woman's sexuality or
suppressing her but rather, a means for protection. It implies by dressing this
way she will not be seen as a mere sex symbol but will be appreciated for her
intellect. Furthermore, it will not subject her to harassment. It is interesting
to state the head covering for women is not an Islamic innovation but was also
practiced by Judeo-Christian women centuries earlier, and yet is laughed at by
the West today.
Naima Omar, a student
of University of Western Sydney says "It is funny to say the same veil
worn by catholic nuns for God is despised and presented as a symbol of
subjection and domination when it is worn by Muslim women for the intention to
protect themselves and devoting themself to God".
The term Islam means
"submission to the will of Allah" and "peace". Muslims
believe Islam is not a religion but a gift that has been awarded to them. They
believe Islam is the way of life and that is harmonious however the media
portrays the opposite.
Maria Moskovakis, 18,
a Greek Orthodox says "yes of course Muslims are presented negatively in
the news. An action by one Muslim is presented with so much bias. If one Muslim
commits a crime, it is not the person but the religion presented that goes to
trial. What we hear and see is all controlled.
As El-Gharib (1996-97)
noted, television, books, newspapers, and magazines are used to present Islam
as being a backward and barbaric religion. It has been seen as oppressive and
unjust; and more than this, it is seen as being most oppressive to women. These
various forms of media misrepresent Islam in different ways, however largely
achieve the same negative result - the creation of a growing barrier of
misunderstanding and hostility between Islam and it's followers, and the West.