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Burma: Islam and Women BY allele’s The Burma My first paper assignment for this class is on the Islamic woman’s clothing. I will be writing specifically on the Burma. The Burma is a beautiful, yet mysterious garment traditionally worn by women of Islamic faith. The Burma covers the whole body and has an opening in the eye area. The aspects that I will elaborate on are about the history, how women feel about it, how a society sees it, and the ban in different countries. Before I get into the issues of the Burma, I would like to mention the history. There are specific names for the Islamic clothing, but the Burma is insider a veil.
Veils have been around before the beginning of Islam. ” In the Near East, Assyrian kings first introduced both the seclusion of women in the royal harem and the veil. Prostitutes and slaves, however, were told not to veil, and were slashed if they disobeyed this law. ” (Historical Perspectives)alt is said that when Islam first began, women were not required to cover themselves up. It was used in many different cultures but became common as Islam began to spread. Before They were considered higher class because it showed that the husband had meaner to support his family without the wife having to work.
That may still be a belief, but it is not the main reason for the majority of women to wear the Burma. In the middle ages, the veil became a common rule in many places. “One of these places was Egypt. In some periods, such as under the Mammals in Egypt, repeated decrees were issued, urging strictness in veiling and arguing against the right of women to take part in activities outside their home. ” (Historical Perspectives) The rule was so strict that many of the shopkeepers were told that they should physically turn their back on women revealing any part of their body.
In the 19th century, some people in he Islam community started expressing the idea that woman should not have to cover themselves. These people wanted their countries to be like the western countries, in which woman dressed freely. Not everyone agreed with this idea and I was surprised when I learned that many women did not agree with it either. Presently, there is no rule that requires Islamic women to wear a veil or Burma in the United States, but there are countries that do encourage its women to wear one. For example, in some parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan women are highly persuaded by warlords and society to wear bursas.
The opinion of whether women should wear bursas keeps changing There is a misconception that all women who wear bursas are forced by their husbands to do it. That is the case for some of the women that wear it, but not for all. Some men force their wives, daughters, and sisters to wear it because it is part of their interpretation of the Quern. The Quern mentions that women should dress modestly, but people interpret it differently. Some men believe that women should not be in public, in presence of another man, or photographed without being completely covered. Not all Islamic men think this way.
Many men do not force their wives to wear a Burma yet they wear it anyway. I watched a video on BBC News about Heap Aimed. She is a 32 year Islamic woman who wears a Burma because she chooses to. An interesting part is that she lives in Southwest region of the United States. She mentions that she wears it because she believes it is a devotion to her religion. She also states that wearing the Burma makes her feel that she expressing her individuality. I have a belief that many of the women who wear the Burma are proud and prefer to wear it. I believe that more as I learn more on the subject.
Other women wear it because they feel safe in it and are accustomed to it. Then there is the other side, women who think bursas are a sign of oppression. Most women in the United States do not understand why Islamic women where the Burma or they believe that they where it because they are forced. While listening to Heap Mead’s interview, she mentions that once a woman asked her if her husband abused her. Heap found the question amusing because it was the concerned woman’s first thought that she was are being abused but most do think negatively about it.
I think that it can be attributed to western women not knowing that much about the Burma and the history of it. I found this article online about a Journalist going to Afghanistan for the first time. Her name is Alias J. Rubin and she is a Journalist for the New York Times. She quickly learned that she had to adapt and try to fit in. Afghanistan is a very dangerous place and westerners run the risk of being attacked or kidnapped. She was persuaded by her local colleague to wear the Burma because he did not feel that they were safe if she did not wear it. Alias got the Burma and felt uncomfortable as soon as she wore it.
I quickly got a ensue that she did not like it much. She felt that she was invisible and rejected when she wore the Burma. She liked it a times because she could hide her emotions and reactions from others. She could also eat without people seeing her. At the end of her trip, she realized that she did not like wearing the Burma because she did not have a choice. It was a symbol of oppression. Society has its own view on the Burma. Women who wear the Burma in public frighten or concern most people in Europe. “This is despite a Yoga survey which found that 67 percent of voters wanted the wearing of full-face veils to be outlawed in View?
I believe that this reflects how people feel about the Burma. I have mentioned what society thinks about it in regard to the feminine aspect of it. I mentioned why women wear it and why other women do not like it, but I have not mentioned how others feel about it to safety and protection. This is due to the fact 9/1 1 happened and people have been nervous since then. It can be said that Muslims are seen in a negative way since 9/1 1 and have been persecuted. Since many people blame Muslims for the event, society is going to be against women wearing bursas. Why? This is because bursas are mysterious and concealing.
The biggest fear that people have is that a woman could strap on a bomb on under the Burma and hide it easily. Since officials and people know that a Burma is a symbol of privacy and they may be hesitant to check a woman wearing one. Some of these reasons have led to ban of bursas in different countries. France has recently has officially put a ban on bursas being wore in public. The law was passed in 2010 and went into effect in April 2011. Women wearing the Burma will get warning the first time and a $200 fine after that. I believe that the Burma is beautiful and women should be able to wear it.
But I do think that it should be their choice. They should wear it because it empowers them, they feel safe, and because they want to show their devotion to their faith. I would be lying if I said that there is no part of me, which may become a little nervous if I saw a woman wear a Burma for the first time. I feel a little guilty for thinking that, but it is a cause of all the terrorism that has gone on in the last decade. Also, the Middle-Eastern countries have never hated the United States and its allies so much. There have been attacks and it does Just take one misguided woman or a man disguised a woman to strap a