Muslim
veiling has recently become a very controversial issue due to security
liabilities and transparency issues among citizens. Many people see veiling as
a threat and danger to society while others view it as a beautiful and
religious tradition. The veil allows women to experience liberation by forcing
men to acknowledge them not for their outer beauty but for their intellect,
faith and personality. However it is commonly argued that the burqa is a symbol
of male domination and objectification and is extremely degrading to women. In
this essay I will be comparing two similar yet very different articles that
discuss the major problems with veiling through personal and political
experience. The first author, Mayson Haydar, describes her personal experience
with the burqa through anecdotes and examples of her experiences while wearing
it in public. The second author I will talk about, Martha Nussbaum, discusses
the issues with the burqa by relaying public arguments and then refuting them
with her own reasons.
Haydar has a few main claims within her piece. The largest claim is that
there are major misconceptions about freedom within the muslim religion. She
explained how she was riding a bus in New York City when she heard an American
make a remark about the way Haydar was dressed and proceeded to explain how she
could never dress in such ways because she enjoyed her "freedom".
Haydar explains how her clothing choice in fact allows for more freedom than an
American in tight jeans, a face full of makeup and curled hair. Muslim women in
her religion are allowed to enjoy the same things as anyone else however they
do so with respect for themselves. She states how many women subjugate
themselves through the way they dress while also centering their lives on being
admired for their appearance which is a very meaningless thing to do. Just
because muslim women do not flaunt their bodies does not mean they do not
cherish it or believe it is unimportant. Veiling strays away from a lifestyle
full of harassment and self-loathing yet rather allows for a comfortable life
where you're body is able to be appropriately valued. As for strategies Haydar
compares and contrasts the ways of life between the muslim community and the
non-muslim community. She compares a typical New York women to a muslim women.
She uses a lot personal anecdotes from her past and gives plenty of reasoning
for why veiling does not necessarily mean no freedom. She includes a lot of
personal examples which lead to a stronger connection with her audience which
most likely is majority women. She also uses rebuttals to prove her point and
make her arguments even more powerful.
There has been
proposed bans on the burqa in many different areas of the world. People see the
burqa as a threat to security. Security requires people to show their faces
when appearing in public places and burqas restrict this from happening.
Another argument that was brought up is that transparency between citizens is
impeded when people wear burqas. Nussbaum retaliates this argument by
explaining how these reasons are completely ignored in the winter time when
people walk around, say, New York City bundled head to toe in clothing. Is
security and transparency considered then? The answer is no. Another argument
that is the burqa is a symbol of male domination which objectifies women. Nussbaum
then argues that women in America who get lipsuction, tummy tucks, or breast
implants are doing so in order to conform to the males norm of female beauty.
Isn't this objectification also? Nussbaum's main argument is that people have a
misconception of the burqa and when looked at close enough there are many
ironies to the reasons behind banning burqas.
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