From: gagrawal@cs.tamu.edu (Gopal Agrawal)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan
Subject: Re: Women and Burqa: Analyzing the recent discussion
Date: 10 Apr 92 16:50:43 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Department, Texas A&M University

In article <1992Apr9.233253.28721@sarah.albany.edu> ys3359@thor.albany.edu (Yazmasterj) writes:
>In article <12047@tamsun.tamu.edu> gagrawal@cs.tamu.edu (Gopal Agrawal) writes:
>
>>I think the underlined sentences in the above posts should indicate what 
>>I am getting at. All your arguments seem to be based on the fact that there
>>is no clear evidence that Islam forbids women from discarding purdah in any
>>given era. Hence it is ok for you to not wear the purdah these days. 
>
>	That is the general idea.
>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------
>>The Thought Experiment: 
>>			Now ASSUME that the Quran explicitly (I mean 
>>really explicitly in big bold CAP fonts) mentioned that all women MUST 
>>(100%/definetely/under all circumstances) follow the hijab or purdah 
>>system, covering your entire body from head to toe at all times (forever). 
>>I mean showing any part of your body is an ABSOLUTE NO NO. Its worded 
>>in such a way so that there can be absolutely no doubt as to its meaning.
>>
>>WOULD YOU WEAR THE PURDAH THEN ?  
>>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>	the veracity of many of the Hadith.  However if the Quran had
>	been as explicit as you say, the culture and interpretations
>	would have evolved in a different manner.  The controversy
>	about hijab would not be there since it would be explicitly
>	mandated.  It would be accepted as a given as much as the oneness
>	of Allah and the finality of the Prophethood (this is not intended

>	Since I do regard the oneness of God, the finality of the
>	Prophethood, prayer, fasting, etc. to be absolute and necessary
>	for Islam, I assume I would believe the hijab mandatory also.
>	However, since I am not a product of that culture and evolutionary
>	path of Islam (it being speculative in nature), I can't answer
>	for sure.  The fact is that the controversy and vagueness
>	do exist.  They have permitted me to begin my investigation into
>	the subject.  They have permitted me to grow up in a household
>	which does not practice hijab but definitely practices the 
>	actual mandates of Islam.  In addition, my belief in Islam includes
>
>Yasmin
>

So wearing the hijab boils down to whether or not Islam mandates it. 
You say your thought processes would have been moulded in a different way
if it was already considered mandatory and therefore you would probably 
not be in a postion to reject it.

Let me try another twist to my original question. The controvesy of the hijab
still exists.  You have begun to investigate into this controversy and 
vagueness of the hijab and being a product of a different culture, you
are now able to question its validity. Infact you have found many 
disadvantages of wearing the hijab and probably even abhor it. All your 
deligent study of the Quran has now made you into the greatest Islamic 
scholar that has ever lived on earth. No one knows Islam better than you
do. What other muslims think is not important to you because you firmly 
believe that you are the greatest authority on Islam. (Don't equate this
with egoism. Consider this as a honest  recognition of ones ability). 

In the course of this investigation, you find that there were certain
verses that you hadn't read before or other indications in the Quran that
you were unaware of. These indications/verses suddenly make it clear to 
you that the Quran infact does mandate the hijab. (Note - this is still an
experiment. I'm not saying that you have not read the whole Quran in reality
and that there might actually be verses to contradict your present position
on the hijab.). No one but you has realized this mandatoriness (sp?) of the
hijab by the Quran. (I have no idea how Quran declares something mandatory,
but the method is not important here. What's important is that, to you, it 
appears as a mandatory injunction by the Quran).

What would your reaction then be ? Would you immediately forget all about 
the disadvantages of the hijab that you right now take for granted ? Would
you go next day to your office all covered up (you might have a tough time
getting through the security :-) ). 

(Hope my question is clear enough.)
regards,
--
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