Was Islamic Veil Imposed for Saving Muslim Women from Molestation by Infidels?
Submitted by M A Khan on Tue, 07/14/2009 - 07:24
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PDF versionWhile growing up as a young boy, I was told (as do all Muslims) of how horribly the kafirs (idol-worshipper) of Mecca persecuted our beloved Prophet and his disciples. As an example, Abu Shujaah, an Islamic propagandist, writes of the persecution suffered by Muhammad at Mecca: "You’re dealing with a dictatorial society. Muhammad (saw) and the followers of Islam were shunned, closed off, hounded by the polytheist Pagan Quraysh leaders, who had the money and manpower to provoke, threaten and at one point completely lock of the Muslims to the extent they were starved for several months."
Another Muslim once wrote to me that "many Muslims perished, died under torture, in many horrific ways for 13 years."
While Muslim minds are loaded with such propaganda in most emotive language from early age, Islamic literature records no overt persecution of the Muslims by Meccan kafirs. The verses of the Quran and Muhammad’s utterances intensely condemned the religious practices, customs and ancestors of Meccan idolaters. In response, the kafirs only restricted Muhammad’s preaching, but some 5-6 years later. When his attack on the Meccan religion continued, they sanctioned boycott of Muhammad’s community for two years (617–619) in order to discipline him, albeit unsuccessfully. While it caused hardship to Muslims, it can be considered a civilized measure even today. North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions for many decades now.
Besides this, there were no overt incidents of violence against Muslims: there was no death, no Muslim died during Muhammad’s 13-year stay and preaching in Mecca, before he willingly relocated in 622 CE to Medina, where his religion was making converts. He had tried to relocate to Taif three years earlier (619), but was not welcomed there. He returned to Mecca and lived another three years, facing no violence at all.
The Meccan kafirs’ treatment of Muhammad can be summed up in this way: If someone pretends to be a prophet in exactly the same way as did Muhammad and try to preach a new religion in Mecca, that person would not remain alive for an hour; Muslims would murder him forthwith. (Readers may consult my book, Islamic Jihad, which deals with the exemplary tolerance shown to Muhammad by the much-maligned kafirs of Arabia.)
When confronted with Muhammad’s horrendous violence against the Jews of Medina and elsewhere in Arabia, Muslims offer similar justification that the Jews had horribly persecuted Muhammad, forcing him to take the just defensive measures: evictions, slaughter en masse and enslavement of the Jews.
But Islamic literature clearly shows that the Jews never harmed Muhammad; their only fault was their criticism of Muhammad’s religious doctrines, as well as his barbaric violence and cruelty (by poets Asma, Kaab and Abu Afak etc). Such criticisms are considered one’s human rights today. The civility of a society is determined by its culture of criticism and its tolerance, not its suppression.
Many kafir scholars have joined the tune of Muslims to condemn the innocent kafirs of Arabia—who were treated most cruelly by Muhammad—labeling unfounded accusations against them.
James Lennard’s recent essays on Islamic veil are one such effort. His accusation is grotesque, because even no Muslim ever made the same accusation. It's totally new. It relates to verse 33:59 that commands for head-to-toe veiling of Muslim women:
O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (jalabib) close around themselves; that is better that they are recognized and not annoyed. And God is Most Forgiving, Merciful.
Allah command Muslim women to be veiled when go out so that they can be recognized as Muslims and be “not annoyed”.
“Not annoyed” by who?
Lennard tells us that it was Muhammad’s opponents, i.e. the kafirs of Medina (must be the Jews), as he wrote:
An early Arabian historian explains that Muhammad’s wives had been bothered by his opponents in Medina, when they left the house at night to ‘relieve themselves’, because they took unveiled women for slaves…
It is well-known that when Muhammad’s wives were going out to relieve themselves, it was the prophet’s distinguished sahaba, Umar, later the 2nd caliph, who was acting as a “peeping tom”. He later felt guilty about it and asked Muhammad to sanction veil for the Muslim women. Mr. Lennard mentions this fact at end of the same paragraph:
Umar used to watch these ladies in the open and requested Muhammad to cover his wives with veils whenever they went out to do their business in the open fields at night. At first, Muhammad ignored Umar’s plea, but when Umar kept pestering, Muhammad turned to Allah for His suggestions, resulting in Surah 33:59.
