I was driving back home and listening to Dawud Wharnsby's The Veil. Anyone who'd like to hear it, go to youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f96bGluhss. They taped him while he was performing it live.

It's a beautiful song, giving insights on what the veil really means for most of us who decide to don it. I've been questioned why I have it on; to many, it is a symbol of oppression and they think that I've been forced and no matter how much I deny it, they won't change their minds. But that's fine, I'm not wearing it to change anyone's mind. As long as it is my choice and no one is there to force me either way, I am happy.

I won't deny that there are those who have been forced to wear the veil and I am the first to decry such an act. Some may say I am wrong since it is an injunction from God for us to wear the veil, but I stand by my belief that there can be no compulsion in any aspect of Islam. If Islam means peace through submission of our will to Allah's will, then that submission must be in total. How can someone who is being forced to do something be said as having submitted? The sincerity has to be there in order for submission to occur. That means, each and every Muslim has to decide for himself or herself to obey the injunction laid by Allah, thus upholding the declaration that there is nothing above Him.

A conscious choice backed by a proper understanding was what I made when I put on that veil. It has not been an easy choice either as there are discriminations out there against women choosing to wear the veil. To veer off a bit, I was schooled in a convent and interacted with nuns in their habits. Excellent teachers, lovely ladies though there was Sister Pat who scared most of us at the time - she was the disciplinary mistress at the Convent of Infant Jesus. Looking back, I wonder if they ever faced the discriminations I've faced as a Muslim woman wearing a veil. After all, their habits are just like our veils. (Please don't mix up the "purdah"/the veil which cover everything except for the eyes with the veil that all Muslim ladies are supposed to wear) As far as I know, the Prophet only ask us cover ourselves except for our hands and faces, and that was the interpretation I've got from the Qur'anic verse related to veils. Anyway, even in a democratic world, where it is said that you're free to do anything, you are still not free to choose something that they see as wrong. To my mind, that is hypocritical but then again, very few things aren't today.

Going back to the issue of the veil, the related song reminded me of the many reasons behind the veil...

1. The Muslim identity...the veil has become the "face" of Islam...whether we like it or not. You can always spot a Muslim women by the veil but it is more difficult to spot a Muslim man. That visibility makes the Muslim women the representatives of Islam. Ever wonder why God made it that the women become the forerunners, the symbols of Islam, the spokesperson of Islam and not the men? I did. It dawned on me that it is a symbol of honour that God has given to us women - that He is bestowing the honor on us to spread His message just by being ourselves. What speaks of peace more than the face of a woman, a mother, a nurturer, a role model?

In an era where women had little rights (during the Prophet's time), God made women His frontrunners and gave them rights which the world only recognize several decades ago. Did you know a woman, under Islamic law, is allowed to keep her property when divorcing or in any other circumstances? This was in the sixth century when no other laws would recognize a woman's rights to her own properties. But that's veering off course.

2. The reminder...just as the nuns put on their habits, reminding themselves and others of their faith and so their duty to God, so to by putting on the veil, I am reminded of my duties to Him. As long as I wear the veil, that reminder stays with me. And I am reminded too that others see me as the representative of my faith, and so on me is the responsibility to ensure that I stay true to that faith and those duties, not to deviate from them.

3. Modesty...people have been so obsessed with the physical veil that the actual "veil" that God emphasised upon is all but forgotten. In the Qur'an, it is said

"Say to the believing man that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands..." (Qur'an 24:30-31)

When you look around today, you see women being ogled for their bodies. Most ads would have some beautiful lady or ladies even when the product has nothing to do with women. Why? Because sex or sexuality sells. So, what is women's lib coming to? There is a joke in the comics that your IQ is inversely proportional to the size of your bra. Where is the appreciation of women for their own worth, other than economically/in the workplace? Modesty ensures men and women do not just see each other as sexual objects but as individuals with their own worths.

Teaching in the polytechnic, I've seen the boys ogling the girls and vice versa, especially when the person is wearing something tight or revealing while they act more naturally around those who dress more modestly. For example, some of the boys in one of my class were making suggestive comments about the girls in another of my class because those girls often wore really short skirts. They don't do that to their own classmates who happen to like loose T-shirts and jeans, even though they were equally pretty. I'm not pinpointing that it is the girls' fault for wearing tight clothings as it is also the boys' fault for not curbing their baser natures. What I am saying that today, modesty for both sexes are often ignored, leading to people being treated as objects rather than as persons with full rights. The veil, thus, allows me to exercise my modesty and demand others to respect that modesty and in consequence, respect me as a person.

Of course, these are my points of view on this very contraversial issue. Some may agree, others may disagree...again it all boils down to choices and the right to decide - who am I to decide for anyone what they believe is right? But respect my right and I will respect yours. That's all I ask.

Peace,

Sid