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Targeting the Hijaab issue once again in the Sunday Times

In a recent addition  of the Sunday Times Newspaper in South Africa dated August 7th, 2011, there was an excerpt written by a Miss Naidoo and was published under the letter to  the editor section of the newspaper. Miss Naidoo claims that Muslim women wear the hijaab without really knowing why they indulge in  this act of covering. She went on further to say that Muslims do not respect the way of life in western countries and try imposing their religious views and ideologies on the western society and in her words "act as though they are the more superior ones". I got a BBM message regarding this article and there were many angry comments that I came across.

Personally, I believe that only an unintelligent person would handle this kind of a letter with anger, frustration and retaliate back with obscene and derogatory words. This definitely does not solve the problem. The way to handle a letter like this is through knowledge and intellect and of course posing the facts as they are.I am in no way claiming to be a person of knowledge or intellect but I do try and aspire to be one.

This is my response to Miss Naidoo

Why do muslim women wear the hijaab?

"It is the general consensus among the Muslims that a Muslim woman is required to cover her head  as part of an overall dress code and behaviour which Islam prescribes. It is therefore part of the social system of Islam, and a manifestation of important general Islamic principles. Firstly, an educated Muslim woman does this because she is following guidance from God and His prophet Muhammad (SAW) recorded in the Qur'an,and in the Sunnah (the knowledge about the practice and example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)). For example, one translation of the meaning of the specific ayat (verse)of Qur'an that mentions the head covering is as follows:

Surah 24 Al-Nur (The Light); ayat 31 (part of)

And say to the believing women......that they should draw their head-coverings over the neck opening (of their dresses) , and not display their ornaments except to their husbands, their fathers.....(etc)

This guidance she regards, as by definition a Muslim should do, as being revealed by the 'All-Knowing' the 'Most Wise', The 'Most Merciful', 'All-Mighty' God who created all human beings and whose Power controls everything. She is doing it because she believes that God with His nature knows best what is in the true best interests of human beings, far more than a human can know, with his or her fallibility, and weaknesses.

The main principle reason for the hijab is modesty, which is not wishing to receive unnecessary attention from people, such as admiration and flattery, envy, or, most importantly, sexual attraction from those other than her husband.Great care is taken to keep sexual thoughts, feelings and interactions to within the boundaries of the marital relationship.

These types of attention may boost the 'ego' for the short term, but all have the potential to lead to disastrous consequences in the long term, for example leading to confused feelings, competition, suspicions, affairs, break-up of marriages and other relationships, disturbed children, and ultimately a community where people are insecure,unhappy, and divided amongst themselves.

From this it can be seen that the hijab is a manifestation of another important principle in Islam, which is valuing benefits which are permanent above those which are temporary. What is permanently beneficial is, for example, a happy marriage between two people who aim to learn, teach and apply Islam to the best of their ability in their lives. This is seen as that which brings about the true happiness of the soul for eternity, by purifying and keeping it in its pure, natural, God-created state, filling it with peace and contentment, patience, gratefulness, love and compassion. What is temporary are the momentary pleasures derived from, for example, people's opinions of you, leading to your own self-satisfaction, or, even more basically, those derived from physical sensations.

A strong marriage, and a peaceful, cooperative, happy community, where people's feelings towards one another are good, will not only provide the true happiness that the soul needs, but also, in moderation, the good opinion, physical, and other pleasures that the ego requires.

Therefore, the freedom and benefit of the soul is encouraged, requiring a corresponding disciplining and moderating of the ego, but not a total denial or repression of it.

Besides following modest dress codes appropriate to the different natures of a man and woman, both Muslim men and women should abide by a certain modest and respectful code of conduct when interacting with the opposite sex."

Miss Naidoo I do not know if you are Christian or Hindu. I have many friends with the surname of Naidoo and they are of the Christian faith. You are a South African living in a democracy where everyone is given a freedom of speech and religion. I find it most odd then that you choose to specifically question the wearing of the hijaab which is the right of a Muslim woman. Before questioning if muslim women know the reason of wearing the hijaab or the Niqaab I would like to question you on how well you know your own religious beliefs and traditions. I will present some straight forward facts to you

Shocking as this may sound the Bible specifically calls for women to cover their hair.

Simply open the Bible to the First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 11. Read verses 3-10.

"But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered, disgraces his head. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is the same as if she were shaven. For if a woman is not covered, let her be shaven. But if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head. A man indeed ought not to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God. But woman is the glory of man. For man was not created for woman, but woman for man. This is why the woman ought to have a sign of authority over her head, because of the angels."