To sharpen his accusation against the kafirs of Medina, Lennard adds:
It appears that during the time in Madinah, when Muslims were being persecuted (as mentioned in Surah al-Ahzab ayat 57–61), it was fard for all Muslim women to draw their jilbabs over their faces. …Persecution is a valid reason for concealment…
Let us see what Maududi says in explanation of this section of the verse (his translation: “It is likelier that they will be recognized and not molested”):
"...will thus be recognized": will be recognized to be noble and chaste women from their simple and modest dress, and not women of ill repute from whom some wicked person could cherish evil hopes. ''...are not molested": will not be teased, but let alone.
Maududi does not say who those purported molesters (persecutors) were.
Now first, if persecution of Muslims and their women by Muhammad’s enemies was the issue here, it must have been a situation that Muhammad was weak at the time and could not defend himself. At such a time, imposing the veil on pious women, which would’ve made them easily recognizable as Muslim, and, therefore, easier target for molestation. We know that some Muslims in the U.S. were advising their women not to wear the veil for some time after the 9/11 attacks, fearing that it will make them targets of molestation or attacks. So, it must have been silly on the part of Muhammad to advise the Muslim women to do something, which would increase chances of their falling pray to persecution (molestation). Therefore, it was not the kafirs, who were molesting, but likely some wayward Muslims, who were picking believing women for molestation.
The time-frame of verse’s revelation may give a clue as to who were those molesters. This verse was revealed after Muhammad’s marriage to his daughter-in-law Zainab that occurred in 629 CE, which can be deduced from the fact that verse 33:53 were revealed on the occasion of Muhammad’s marriage to Zainab (see tafsirs by Ibn Kathir and Maududi).
And we know that non-Muslims were not living in Medina at that time: Medina became purely Islamic after Muhammad exterminated the Banu Quraiza Jews in 627. If at all some rare pieces of kafirs were living in Medina at this time, they must’ve been trembling with fear of Muhammad, given the fire of terror that he had ignited around Arabia by this time. It’s impossible that the kafirs were the ones, who were molesting the Muslim women as mentioned in verse 33:59.
So, one can be certain that it was some rowdy Muslims, who were the molesters mentioned in the veiling verse 33:59. We know that Muslims were on an orgasmic enthusiasm at this time going around Arabia, raiding non-Muslim communities, and enslaving hundreds of women to use as sex-slaves. They had become the master-molester of women in Arabia, unprecedented in those times.
It is perfectly possible that some amongst such as barbarous band of Muhammad’s followers—who were so inspired to waging wars for capturing booty, prominently women, to rape them keeping as sex-slaves—would misbehave even with Muslim women that come along their way as long as she was attractive. In fact even today, even a veiled Muslim woman, if walking alone at 12 at night in the streets of Cairo, Islamabad, Riyadh or Mecca, she is unlikely to escape molestation from their own Muslim brethren; she would, most likely, be raped by Muslim men.
The veiling was imposed to create a barrier, so that the rowdy followers of Muhammad (males) cannot know who the woman was (could be the molester’s own mother or sister) or see how attractive she was. This would reduce the chances of their molestation by their coreligionists.
In sum, it is obvious that the purported molesters/persecutors, mentioned in Quran 33:59, were not the kafir opponents of Muhammad. It could be only be Muslims themselves. It is, therefore, gross injustice to accuse that Muhammad’s opponents, who could be none other than the Jews, were molesting the Muslim women as mentioned in this verse.
Indeed, this accusation constitutes injustice of the highest degree, given that those unfortunate innocent Jews suffered most horribly at Muhammad’s hand, and that it was Muhammad and his followers, who were the violators of the Jewish women, of the worst kind, as they were engaging in mass-slaughter of the Jewish men, and enslaving and raping their women.
