BURQA - a perception, a community or a choice?

"Burqa-  A cloth that symbolizes tradition but often misinterpreted as an incarceration of modernity and self thinking."

Belonging to a fairly liberal Muslim family, I never really had to come across Burqa as such. But it was one fine day at a wedding of an acquaintance that this veil made a mark on me. The bride didn’t know until the vidaai that she is supposed to be wearing a Burqa. Not having to wear it ever until now, it came as a shock to her. But such were the circumstances; she had to finally give in. She had to wear the Burqa because it was a traditional rule of the family to which she was wedded to. This very incident stayed back with me.

image source:internet

Being able to decide how we want our things to be is the greatest luxury of humankind. While many of us wouldn’t think it to be that big a deal, but having the right to make one's own choices is above everything else.  Sophiya chose to wear, but Salma didn’t choose the Burqa!

So is Burqa an imposition? Many European countries are putting a ban on Burqa. Isn’t that an imposition too? Yes. Both are impositions. A woman veiling herself shouldn’t be dictated by any other person. If she wants she should feel free to wear it.  This black (or whichever colour it is) cloth should never be a sign of your acceptance. It should be the sign of your preference.

“The people who think that a veil on the body can hide the nakedness of a wandering soul will hardly know what freedom is!”

While growing up, there were also incidences where I heard men saying that they made sure their wives wore this “shield of protection” because only they should see their beauty and no one else.  Now that is a sign of showing dominance. Maybe among some types of men, Burqa comes as a piece of cloth that can depict their claims over their women. I wonder which are the other clothes that these men may need to protect their dominance!

Burqa is supposedly a part of Islam, but it is not the only part. Burqa in fact, is a tradition rather than a religious act. It varies from country to country. There are many Islamic countries that go for strict Hijab rule for women, irrespective of their choices. While in some other parts like Turkey, it is somewhere lenient. Women there are generally seen just wearing a headscarf instead of the whole Burqa.

However, many people seem to think not wearing a Burqa can be “UNISLAMIC”, just like the social media outrage on the photograph of Indian Cricketer Mohammed Shami and his wife. The rage was because Shami’s wife didn’t sport a Hijab in the picture!

“Lurking in the qualms of a society,  Burqas instead of protecting women are used as imposition to barrier them!”

So am I against veiling? On a personal level, YES! I choose not to choose Burqa. But does that pose me as someone who is anti-Burqa? NO. If I can make my choice of not wearing the Burqa, why can’t another woman make the choice of wearing it? You see, we belong to a world which is often parted into two parts. One part that claims “modernity”, and the other part that claims “traditions”.  And in most cases, both the parts are confused.

image source: internet

 "A woman in a Burqa is often judged in terms of modernity.  I say only fools can scale modernity in terms of a black bikini or a black burqa."

People supporting Burqa think that it is something that Islam asks us to do; and therefore, we must follow no matter what the one who is entitled to wear it thinks. And people against Burqa think that the veil is about giving up your freedom.

I think both these sets of people are wrong. A woman in a Burqa is nowhere liberally limited as compared to a woman not in Burqa until; it is the woman’s choice.

Hijaab, niqaab, burqa are small things. But they are important. The bride that I talked about wasn’t asked to choose, she had to accept it. Maybe if she was given a choice she would not have worn it. When you wear that Burqa it becomes a part of your identity and so it will only make sense if you are doing it with all your consent.

Burqa shouldn’t be a rule. It is as normal as a jean and a t-shirt. It doesn’t inhibit your thinking or your actions. It doesn’t portray any inferiority; it doesn’t weigh your modernity; or it doesn’t make you different from the rest of us.  It is just another piece of cloth that you like to wear. But our interpretations have made us follow Burqa as a confinement of the women race. And that is why it is dreaded by many. We can see little girls who are yet to understand any form of choice, are made to wear it. And that’s sad. At least wait till they are able to make a choice for themselves. I don’t know how it works or how you go up to a girl and ask her to wear a veil. But a right way would be when she is explained the significance and traditions associated with a Burqa and she’s given a choice.

Sitting at a medical store waiting for my turn to come to see the doctor, I saw several women in black veils. And I wondered whether the old woman who was around 60 was ever given an option or whether the newly wedded girl. Maybe as young as 16, wanted to wear the Burqa above her lavishly decorated green saree that I could see through. Or the 8 year old Mehrunissa, who was sitting right near me. and peeking over my phone, was given a choice.

image source:internet

Sophiya and Salma have been bffs since grade 2, when both turned 16, their families went to each of them respectively and asked to make their choices. Sophiya said, “I would like to wear that gorgeous Burqa, I think it can be a part of me.” On the other hand, Salma looked at her Mom and said, “I guess Burqa is not me Ammi, I don’t want to wear it.” Both the families were happy to see their daughters choose what they wanted to. Sophiya claims Salma chooses the best Burqas for her!

I hope every Muslim girl or any other girl for that matter, belonging to any place in the world, is given the right to choose just like Sophiya and Salma. After all, compulsions don’t make people happy, choices do!