The meaning of this passage is plain enough. We can make the following syllogisms:

Syllogism 1
Praying with an uncovered head is a disgrace
Having a shaved head is the same as praying with an uncovered head
Therefore, having a shaved head is a disgrace
Syllogism 2
If it is a disgrace for a woman to have a shaved head, she should cover her head
It is a disgrace for a woman to have a shaved head - see syllogism 1
Therefore, a woman should cover her head

"In other words, the passage means what it says. Have you ever wondered why Catholic nuns dress like they're wearing hijab (Muslim hijabi women, have you ever been mistaken for a nun? I have, more than once). Have you ever wondered why Mary the mother of Jesus (peace be upon them both) is always depicted in Christian art with her hair covered? Did you know that until the 1960s, it was obligatory for Catholic women to cover their heads in church (then they "modernized" the service)?

There is an interesting point that can be made about the Christian directive.

The explicit purpose of the Christian woman's headcovering, as stated by Paul, is that it is a sign of man's authority over woman. The explicit purpose of Islamic hijaab on  the other hand  is modesty. Strange how so many Westerners think that the purpose of hijab is a symbol of male authority. Maybe they know that that's what it is in their own religion (Christianity) so they assume that Islam must be the same...!"

Now from a Hindu perspective.

Aryan women had to wear a face-veil when going out. Although several civilizations restricted womens' movements, the Brahmanic custom of secluding women went to ridiculous extents. Thus, Namboodiri Brahmin women of Kerala were surrounded by an entire screen carried by female servants. "Nambudri women carry with them an umbrella wherever they go out, to prevent them from being seen by men. They also should be covered with a cloth from head to foot, and should not wear jewels. A Nayar woman should precede her and watch her movements. All these were rules laid down by Parasu Rama." 
The Nambudiris observe 64 anacharams, or irregular customs introduced by Shankaracharya, of which some are

44. " Brahman women must not look at any persons other than their husbands "
45. " Brahman women must not go out, unless accompanied by women servants. "

As usual, several observers, seeing Arab women veiled, assumed the Brahmin veil must be due to Muslim `contamination'. They are not aware that Arabs practiced this due to modesty, and are ignorant of Indian scriptures. Sanskrit literature mentions the abundant use of veils by Aryan Hindu women

" The practice of using veils by women, particularly in well-to-do families, was in vogue. Prabhakaravardhana's daughter Rajyasri put on a veil when she met her husband, the Maukhari Grahavarman of Kanauj, for the first time. It is known from Vacaspati Misra (9C AD) that women in good families observed the purdah system and did not appear in public without veils ...

Contemporary literature has numerous references to prove that veiling was a part of ancient Indo-Aryan customs and was used by the Brahmins based on their religious scriptures . Bhavabhuti in his Mahavirachaarita gives a vivid evidence of purda. When Rama sees Parasurama coming towards him, he directs his consort Sita, `Dear one, he is our elder, therefore turn aside and veil yourself' [ Mah.Ch. Act II, p.71 ] [ 1200, p.70 ] This indicates that veiling was practiced during the Ramayanic Dark Age.
The Kalibhana by  Grant also tells us that the women of the royal household observed purda in Orissa

[ 1200, p.70 ] [ In.H.Qu. XX (1944) p.242 ]
Vacaspati - Vachaspati tells us that women of good families did not come without a veil in public [ Vach. ] 

[ 1200, p.70 ]. Some women were so much devoted to their husbands that they would not even look at the Sun regarding him as a `parapurusa'.
If the servants were found seeing the faces of queens, they feared punishment. [ Sis. XII.20.17 ]

[ 1200 p.70 ]. This shows that even the servants could not see the faces of the ladies of the house.
Sriharsha - The free mixing of men and women was considered bad in Sriharsha's works [ Nais.Ch. XV.3 ]

