Another viewpoint for Ban on Burqa and the Niqab

Submitted by Aamir Ali Ansari (Pakistan), Aug 8, 2007 at 07:58

In the most widely attended pilgram Hajj muslim men and women are seen side by side. While muslim men wear ahram ( an unstitched dress made of two pieces of cloth) while women wear Hijab which is a kind of burqa with open face and hands. This shows that in some cases it is obligatory to open face but this is only when there is a very crowded place where there is a requirement of recognizing your partner.

In todays world muslim women are facing difficulties in following thier religious paths especially in western world. Now when thumb impression is considered as authentic source of identity it is not necessary to show your face or have photograph for that. Since in recent days photographs are widely misused where these can easily be distributed on internet or shared among unwanted persons it is impossible to protect your identity. Burqa is real protection for muslim women against these odds.

Although my personal opinion is that for identity reasons muslim ladies have to show their face for limited period only. In Pakistan this is compulsory in all travel documents and ID cards to have photograph. However opening face permanently is not encouraged in Islam.

West should understand the reasons behind hijab/burqah/naqab as there are valid reasons behind it. However misuse of these dresses is highly regretted. If you see in churches you will find similar dresses worn by the ladies performing religious dutites so it is something common.

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