Darul Uloom Deoband, the country's leading Islamic school, has recently been on a fatwa-issuing spree, putting forth several restrictions. In one among the several other fatwas, the seminary said that women should not wear tight burqas that reveal their ‘body parts’.
Well, there is nothing new in this. Several types of fatwas have been issued before this. But these restrictions are imposed on those sections of society which have that have been historically oppressed. It has been in practice for centuries and the current scenario is not much different.
And as usual, the easy targets have always been women!
Even if we are convinced that fatwas are just personal advice, the question remains: why does all this ‘advice’ only put restrictions on women? What kind of Burqa to wear, which job to take up, what kind of books to read or which songs to listen to... you would have rarely heard men being restricted on any of these matters but when it comes to women, they are *extra alert*.
The matter is not of religion, but of mentality, due to which men are free to do anything according to their own will. But for women, the same old orthodox and patriarchal thinking persists.
Whether it is a Muslim man or a woman, it is not for the Darul Uloom alone to decide what is “right” or “wrong”.
According to the Fatwa Issued by Darul Uloom:
- Wearing designer burqas, which show the limbs of Muslim women, is a grave crime, because of which they are victims of male gaze.
- Wearing a designer and tight-fitting burqa in the name of hijab is ‘haram’ and it is strictly prohibited in Islam.
- The burqa is meant to cover, not to reveal the body.
- When a woman goes out wearing a shiny decorative burqa, they attract the attention of men and become victims of their evil intentions.
There is a dire need to change such an orthodox point of view. The Constitution has given equal rights to women and men. But for how many centuries more will the debate on attire go on?
This comes at a time when the Parliament is in talks about uprooting the age-old custom of Triple Talaq which has deeply penetrated Muslim society. On the other hand, such fatwas that restrict women’s choices about her clothes only holds society back from modernity.
At this hour, we don’t need to get rid of designer burqas, we need to get rid of restrictive fatwas!
Cameraperson: Shiv Kumar Maurya
Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)