"Headscarves, Secularism, and Religious Freedom"

This article so well sums up so many things, I thought I'd re-produce it here. Please give full credit to the author at the title link:

"Headscarves, Secularism, and Religious Freedom"
By Nick Gier, Unfiltered, New West Politics, 8-16-08

I thought I would never get a consulting job until the day that the ACLU gave me a call. Some Muslim prisoners in the Boise penitentiary were complaining that the warden was forcing them to cut off their beards.

For $25 an hour I agreed to research the issue of beards and religion and write a report. I interviewed Muslim imams and Jewish rabbis, and I found that certain sects of each did indeed require beards as part of male religious identity.

Certain sects of orthodox Judaism do not even allow the trimming of beards because they read: "You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard" (Leviticus 19:27).

I also discovered that Sikh men may never cut their hair or their beards. Sikh women also must cover their heads, and they may not remove hair from any part of their bodies.

The Jewish Talmud requires that women cover their hair while in public, and Orthodox Jews still follow that tradition. In earlier times Roman Catholic women had to cover their heads during Mass, following Paul's injunction that a "woman who prays with her head unveiled dishonors her head" (1 Cor. 11:5). Some Pentecostal, Independent Baptist, and Mennonite women cover their heads in public as well as in church.

The passage most often cited from the Qur'an (24:31) has more to do with general modesty, although the specific injunction to cover the bosom with a veil does of course imply veil wearing, a common custom for women in the Middle East and now seen by many Muslims as a religious requirement for their women.

Recently Abercrombie Kids refused to hire a Muslim woman because she was told that her headscarf did "not fit the Abercrombie image." Abercrombie's own Code of Business Conduct and Ethics prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, and religious headscarves are now explicitly included in new guidelines from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The Muslim headscarf (hijab) can be worn in several ways: very loosely as former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto did; completely covering the hair; or covering the head except for the eyes.

U.S. citizen Sultana Freeman is now suing the State of Florida because she refused to show her full face for a photo required for a driver's license. Freeman's attorney believes that she will win her right to drive on the basis of legal precedent, because 14 other states have made exceptions for Christians who claim that taking photographs of them is a violation of the Second Commandment.

General American tolerance of the hijab stands in contrast to French intolerance. A 2004 law prohibiting the wearing of hijab in France's public schools was passed by a vote of 494-36 in National Assembly. Recently a Moroccan woman was denied French citizenship because she wore the burqa, which covers the entire body.

Most Americans and Europeans are proud of their commitment to a liberal secular democracy in which church and state are kept separate. But the Latin word "liberalis" means "pertaining to the free person," and a liberal society should protect, first and foremost, its citizens' right to the free exercise of their religious beliefs, as long as those beliefs to do infringe on the rights of others.

Turkey's radical secularists have also been undermining the liberal foundations of their modern nation. Over the years the Republican People's Party abolished capital punishment, legalized abortion, extended women's rights, liberalized the economy, but also banned the hijab in public.

In the past several decades there has been an Islamic revival in Turkey, and a moderate Muslim party has won the last two elections, the second one by a 47% margin. Turkey's chief prosecutor brought charges against this party claiming and it had threatened Turkey's secular society by bringing back the hijab in public.

This month the Turkish supreme court ruled 10-1 against the party. The prosecutor had recommended that 70 party members be banned for five years, but that punishment required at least seven judges to rule in favor. The vote was 6-5. One vote the other way would have thrown Turkish society into chaos, and most of the world is now relieved that a crisis has been avoided.

Religious persecution in Europe was one of the primary reasons for the American and French Revolutions, and failure to respect the rights of believers of all faiths will lead us into times just as dark as the religious wars of pre-Revolutionary Europe.

Nick Gier taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years. Read or listen to his other columns at http://www.NickGier.com.

Olympic Veil

Headcovering watchers have probably heard of, if not seen in action, the Muslim women participating in the Olympic Games wearing hijab. If not, check out "Hijab Style: Famous Faces" for this week.

Photo of Sarah Khoshjamal-Fekri, of Iran women’s national taekwondo team, from shirzanan.com)

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Amal Amireh writes in Arabisto.com, "Interview with a Muslim Woman Olympic Athlete", a reaction "pretend" interview, her response to coverage of the female athletes choice to cover their heads rather than coverage of their athletic abilities.

