Women’s clothing always had been issue of discussion or rather controversies what to wear, why to wear, always someone peeping into our wardrobe. Judgements are passed, nothing new. It’s from ages.
Sometimes jeans now a ripped jeans and the most is hijab. Even the women who are advocates of ripped jeans cry hues about hijab.
I don’t wear hijab but it’s my choice as same as I don’t wear ripped jeans too as I do not feel comfortable in both the dresses. It doesn’t reflect my backwardness or my progressiveness. Its all in my head.
My choice of dress do not reflect my knowledge my expertise. The piece of clothing is just a level of my comfort. I do not need an opposite gender approval for that.
Similarly in any part of the world, women want to wear hijab or burqa it’s her choice her freedom what to wear or not. Let her wear. Does progressiveness reflects in respecting a woman who is she for her intellect, her talent or for what she is wearing. I really want to say that womens hould free to wear what she want to wear. It can be burqa, hijab, ripped jeans, anything.
We are not here to scrutinise for her wardrobe. It is her choice of expressing herself nor by any man's point of view.
Head cover or hijab is practised by women of all faith muslim women wear hijab or niqab, christian wear headscarves hindu women wear ghoonghat. While others who don’t wear regularly cover their head in place of worship or in front of elders.
Women who wear hijab let it be their choice of wearing as much as your choice of wearing a ripped jeans. Nor hijab reflects backwardness nor ripped jeans or bikini reflects progressiveness. It’s a matter of choice.
It's My life My career my professionalism its My way of dressing expressing or presenting myself to the world.
Though I was also criticised for not wearing hijab but it does not hold me back for advocating for very human right of women's choice of clothing.
If we talk about religious guidelines, mostly are surprised to know that Quran is very Feminist. In the Quran, a woman’s clothing or behaviour is referred to in Chapter 24, in two verses. In anNur (the Light), verse 30, Allah commands: “Say to the believing men that: they should cast down their glances and guard their private parts (by being chaste). This is better forthem.” The second verse reads: “Say to the believing women that: they should cast down their glances and guard their private parts (by being chaste)…” So the rules are the same for both men and women; men shouldn’t even be staring at a woman.
So Quran itself given same right to both men and women. So here its not about religion its by women's choice of wearing what she loves to. And one thing it’s only a women’s choice to dress herself nor she dress for the acceptance of the man. Same like men's desire and acceptance of their dressing whatever the way they want beard no beard, long hairs, pony tail, headcover or no headcover whatever they want to be.
So in this free liberated world the women's choice should be accepted as an independent thought. She can wear jeans, minis, hijab anything ..It’s her life her choice and her dress.
A women is respected for who she is and not for what she wears.
- - - Dr. Maria Sheikh Farooqui