Are the veil and burqa forms of oppression for women?

In the last decade there have been a meteoric spike in veiling in Muslim communities and countries. Secular countries such as Egypt, Lebanon or Tunisia have seen an increase in the frequency with which women use Islamic clothing, especially among the new generations of young people who, a priori, should have a more social focus westernist.

The veil has become a claim for some feminist organizations, who perceive it as the last element that men use to nullify the personality, identity and integrity of the woman. Other groups, Muslim or not, defend the freedom for Muslim women to adorn their clothingwith the veilAs long as this choice is free and does not come from an imposition, of course.

The burqa is also associated with certain forms of Muslim faith, and its use has also generated controversy. Is it the wearing of the veil and the burqa an effect of oppression against women?

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Islam and the veil

As bizarre as it may be, within the same scholars and specialists in interpretation of the Koran there are divergences when it comes to analyzing the clothing to be worn by the sex faithful feminine.

In one of the verses or suras of the Holy Qur'an, sura 24:31 An-Nur, it is stated: "[...] and tell the faithful women to spread their jumur over their heads [...]". Jumur is translated by veil, mantilla, kerchief, curtain among others. The etymology comes from the intention to veil, ensure the physical integrity of women in the face of provocative and adulterous looks from the male sex.

In this sense, the complexity does not result from whether to cover the head or not, but what limits can be placed on the diameter or dimensions to be covered. Thus, in different countries we find different ways of covering oneself with the veil, where you can see a small percentage of the visible hair, the total coverage or half of the hair in the open air.

The Burka and feminine integrity

The burqa piece, on the other hand, does have a more controversial origin. Without going any further, in some Islamic countries it is categorically rejected and prohibited through legislation, such as Iran or Kuwait, where you have to at least be able to show the female face for reasons of security.

In this case, the burqa does respond to a subjective interpretation of some Islamic societies such as the Afghan, of millenary tribes who understand that the totality of the female figure is beauty, which makes full coverage of your physique necessary. In Pakistan it is also quite common to wear such an outfit, which is important given the large population of the country.

Oppression or freedom?

The controversy always extends around the use and its hidden meaning. Should the burqa be banned? And the veil? Religious and image freedom rejects any debate, except for some current security-related amendment, inasmuch as all citizens must be able to be identified.

Any act of willfulness should not entail the conceptual punishment of oppression, since the freedom of choice should not burden the debate with value judgments, demonizing a decision purely individual. For some Muslim women, feeling compelled to uncover is oppression itself.

Does the complement of the veil suppose oppression or freedom? In any case, it is decided by those affected, those interested in taking it or those who are thinking about it. If we put another example of different clothing, we find the Indian chador, which equally covers 90% of the woman's body, avoiding marking the female silhouette. Who raises a cry in the sky for it? It is clear that there is an implicit cultural bias at play, another thing is that its existence accounts for all the controversy that arose around this type of clothing in women.

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The Burkini, solution or problem?

The burkini is an aquatic garment that was invented in 2003 in Australia for precisely resolve all the conflicts created for women who yearned to be able to bathe without having to uncover. The author of the design, Aheda Zanetti declared on the BBC: “I invented the burkini to bring cultures closer together, and it seems that it bothers someone”.

The prohibition of the burkini in the country of egalitè, libertè et fraternitè, It has meant another serious setback to the conflict that already existed with the veil or burqa. For this, it is possible to expose another analogy that serves to clear doubts. The surfer wetsuit covers from neck to ankle for both men and women.

While the veil or burqa are in everyday use, it seems strange that a garment that is used from time to time generates as much or more controversy. But in reality it is not: the debate comes over the difference between the male and female swimsuit, and the possibility that religion, in the form of patriarchal imposition, condition the thought Muslim women and those of other religious beliefs.

It can be said that this invention has been a further advance for the integrity of women that so many Western feminist groups claim. Participation in the Olympic Games, regional international championships or participation in sports feminine aquatics in Islamic countries would have been given, among other things, thanks to garments such as the burkini.

However, it can also be said that if until now the female representation of these countries was limited, it was by the material and ideological impositions that have been articulated through, among other things, the interpretation of the Koran. Much debate remains ahead.