". . . when it comes to Muslim women who veil, the media seems to be interested only in one thing: the piece of fabric on the woman's head. They want to know if its weight slow down runners; if it blocks the view of archers; if it interferes with the concentration of weight lifters. And let's not forget the color. It must matter!
And they are surprised when they find out that what they're obsessing with is irrelevant. Still, they write the article about the veil, not the woman competing."

(Photo of Najmeh Abtin, archer from Iran, from Getty Images)

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"Aussie "burqini" designer creates athletic veil"
Mon Aug 18, 2008 from Reuters.com

"The Australian designer of the full-length swimwear for conservative Muslim women has created special headgear for athletes seeking to win glory without compromising their faith.

Bahrain's Olympic sprinter Rogaya Al Ghasara is set to become the first athlete to compete in the "hijood", a combination of the words "hijab" or veil and "hood", on Tuesday in Beijing.

Designed by Aheda Zanetti, managing director of Australian firm Ahiida, the hijood is breathable, fits snuggly like a hood and covers the hair and neck in accordance with Islamic custom."

(photo here of Rogaya Al Ghasara of Bahrain from Flickr.com)
*** notice - the address I have for this photo is: "http://farm1.static.flickr.com/142/323303467_847bb0cf43_o.jpg" - I cannot find any other information - please pass photographer or agency on to me if you can document this photo.

Those Headcoverings

(photos in slide show are from Getty Images)

I started the blog, "Those Headcoverings" here at blogspot, to help to educate, to alert and to encourage.

Education - When I started studying about headcoverings, I wanted to find out what I could about them, and searching could sometimes be difficult. One of the most fascinating things that I found, was that head covering by women really is an across time and culture "phenomenon", and a choice made by many people for many different reasons. I eventually categorized those reasons into religious (Christian, Jewish and Muslim women, in particular, but also for men), for health reasons (preventative, as well as for those with cancer or other hair loss), and the wonderful world of headscarf fashion. Since I've added the Feedjit widgit to my blog, I have been able to see how people found my blog, when they came from a search for something, and often others are searching for the same things that I was - all falling into the above categories and including how to make or tie up a headcovering, or where to buy one, and the history of head coverings of various places.

I knew that for many, especially those with slow dial-up(!), difficulties can stall or even stop searches. And that is discouraging, especially when there are many search entries that use the same words (such as veiling or covering) that can mean something else. Hopefully, having categories of news and blogs in one place will make a search a little easier, and jump start even more ideas.

Alert: With education comes the persuasive edge, to alert others to what is going on in the world. In other countries, people are forced against their will and knowledge to either wear or not wear a head covering. Sometimes they are ridiculed, persecuted, or misrepresented by the media. It is my hope, that as the world "grows smaller" due to the internet and world news, that people will come to better understand one another. It may be a dim hope, considering how people are people, but I hope that those who stop by here would be moved to think further of how significant their actions are.

Encourage: I truly hope to encourage others by making them aware of the simple, quiet blogs, where women have written of the reasons they chose to cover, their difficulties and joys as they went through a change in life style, and sometimes sharing the way that they wear a headcovering. They have all encouraged me - from the young women who began covering in a place where no one else did or understood, to the women who grew up in communities where everyone covered. In this simple act of obedience and respect, without even much of a word (though we wouldn't know unless she wrote the words down), we can be won over to a humble, honourable and beautiful Way of life.


I really don't have the time to continue doing as much work as I have been on this little hobby of mine, especially as the summer comes to an end, and I must get back to teaching on a much wider variety of subjects. I will keep up from time to time. I do hope that those of you who stop by this blog will continue to make use of the webpages that I created and modified at googlepages: "ThoseHeadcoverings" (also linked in the upper right). Please continue studying and praying about your personal decision. Know what you believe, and if you are unsure, ask for help to understand. Continue learning about other cultures and lifestyles so that you can make wise decisions regarding your treatment of others. I personally have come to consider many headcover-ers "kindred spirits" - though we may not agree on other things of the Spirit. I stand up with those who are misunderstood merely because they have that headcovering on, and I encourage them to keep on doing what they understand to be good and right.

Headcoverings are not an oppresive burden; they are as unique as a woman's skirt, as personal as her faith, and as liberating as the difference between men and women. They can be as beautiful or as ugly as our inner spirits show them to be. I pray that whether you wear scarf, mantilla, hat, turban, hijab, cap, bonnet, or wide headband - others will see its beauty because of the beautiful head that it is worn on.

