EXCERPTS: Women forced to cover faces.17 November 2006

+ARAB NEWS (Saudi)Wednesday, 17, November, 2004

"Respecting a Person's Freedom to Choose"
Raid Qusti, rqusti@arabnews.com -

UOTE FROM TEXT:
"Her intense moment was interrupted by a shout from
one of the employees of the Grand Mosque, 'Woman,cover
your face!' The shout was followed by her being hit
on the back by the employee with his stick."
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EXCERPTS:


Many readers have asked for a follow-up to the article
I wrote last week about some employees in the Grand
Mosque asking women to cover their faces. ...

To set the record straight, I have not accused all
employees in the Grand Mosque of asking women to cover
their faces. Many of them have made no such request
but some others have and their numbers are apparently
on the increase.

... a personal family friend complained to me of the
treatment she received at the Grand Mosque. She is an
American who converted to Islam several years ago and
she said that when she performed Umrah for the first
time, she stood frozen in awe in front of the Kaaba.
She said she experienced a feeling of spirituality
that she could not describe. Her intense moment was
interrupted by a shout from one of the employees of
the Grand Mosque, "Woman, cover your face!"

The shout was followed by her being hit on the back by
the employee with his stick. A woman being hit with a
stick in the Grand Mosque? ...

Whether we know how many people behaving this way in
the Grand Mosque is not the main issue here. I believe
the main issue is that such things should never happen
in God's House and certainly not in the name of Islam.

. . .

... According to some scholars, Muslim women are
required to cover their entire bodies from the tops of
their heads to their feet - and this includes their
eyes and fingernails. Some scholars say that failing
to do so constitutes a sin. Suppose that is true. What
then would we Muslim men turn away from as requested
by God in the Qur'an?

. . .
... One of the most-quoted verses in the Qur'an tells
us that there should be no compulsion in matters of
religion.

The greatest freedom that God has bestowed upon
mankind is for them to choose their own path, their
own faith. No one should be forced to follow any
certain faith or ideology. In other words, if a
woman's face is uncovered, no one has the right to ask
her to cover it in the name of religion that is,
unfortunately, being done here by many who consider
themselves pious and religious.

At the same time, a woman who chooses to cover her
face should not be required to uncover it. Either way,
it is the woman's choice and whatever her choice, it
should be respected. Every person's freedom to choose
should be respected. ...

Dr. Joseph Lerner, Co-Director IMRA