[ 1200, p.70 ].
Numismatic studies have also confirmed that veiling was universal amongst Aryan women :
Harsha's [1099-1101 ] [Lohara dynasty] coins [depict] a half cross-legged goddess [and ] a veil appears on the head ' -- [ Coin.39]
Gangayadeva's [one of the Kalachuri rulers of Dahala, the country around Jabalpur in MP] (1019-1042AD) coins ... the female is shown as having a veil on her head which hangs down to the shoulders and upper arms' -- [ Coin.39]
Many of the female figures on the gold coins, like the sculpture and literature of the [Gupta] age, do reflect a somewhat new idea of feminine beauty which we now call classical [thinner and more slender] -- [ Coin.21 ]
It is now generally accepted that the purdah ( seclusion and veiling ) was existent in India since ancient Aryan times. [ Alt.167-70 ] [ Indra 73 ] [ Shamram 24 ] [ Ojha.66-67] In fact, certain high-class women refused to entertain strangers at all [ Alt.175 ] [ Nand 5-6 ]. These reference show that ancient India was akin to medieval Europe, with Indian women living lives similar to nuns under strict religious laws based on their own religious values and belief system
The European travelers made abundant references to the veil worn by Indo-Aryan women and the severe punishment associated with not following religious as well as cultural obligations.
This puts hijaab in a whole new perspective, doesn't it! To miss Naidoo who feels that hijaab is a sign of oppression for the Muslim female or that Muslim females do not know why they are wearing the hijaab, please do read the above and then read the Quraan for further clarification. As a side thought even the Jewish females are asked to cover their hair based on their religious scriptures. The question  now stands that if we are all living in a so called western Christian country then why isn't the country governed based on the teachings of the BIBLE. Surely the Bible would be the foundation of any religious, Christian  society or government for that matter.

                                         

                     This video is Part 1 of a series of videos on this subject.

                     The remaining videos can be viewed on YouTube

Source:

http://www.muhajabah.com/christianveil.htm

http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/newsletters/human-rights-and-culture/volume-1/AHRC-ART-023-2008

Ramadhaan Buffet at the Grand Mena Hotel Khaldia

So finally Mr. F spills the beans. He is leaving for vacation in a few days time to Hyderabad to spend the Eid vacations with his family. Of course his mom and siblings are really looking forward to having him home again.Naturally men are not that clued up into doing shopping for a woman or at least very few men have this capability. I know my dad definitely doesn't have a flair to do shopping for women at all. On one of his solo trips he returned with the most old fashioned hand bags for mom and I and bought mom a bracelet that just didn't have any character.I guess its the thought that counts though. Any way to cut a long story short Mr. F asked me to do some shopping for his mom. I always do this for him prior to his vacations and this time he wanted me to purchase an abaya. So we decided that we will do fatoor first and then head off to Deira Soukh where there are many abaya shops.I will tell you more about Deira soukh in another article that I will post soon on this blog.
Our favourite place is usually the Red Onion Restaurant situated opposite the computer market in Olaya. This time Mr. F surprised me though.We took a right turn coming out of the hospital and made our way towards Batha." Where are we going?" I asked him. So he mumbles away that we going to a Kerala restaurant to eat south Indian food. Now, no offence to any South Indians but my idea of a meal is not one that is served on banana leaves and is soaked in coconut milk and coconut oil. It is not cuisine that I have been exposed to or grew up with. I was brought up with typical North Indian Gujurati style food.

After passing the ministry of the Interior and heading straight towards the Deira off ramp we took a left turn at the intersection making our way down a road that I was quite familiar with as the street is lined with numerous material shops that have mannequins in the window draped with stunning fabrics ranging from silk, to satin and of course beaded fabrics that will satisfy the desire of any woman. So many colours and types of fabrics to choose from, it is enough to leave a woman's head spinning in confusion.What I find really fascinating  is the art, skill and effort that is placed in draping each mannequin to produce a beautiful dress design or ballroom outfit all kept together with pins around the mannequin.
 So finally after driving down the narrow crowded road with just 6 minutes to spare before the breaking of the fast, Mr. F applies breaks at  the turnoff to the Grand Mena Khaldia hotel situated on Khazan street, Riyadh. This hotel is situated close to Al Musmak Fortress, National Museum of Saudi Arabia, and King Abdul Aziz Library.