There were no kafirs left in
There were no kafirs left in Yathrib as there was no longer a Yathrib. Muha mmad had named Yathrib Medina after he had killed every Jew who refused to give Muslims all of their worldly goods and wives. He killed the Bani Jews and then wrote the Q. 33. Whoever wrote this crap forgot to remember there was no Medina before Yathrib and before the beheading of 900 Jewish men and boys. Notice, Jews are to blame for everything. Black Jews get no blaME looooooooooooool. I guess there are no Black ugly nappy headed Jews in Islamic minds, just abeeds or slaves.
Once again Mr. MA Khan must
Once again Mr. MA Khan must be thanked for another thought-provoking article. What he says about the true reason for the imposition of veils on Muslimas makes a lot of sense.
When the early Muslims lived in Mecca, veils were never needed although, according to their very own sources, they were being severely persecuted by the Meccan non-Muslims. On the other hand, they were never persecuted in Medina and this is why they emigrated and even thrived there. On the contrary, all the persecution there was now being done by Muslims themselves.
Although Jews, Christians, Polytheists and others in Medina disputed Muhammad’s claims of prophethood, you could hardly call this persecution. In fact all the Islamic sources claim persecution in Mecca but never in Medina. So it stands to reason that if veils were imposed because of molestation by non-Muslims this would have been necessary in Mecca and certainly not in Medina.
In Medina, in sharp contrast to Mecca, Muhammad and his warriors took up the sword to impose Islam on everybody and they grew rich and powerful by looting, extorting tribute and enslaving all others. The veiling verse was therefore imposed in Medina on Muslimas only to separate them from non-Muslim women who were now considered fair game. Therefore all women who were not veiled were seen by Muslims as infidels and were enslaved as concubines for their harems.
You can still see this behavior by Muslim men even today, where unveiled women are merely regarded as raw meat to be raped. Even full veiling is still no guarantee for the safety of Muslimas from predatory Muslim males.
It's more then a gross
It's more then a gross injustice, the hijab is a way to control womens bodies.
Thanks MA Khan for his new
Thanks MA Khan for his new and inovative way of thinking.... He made good and valid points. Now I m gettin the real picture about the veiling thing.... He is probably right.
The best part of MA Khan's
The best part of MA Khan's original research in this article is -- Mo drove out Jews from Medina in 627 AD ; He married his daughter-in-law in 629 AD. Surah 33.59 was revealed after 627 AD when Jews were not there and the kaffirs were afraid to come out of their homes. All peeping toms were the companions of Mo. Good job
The moslems perception of
The moslems perception of persecution then is/ was as true as moslems perception of us all being islamophobes today
We have to be aware of this evil cult and not and never be afraid We are islamoaware and islam wary and not islamophobes.We are not afraid to fight this evil.Allah is silly, stupid and evil and mad mo was a pedophile rapist and evil beyond description. mad mo's follwoers are equally stupid, silly and evil beyond description.
Is there any proof that pagan
Is there any proof that pagan arabs did mass-killing, tortured muslim, took slaves and raped muslimah at that time? Who is the monster here? pagan or muslim? If the pagan got angry with muslim, it was normal because muhammad (the pedo) started it first. This pedo started to insult their belief and threaten them wih hell fire. Who wouldn't be angry with that pedo? The pedo can't even proved his words and showed the robotic angel jibreel to the pagans. Before the pedo preached his bullshit, there were no religious fights in arabia (the sign of tolerate people in that time).
About hijab. It was indeed for protection, but not from infidel but from muslim man. We all know that muslims are having very hard times controlling his dick (the sign of barbarity and backwardness of muslim world). In an advanced and educated society that hijab is unnecessary.
Thanks, Mr M A Khan. I had
Thanks, Mr M A Khan.
I had posted a comment about burka in Islam http://www.faithfreedom.org/2009/07/15/ban-the-burka/.
But, from your article, it is clear that my understanding of Islamic poppycock about veil for Muslimahs was correct.
The narration was from an Islamic channel and obviously, Muslims had to find some justification for imposition of burka WITHOUT taking the blame for being The Peeping Toms themselves and Omar Sahab!
"He later felt guilty about
"He later felt guilty about it and asked Muhammad to sanction veil for the Muslim women."
