Islam requires Muslim men and
women to dress modestly. Male modesty has been interpreted to be covering the
area from the navel to the knee. For women it is generally seen as covering
everything except their face, hands and feet when in the presence of men they are
not related or married to. However, there has been much debate within Islam on
the issue. This has led to a distinction between the hijab (literally
"covering up" in Arabic) and the niqaab (meaning "full
veil"). The hijab is typically a scarf that covers the hair and
neck, whereas the niqaab is a veil for the face that leaves the area
around the eyes clear. It is worn with an accompanying headscarf or
an abaya, a full-length robe, and sometimes with a separate transparent
eye veil.
Iqra News talks to Mehreen,
a young Mauritian woman who wears the Niqaab (Veil).
Please tell us briefly
about about yourself
I'm Mehreen, 27 years
old and a mother of a two-year old daughter. Currently unemployed, I like
reading, playing badminton and going to zumba classes.
When did you start
wearing the Niqaab?
Candidly, wearing the
niqaab has always been on my mind ever since I was in college. After the unexpected
and sad demise of my mum, I had to put an end to my studies and focus on work.
That's what I did. Everything changed for me in 2016. One Sunday morning, as I
went for jogging as usual after Fajr (morning) prayer, I saw a lady and she
completely changed my life… I don't know her...not even her name... I knew
nothing about her. She was wearing her niqaab and running slowly...I had to approach
her. In my eyes she was so beautiful and strong, jogging with her niqaab...she
still is. I questioned her...questions like 'Is
it easy to run with it? Do they laugh at you?' etc. I felt fascinated by
her attitude and appearance. What I saw was a happy woman, healthy, sporty,
jogging merrily, just like all the other women at the park. The only difference
was that she was wearing a veil on her face. But that did not make her any
lesser woman than the others. That’s when I DECIDED to start wearing it. In 2016...it
was the first day of Ramadan…
So noone forced you to
wear it, it was your personal decision…
Yes. Niqaab is
something beautiful. It's not obligatory but it's a choice. Many would find it
weird but whether we wear Niqaab or not we are normal human beings. We are not
different from others. We are still a woman with it, right? Noone forced me and
I was not brainwashed or coerced into wearing it. I did not attend any lecture,
etc. I just decided that I wanted to wear it and that’s it.
Yes but why did you choose
to wear the niqaab?
Wearing it was my
choice as I said. No one forced me...no one has the right to stop me as well.
All those who are wearing it are WARRIORS. I respect those ladies. They are
brave. Some women feel liberated by some actions and I feel liberated by my
niqaab.
Many people, especially in the western
world, say the niqaab is a sign of oppression for women. What do you have to
say to them?
This is so funny.
Come on...oppression? I mentioned before it's a choice we ladies make so how
come it's an oppression? It's not even obligatory. Some men like their wives to
dress up for themselves and like them that way...as long as their husbands
accept them that way...what do they need more, huh? Some ladies simply like to
be hidden from other men’s gazes besides their husbands, brothers and dads....what
is wrong with that? How come some people can easily accept someone in complete nudity
but when it comes to someone covering the whole body in full modesty, they are
like...'OMG...hahahaha...look at her… Ninja... blahblah?' Whenever I hear this I feel much stronger...being
called a Ninja means so much like come on guys...better be called a Ninja than
an idiot.
Do ‘Niqaabi women’ wear
make-up, jewellery or fashion clothing?
Personally I don’t
really like make-up. And I’m not so much into jewellery, except for items like
rings. But in general, I don’t see why the Niqaab would prevent women to wear
make-up or jewellery. True it is that the make-up or jewellery will not be
visible to others, so people might think what is the use of wearing them if you
are then covering them with your niqaab, but the point is that women don’t
necessarily wear make-up or jewellery to please others, but first and foremost
to please themselves. Secondly, women dress up, wear make-up and jewelleries
and other fashion adornments to please their husbands only, not to show off to
other males. The niqaab is what we wear when going out, but once in our home we
can wear what we want, I myself wear sleeveless shirts at home. So the conclusion
is, yes, niqaabi women do indulge in fashion just like other women but for
their husbands only! And I find absolutely nothing wrong in that!
What are the difficulties you face in
your daily life because you wear the niqaab?
Difficulties? The most
common one is the eyes of some people on you. Fortunately, it’s a minority. The
way they look at me...staring...fixing those eyes on me makes me wonder whether
they are crazy! Those eyes...I wish they could stop doing that...it's so
irritating. Moreover...they would call us names... Ninja.... Terrorist… Monsters...Backward
women, etc. It does hurt but seriously...who is the real monster here: the silent
one living her life peacefully according to her wishes or the one shouting
weird names at her and trying to dictate how she should live her life and criticising her for her choice? We didn't do anything wrong to deserve those names. I'm using
"WE" because I'm also speaking for the other veiled women who face
what I've gone through and what I face everyday. We believe in freedom of
women, and I feel I am free to wear what I want and people should respect my
freedom to choose.
Have you ever been
discriminated against because of the veil? For example, is it easy to find a
job?
Ah! A BIG YES... DAMN
IT! I'm a hardworking person. I love working. I had a job...in 2017, I got
married and had a baby… in other words I had to leave my job. The nightmare
started when I decided to resume work when my daughter was 1 year and 4 months…
I really want to work. I went to some shops which advertised for salesgirls...I
wish I didn't go...they were like... “Would
you be able to work with that thing?” or “Our clients would not accept someone
like you sorry” or “If I ask to
remove it, would you do so?” Hey…come on! I worked as salesgirl before I
got pregnant with my niqaab and everyone got used to it so what's wrong? What
makes you believe that we lost our ability to work simply because we are
wearing a veil…huh? We can work. We can walk. We can drive. We can run. We are
still the same person after all.
How do members of the public react when
they see you? Have you ever faced criticism or taunts in public or do people do
respect you?
Well, there are some
who would make comments while for others we are are invisible; even in some
shops, staff would pretend we don't exist and serve other clients. But there
are people who respect us, and I’m glad they are the majority: people from all
customs and background. They show sign of respect and tolerance.
Some countries have banned the veil
because of security issues, they claim a person's face must be visible. Do you agree
the niqaab is a threat to security when wrongly used?
It's not a threat… when
it comes to security issues we do accept to show our face. That's what I do at
the bank for example… it's a procedure so I accept that. They are doing their
job. Not a threat, seriously, if they want to check my face, I would abide
obviously. Wearing the niqaab does not mean I would not respect the law, I
remain a law abiding citizen. It's their duty mais de loin à
interdire le Niqaab c'est inacceptable. Ce
n’est pas une raison valable. If someone walks in public without wearing
anything or next to nothing, would they ban him/her for that? Would they put
the same law to those who don't wear anything?
Does your husband or do your children
accept the niqaab?
I wore it before
meeting my husband... he accepted it and accepted me as I am and with it. My
baby knew me that way when she was still in my womb so she is used to it and
it’s perfectly normal for her. But yes, after marriage, at times, my husband
asks me if I want to reconsider my decision.
There is a school of
thought in Islam that says covering the face is not compulsory. A woman should
cover her body except her face and hands. What do you have to say about this?
It's true, it's a
sunnah (recommended) means it's not obligatory. Just a choice.
Does the niqaab prevent
you from leisure activities such as swimming, trekking, sports, socialising, etc?
Nah... I do jogging
in my niqaab at times... I practise zumba... but only in classes for ladies. I'm
planning to do other sports as well soon. Actually, I want to show people that
we niqaabis are strong people too. The niqaab should not be seen as an obstacle
to normal life.