One of the basic human rights in the 'West' is the right for one’s identity to be preserved and even protected and not attacked. How can the 'West' allow attacks on its own Muslim citizens for exercising the right to wear what suit them? Furthermore, we ask: what happened to the religious, social, and intellectual heritage of the western world? Modest western women would –and still do– wear decent clothing which closely resemble the Islamic dress code as in the cases of nuns and countryside women?
Mocking the Islamic Veil
Personal freedom is central to western democracies. It can be seen in western contemporary social life and also in intellectual literature. It should then be one of the fundamental rights of women in a democracy to have the personal freedom to choose their own clothes as far as they are not contradicting any general moral or social value.
The Muslim world is astonished to watch the increased attacks and mockery of the veil of Muslim women in the 'West'. These attacks directly contradict democratic principles which are currently being promoted in the Muslim world. The world's women-rights groups have not taken any concerted steps to defend the rights of Muslim Women. We cannot help but wonder how the right of nudity is accepted and defended while the right of decency is attacked and questioned?
One of the basic human rights in the 'West' is the right for one’s identity to be preserved and even protected and not attacked. How can the 'West' allow attacks on its own Muslim citizens for exercising the right to wear what suit them? Furthermore, we ask: what happened to the religious, social, and intellectual heritage of the western world? Modest western women would –and still do– wear decent clothing which closely resemble the Islamic dress code as in the cases of nuns and countryside women?
If the 'West' has abandoned this legacy of decency, does it mean the rest of the world must follow suit? We reject the 'war on decency' in today's world. We also do not accept the notion that this is the price to be paid for modernity and prosperity. Could the attacks on the veil of Muslim women result from the fact that, in itself, it represents just another symbol of decency?
The laws and regulations that were passed recently by several European countries to limit the rights of women to wear the veil appear to be a clear negation of their civil liberties. We wonder: is this happening because of a continued sense of animosity toward Islam by some, or because of the anti-decency position of some liberal supporters, or is it simply to please supporters of social and moral decadence? These are questions directed at western thinkers and intellectuals by the Muslim world. Our expectation is that they must stand firm against double standards in western intellectual norms which this phenomenon points to.
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Do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers. [Quran aal-Imran (3):139]
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