==========
The ahadith that I am familiar with regarding this incident with Umar do not show this!
1. Umar wanted the veil first, but Muhammad did not comply (oops I mean Allah did not hehe).
2. So then in order to force his revelation, Umar followed his wives around when they went out until Sawda waddled home to complain to Muhammad.
3. Voila! The verse is now 'revealed'
This sequence of events is proven by the narrations showing Umar saying that Allah agreed with HIM regarding the revelation of the Hijab (ie. it was not a 'fix' to alleviate his guilt but Umar wanted veiling first).
4. But then when Umar gets the hijab revelation he wanted, he goes and spies on Sawda again (LOL).
http://www.wikiislam.com/wiki/Hijab#Ahadith_regarding_the_hijab
Wearing veil is not moslem
Wearing veil is not moslem tradition? Burqa existed before Islam? Am I right?
Shafee al Zindig's comment can be accepted logically. More make sense than any religious reasoning. Shafee mentioned this tradition was imposed to moslem women to make advantage of power domination by moslem in Madinnah so they could enslave non moslem women as concubines to their harems.
The more I read about Islam, more astonishment I got. My impression is that Islam culture is culture of imperialism. Spreading influence of Islam at that time politically is very important. That is why all the writings refer to total control of its followers including their private life and bedroom affairs. Islam seems to be more as political movement than religious movement.
This all is rubbish and
This all is rubbish and nothing to do with reality In Madina Jews were given equal rights Prophet Mohammad preached tolerence ,Islam is not a barbaric religion unlike jewism which occupies others people land withn a stupid claim that God Alloted us the Land of Palestine When has God become A property dealer?Islam Spread over a period of many years What the Prophet Mohammad preached was also preached by jesus And Moses Tell me jewish friends what proof had Moses about his being a Prophet .It were the jews who persecuted Jesus only because their religoius dominance was in danger
jesus was a Prophet of God Who preached love among the people and please donot use Ugly words Against our Prophet as it Shows you are completely insane and you have no arguments rather you are ugly racsists.Pleae also note that Isam is Also the fastest growing religion in the World that may the the cause of your Jealousy Towards the Prophet As far as voilence is concerned The present Jewsh state is committing worest crimes against humanity which has no match in Human History
"This all is rubbish and
"This all is rubbish and nothing to do with reality In Madina Jews were given equal rights Prophet Mohammad preached tolerence ,Islam is not a barbaric religion unlike jewism which occupies others people land withn a stupid claim that God Alloted us the Land of Palestine When has God become A property dealer?Islam Spread over a period of many years What the Prophet Mohammad preached was also preached by jesus And Moses Tell me jewish friends what proof had Moses about his being a Prophet .It were the jews who persecuted Jesus only because their religoius dominance was in danger
jesus was a Prophet of God Who preached love among the people and please donot use Ugly words Against our Prophet as it Shows you are completely insane and you have no arguments rather you are ugly racsists.Pleae also note that Isam is Also the fastest growing religion in the World that may the the cause of your Jealousy Towards the Prophet As far as voilence is concerned The present Jewsh state is committing worest crimes against humanity which has no match in Human History"
Hey Jady, there are many things you miss...
1. Jews under Mohammad Rules-The Jews (and Christians as well) rejected Mohammand because of lack of claim to be Prophet from God and descent of Ishmael, in other words, no relation to Judaism and Christianity. According to Biography writer, Ibn Ishaq, Muhammad attack Banu Quraiza Jewish tribe and isolated them for not supporting him. After that, Muhammad gets twenty percent of the Jewish property (movable, immovable and human), and the jihadists get eighty percent, to be distributed as he sees fit, and later put them into exile.
2. The Occupied land- According to archeological evidence, Israelis have had a presence there for 3,000 years. The Philistines and many other ancient peoples are extinct. They do not have the unbroken line to this date that the Israelis have. If there had never been any archaeological evidence to support the rights of the Israelis to the territory, it is also important to recognize that other nations in the area have no longstanding claim to the country either. So Palestinian Nation did not exist. Palestine was a region named by the Romans, but at that time it was under the control of Turkey, and there was no large mass of people there because the land would not support them.