Head Covering Sun Protection, and Covered Athletes

Just a short entry and free advert. for Coolibar, makers of sun protective clothing, sun hats, and UV protection swim wear. They're having an end of summer sale. Please check out head coverings for men, women and children, as well as a variety of modest, sun protective active and swim wear. Even a protective face drape. Such a neat thing that sun protection equals modest dress sometimes - they'll make more business that way, I think. :)


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And speaking of head covering athletic types, see this article on the veiled athletes competing in the Olympic games this year. "Veiled Athletes Challenge Stereotypes in Beijing", story in Reuters.com.

This year's Games will see a sizable sprinkling of veiled athletes who are determined to avoid offending devout Muslims back home while showing skimpily dressed rivals there is nothing constricting about wearing "hijab".

To Georgia

GE-95.jpg
Originally uploaded by herwigphoto.com

I'm still trying to figure out what is going on in the little country of Georgia. Praying...

Caption: Tbilisi, Georgia - January, 2008: Senior Georgian woman lights a prayer candle in Sioni Cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia where a church has been since the 6th century AD. (Photo by Christopher Herwig)

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22 months ago: Georgian woman sells national fur-caps in the town of Mckheta outside Tbilisi, 08 October 2006. Russia's military would go to the defence of Georgia's separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia if the Georgian government launched an assault, Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said Sunday. (Photo credit: VANO SHLAMOV/AFP/Getty Images)

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GEORGIAN WOMAN MOURNING OVER HER FAMILY AND HOME
Irakli's Public Gallery » Malcolms Abkhazia
Oct 9, 2007

Historical Christian Headcoverings

Sister Judith Hannah brings us a collection of Christian writers' thoughts on head covering for Christian women, who lived and wrote within the first centuries after the days of Jesus Christ on earth. Each seems to take the scriptures and tradition of Christian women veiling as a literal act of covering the head, regardless of local culture.

Please find the time to read: "HEAD COVERINGS... the Historical Record"

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Personal Opinion Time:

To many, reading these words of the old teachers, the subject may come across as one of legalism where nothing has been specifically commanded, one of opinion therefore, and because following this command is of works, and not "unto salvation". Please, stop for a moment, and consider the words of Jesus himself, as recorded in the first four books of the New Testament. If the greatest command is to love the LORD God with all our heart, soul and mind, then one will show that love, just as a light on a hill that stands out for all to see - and for all to see something, something has to be... done. That is obedience. Not someone trying to save themselves. The second great command is taught that we are to love others as we love ourselves. That is an act of respect and consideration, not thinking of ourselves and acting for ourselves, but for others - whether respect for men, to show them that we understand the heavy responsibility of their position and we are here to hold them up, (or, also, respect for a man's ability to be distracted as we "flaunt" our hair, which is our glory, or our bodies, or etc.); or respect for other women, to point out to them some things to consider in their own lives which may help them to grow in their love towards their husbands, their children and their LORD God.

The simple act of covering a woman's head seems so trivial, if only taken as an act to be done, because "somebody made me" for example. It is much more than just one thing on a list of things that a woman does to be pleasing to God and man(kind). It is obedience done out of love, respect, trust, and faith. If I told my husband (or my best friend, or my father) that I loved him, but never showed him by my actions that I cared about the things which were important to him, never listened when he explained something to me that he really did have more knowledge or experience in, never thought twice about him as I spent all my time with other people and in trying to please them more than I want to please him, never respected his authority when it came time to make decisions or wise choices where it seemed that it "just didn't matter" to me - I would not really be loving.

When you pull those headcoverings on today, Sisters, please remember who you are really doing it for, first of all. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up. Become as little children, who do not turn to a loving parent and say, "I don't have to!" But who love and obey and trust. And whose Father is happy to call them to him, and lift them up.

~ LM

Cancer Caps

"Mad for caps"
By Mary Shustack, The Journal News, August 8, 2008
(New York's Lower Hudson Valley)

When Carrie Bell first designed feminine baseball caps, she never imagined who her biggest customers would be.

She thought the caps - think polka dots and flowers instead of team logos - would be ideal for tennis players and golfers. But Madcapz sells best to women and children experiencing hair loss from medical treatments and conditions. . . .