The foyer of the hotel was spacious, warm and luxurious. The staff at the entrance were welcoming and friendly. We made our way to the first floor up a flight of granite steps that I thought were scary as they were shining,smooth and possibly slippery.Take note that I had  on my trade mark high heeled shoes and was not in the mood to make a complete fool out of myself by taking a tumble down the stair case. Nonetheless it was a smooth ascent towards the restaurant where the buffet was being served.
The only small hiccup we had was that despite reservations being made telephonically two days in advance it was not registered on the guest list and hence after speaking to the manager and discussing the situation it was all sorted out in an amicable manner.The general manager of the hotel Mr. Mazen Mirie was quite a friendly bubbly personality who welcomed us and showed us the way  to our dinner table. The restaurant was elegantly decorated in shades of red, blue and brown with long carefully crafted glass crystals hanging from the ceiling. There was a very relaxed atmosphere in the hotel. There was no strict segregation of the sexes and everyone enjoyed the buffet and interacted in a harmonious manner.The buffet tables were laid out to perfection. Starters included cheese and vegetarian samboosas as well as freshly fried spring rolls. The main course undoubtedly satisfied the taste buds of all present. Some of the dishes prepared were Chinese fried rice, Kebaab, Penne Arabiatta, Mash potato casserole, baked fish topped with a tantalizing white sauce and the highlight for me was freshly baked pizza served from the oven on to the table.
Saudi's are generally noted for their delicious desserts which included cream kanafa, baklava, fruit salad and cream and of course my favourite was a pancake that was stuffed with fresh cream and pistachio.
The chefs were delighted when we complimented them on the lovely food and even accepted being photographed. The price for the ramadhaan buffet fatoor package is SR120 per person which I thought was well worth it for the quality and standard of the food served. The customer service was just fantastic and at the end of the day that is simply all that a consumer looks forward to and wants.

If you wish to try the Ramadhaan buffet at the GRAND MENA HOTEL KHALDIA contact Mr. Mazen Mirie at
01 268-2222
You can also visit the following two websites for more information.
www.mena-hotels.com
www.mena-grandkhaldia.com
Take note that reservation  is a must on most days especially during  the holy month of Ramadhaan.

So after indulging in a sumptuous meal which certainly made me put on the pounds, we headed off for the night prayers(taraweeh salaah) before making our way to the Soukh. Mr. F decides to drop me off at the Soukh and then make his way to meeting his friends for an evening of Sheesha. Like a typical male he just can not tolerate the whole shopping aspect of browsing from one shop to the other as most women do. For him the idea of shopping is going into the nearest shop you see, grab the item and then leave. So after I spent two hours at the Soukh doing some of my shopping as well I finally hopped onto the hospital shopping bus and made my way back home. What a fun filled eventful night it was. Need to do this more often!!!!

THE GREAT PURI DISASTER

During the month of Ramadhaan my colleagues Mishal and various others would take turns to bring sahoor or fatoor (break fast meal) for the skeleton staff on duty even though meals are usually provided from the Royal Kitchen. Mishal is a Saudi but he loves Indian food. Now for lesson number one don't ever ask the question "What do you wish to eat?"..You will be encountered with a long list of items to make...Any way one of the items  Mishal wanted to eat was Kebaab and Puri(fried Indian bread).Now I can do the kebaab bit but Puri absolutely no. I tried the Puri recipe a month ago and it turned out to be a complete disaster. I have made it many times before in South Africa under moms supervision and it came out perfectly. I think she cast her magic wand. But trying it on my own was a true calamity in the making.Any way I did not want to tell Mishal that I can not make it. He would tell me oh my God you Indian and you do not know how to make your own traditional dish. So I came home yesterday and after taking a morning nap I woke up feeling up beat and positive. I took out moms recipe book and I told myself I will try it again.
So happily I take out the ingredients. Mind you its just 5 ingredients but of course the trick is in the softness of the dough and simply getting the right texture.So I get down to business..I follow the instructions, mixed the ingredients and kneaded the dough. I rolled out the dough, cut it into fours whilst the oil was getting hot. So oil is hot and we ready to fry. On your marks, get set, go. I placed the dough in the oil and to my horror the dough didn't even rise.It sank to the bottom of the pot like the heavy mass of an anchor thrown from aboard a ship. I tried another piece. This time it rose beautifully but was soaked in oil like a dish cloth soaked with water.I didn't bother continuing any further. I felt rather guilty with famine and hunger occurring across the globe but I took the dough and dumped it in the garbage bag. Suddenly moms voice started ringing in my ears."Sumayya I told you how important it is for a woman to know how to cook.You should have learned everything by now.Learning how to cook is for your own benefit.".We can dispute this fact but mothers somehow are always right.Then another voice came into my head and said,"Don't give up, try again. Failure is a stepping stone to success".With that thought in my head I decided to start off again.And after one hour of concentration I made the perfect puris.

I come from a home of very good cooks. Mom, her sisters, my grandmother and great grand mother all have a flair for cooking and baking.Mom even has a small catering business that she runs from home. She can make any meal and it comes out perfectly.
Now call me a spoiled brat but I never really fancied the kitchen.I think the only time I enjoyed the kitchen was when I was a kid, maybe 5 or six years old and I would wear my apron and imitate mom in the kitchen. She would give me my own small rolling pin and board and I would merrily "LOLL AND LOLL the dough"..(baby language for roll and roll the dough)..I'm sure that mom must have been happy that her only daughter is following her footsteps and that too at a pretty young age. It was too good to be true.