3. Moses- What proof had Moses about being a Prophet? Wait, did Islam believe that Moses is a Prophet?!
4. Persecuted Jesus- It is zealous, not Jews, who persecuted Jesus. People like Saul, the high priest and the Romans are Zealous.
Zealous people who exalt themselves over other people through the use of
titles and ranks (Matthew 23:6-12) are persecuting Jesus.
Unlike Mohammad, Jesus Christ prayed "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34) and "shed His own blood for the salvation of many" (Ephesians 1:7). Jesus died for everyone sins weather it be Christians, Jews, Roman, Atheists and whoever, because we are all God's children.
5. Lack of Spelling and Grammar- You need to check your spelling and grammar.
In response to Musie Pagan
In response to Musie Pagan name JADY? You are wrong pagan Towelhead Musie. Deathcult Asslam religion is the Fastest growing by deaths. Read the News everyday Sunnis & Shitts are killing it's other in Afganistan particularly in Iraq cause by Suicide bombings. Did u remember that in 1993 in Iran where the earthquake killed more than 300,000 that night in a matter of 12 seconds? And in the latest earthquake kills hundreds of Musie pagan indonesians that day? Are those death still counted in ur fastest growing(by deaths) bogus claim? Do you Know that alJazeera reported that 6 Millions converted to Christianity in Africa? And embracing Jesus by Millions everyday in Africa? Ur Taqiya will NOT work here. U R just intimidating here no Proof at all to ur Taqiya! You Loooosee! Pagan musie Towelhead! Don't you that the Planet Earth Populations is closed to 7 Billion people? Let's say all musie Pagans are 1.3 Billion?(including Dead Musie pagans) Let's say 2 billion Versus 5 Billion? ur Musie pagan people NO MATCH at all. To the Chinese alone, ther are More than 2 Billion Chinese worldwide still Musie Pagans are NO MATCH! If i were you? Do not Infect the Non-Musies here of your "Insanity" You are worshipping a fake profit Muhamadallah, the insane Illiterate Sex Maniac who is Pedophile! a rapist! a Killer and other Crimes he Committed. Ur beloved Horny sex maniac puppet should skinned to death! &burn alive for his Crimes! No Sane God would send a Sinner Prophet lower than animal. No sane Man would Screw a 6 yr old Baby Aisha. Mo ham mad is Pedophile. ONLY Insane people will convert to Deathcult ASSlam.What in a world that a self-proclaimed fake Profit ofshit would kill anyone who wants to leave MO's deathcult ASSlam? MOmoo Said If anyone who will leave my Deathcult AssLAM? Killllllllllllllll him! The God of Killer Mo is Himself! there is no god but himself! The Killer god! The true God "Loves" his creations. not kill! Wake up Musie pagans you are Insane animal!
Response to Insane Jady, the
Response to Insane Jady, the Musie pagan towelhead! Palestine( Palestinian Jews NOT Pals Arabs) was given to Israel by the TRUE God Yahweh. The Jews were there first some more than 3,000 years( Palestine was also the Promise land given to Jews by True God. The Palestinan Arabs were Very Very late. The were late Comers.! The Original land of the Arabs is " ARABia (saudi Arabia) not Palestine! Palestinian Arabs were Lang Grabbers! they should go back to their original land " Saudi Arabia". Not Palestine.
Hey Insane JADY! Oppposing
Hey Insane JADY! Oppposing and exposing about the Truth of Deathcult ASSlam is NOT a RACIST! ASSlam is a death cult! NOT a Race. is that clear huh idiot insane pagan musie Towelhead Jady! Read your Demonic KKKoran & you will know who are preaching hate here. Read & memorized your Demonic KKKoran.
SURA 4:89- Those who reject Deathcult ASSlam? Killlllllllllllll him!
SURA 9:5- Where ever you them? kill them!
SURA 5:51, 29:41- DO NOT! take Jews & Xtians as friendssss!
And tell us if we "worship" the same God? tell us How many days our God created the "heavens, earth & d Universe"? if u can't answer that simple Question you lose.& abd even u answer that simple question"still u will lose. I guarantee it.