. . . Carrie Bell started her cap business, Madcapz, to offer ladies a baseball-style cap that was feminine without sports teams or corporate logos. Recently she discovered a new market, selling her caps wholesale to hospitals, doctor's offices and wig shops for women losing their hair as a result of radiation/chemotherapy. (Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

To find out more about Carrie Bell's caps and visors, or to place an order, visit www.madcapz.net.

Studying Christianity or Living It Out

I came across a verse by verse study of 1 Corinthians 11:2-6, done by a lady who believes that the command for Christian women to cover their heads while praying or prophesying made by the Apostle Paul there was only for that culture. She made a lot of references to the culture of that time, which she did not verify with sources, unfortunately. She did make some interesting points, such as this one, referring to cultures:

"When we visit other countries, or even subcultures in our own country, we need to keep in mind the customs of the societies we’ll be moving about in. Let’s not let our liberty become a cause of reproach either to ourselves, our nation, or especially, to our God. It falls to us to learn what people in the places we’re going to consider to be appropriate and modest and respectful behavior and then to be considerate of local customs as much as we reasonably can, even if we think those customs silly and superficial."

She also concludes: "We can always find a solution if we show love and preference for one another, and that is what the whole head covering thing is about if you distill it down to its most essential form. Do nothing for selfish reasons, but do everything out of love for one another and out of your desire to advance the Kingdom of God."


Some interesting points were then made in a comment reply to this post, of which I only include a part:

. . . As a non-Christian, I find the “picking-and-choosing” to be a great barrier to taking modern Christians seriously. Homosexuality is treated as an eternal ultimate evil, but women staying silent in Church is treated as a historical culture-specific suggestion. The same cultural arguments for the latter apply to the former. We can interpret Paul’s attacks on homosexuality as attacks on the ancient Greek sense of the superiority of homosexuality over heterosexuality, and particularly as an attack on pederasty, rather than as an attack on committed, loving relationships between people of the same gender. That Christians use cultural arguments to excuse things they wish (equality for women), but reject them for groups they dislike (homosexuals) creates exactly the image of hypocrisy that I believe Paul was speaking against. . . .

My editing may change the ideas of the writers, due to context; please read them in their entirety. I am submitting this link with these two viewpoints I found for your consideration:
1 Corinthians 11:2-16 - by CindyinSD at wordpress

"How to wear Hijab"

Equal time! The other day I linked/posted a how-to manual on choosing a head covering scarf, which could apply to Christian and Jewish women, as well as women who desire to cover for hair loss or other reasons. Today I came across a blog with a similar purpose, but specifically for how to wear the Muslim style head scarf. I often remark in this blog that I personally don't think that most women choose one style over another so that they can mark out which "team" they belong to. But I would be lying if I said that I really believed that to be true 100% of the time. Many women do in fact wear their hijab, or mantilla, or prayer cap or bonnet with pride, BECAUSE it easily identifies them with their type of belief. Of course, they must also be made aware themselves, that many women like to wear the same style of head coverings because they like it, and may not share their beliefs after all. It's really a many faceted thing, this head covering. But, I digress. Please read the following article on how to wear a head scarf, in identify-ably Muslim styles (and there are quite a few!). Note - There are many spiritual aspects to a style, too, especially where purity and modesty is concerned, so the decision to cover your head is not a decision to be made too lightly.

The following is a thorough article: several basics, lists, pictures and links included.

"How to wear hijab: choosing your own style", from islamzpeace at wordpress.

Often when a new muslima or one who has decided to start wearing hijab looks at the variety and types of hijabs available it can be confusing. It is also confusing when we see some women covering from head to foot leaving almost nothing exposed, yet others wearing pretty much western clothing with just a scarf over their hair. It is important that when a woman puts on hijab that it is for the sake of pleasing Allah and for seeking the reward in the hereafter. So where is a woman supposed to begin?

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I keep seeing that book title used in the photo above, and I have longed to use it in a post. The book is listed in my "other resources" in the sidebar.

Does My Head Look Big In This? is the first novel by author Randa Abdel-Fattah. It was released in Australia, by Pan MacMillan Australia, on the 1st August 2005. It won the Australian Book Industry Award for Australian Book of The Year Award for older children.

The plot involves a sixteen-year-old girl who decides to adopt the Muslim custom of hijab dress, with varying reactions from her family and peers." - from Wikipedia