As I got older hitting the teenage years,I always found kitchen work mundane or boring.Luckily mom dearest was always there to cook and in her absence our house maid Sarah was well trained to take care of the kitchen affairs.There was a few times when mom was away either for a vacation or a medical urgency and Sarah dearest handled all household chores brilliantly whilst we all continued with our busy lives at work or school. Dad use to try helping by making breakfast which use to turn out to be quite a shocking experience  in itself. The kitchen use to look as though a tornado hit the place. Dads eggs had the texture of rubber and almost 99 % of the time he food burn the toast.Dads idea of a breakfast use to be Burnt toast with rubber eggs. I should get a restaurant to incorporate this meal in their menu..It would only be a matter of days before the restaurant would close down.

During my teenage years mom would lecture me on the importance of knowing how to cook.It was like a long sermon that would be repeated endlessly.The famous line would be one day you would get married and have to run your own home. You would still have to cook for your family despite being a professional person. There were times when dad would step in and say that if I got married he would send me off with a cook. He always said this jokingly but this one statement would be enough to trigger mom.I would be let off the hook and dad would be the next target of moms sermon on how he loves spoiling the kids. Dad is a big built burly man with a long beard. He looks a lot like one of the members of the Saudi religious police.No offense dad. He looks cheeky, strict and temperamental but far from it.He always threatened to give us a "shot' or two for misbehaving as kids but it was merely am idle threat. Mom on the other hand was the strict disciplinarian.I guess one parent has to take on that role other wise you would have a bunch of hooligans in society. Unfortunately in today's times the kids are disciplining the parents.Parents have to jump to the tunes of their kids in many instances in order to keep the peace and sanctity of  the home.

Traditionally the mother is usually the cook of the home. As I went through the disastrous process yesterday I stopped to ponder at how most of us take our moms for granted. Cooking is definitely an art. Its a skill like any other profession be it a pharmacist or a physician or an engineer.I now know what mom means when she says that the work that goes into making a dish is extensive and you will never know how much of effort is placed in to it , but eating the food is one, two, three.
Thanks to skype and other technological advancements the world has undoubtedly become a really small place.Whenever I'm stuck whilst making a meal I simply skype call mom and she appears like a genie in the box. Yesterday though I was thinking that what if mom is not around.We all have to leave the world one day.I then told myself that during my next vacation God willing I will spend more time with mom in the kitchen perfecting the art of cooking.I have come a long way though. I'm not the queen of the kitchen but I'm certainly getting there. After all practice makes perfect.Three years ago when I came to the Kingdom I didn't know anything about cooking let alone all the complicated Indian spices. Mom sent me off with recipe books but I just didn't know where to start. So four months down the line on my arrival in the Middle east mom comes by to visit me in what I called OPERATION KITCHEN. We went out Indian grocery shopping and mom packed everything in my kitchen in a neat systematic order. It was then really easy to follow all her recipes and as I started making different dishes that came out successful I was actually enjoying the idea of cooking.I always had plan B if all recipes failed. Plan B was designed by dad. If in the event the meal does not come out as expected just simply order your meals from a nearby restaurant and get them to deliver or find a nice Indian woman who would cook your meals and drop it off at your home.I'm glad to say that I hardly ever used Plan B.

Anyway, time to go into the kitchen and prepare for sahoor(morning meal before the commencement of the fast).Omelette with mushrooms, onion, tomato,chilli and a dash of cheese.The next time you rush into the kitchen after smelling the tempting aromas making its way around the house from your moms kitchen, go up to your mom and give her a certificate on being the best cook in the whole world. I personally think that a housewife has much more responsibilities and chores throughout the whole day compared to a career woman...Everyday should be mothers day.Appreciate your moms cooking and let her know that you are grateful for her presence. Often we only appreciate people when they leave the world.That's when we have feelings of regret and hopelessness.There is no need to be feeling this way. Start today and appreciate the people around you from your mom, dad, the cleaner, the house maid, any one that has made a difference to your life.....

Oh and one last bit, the pictures are not from Flickr or Photobucket. It is pictures that I had taken of the successful batch which I sent to mom via Blackberry messenger..Yes, Yes I know.. I had a brief  moment of feeling like a child who had performed her task diligently and is now awaiting her reward...LOL!!!!
If you wish to make Puris (A fried Indian bread), please feel free to visit the Kitchen section of this blog.