The Hypocrisy of Some Hijabis- Comedian Sadia Azmats

I have no issues with those who choose to dress modestly. To each his own, as they say.  And almost every religion has its conservative faction. What I do take issue with are those who use it as a political statement, those who force their women to dress conservatively, and those who might dress modestly but act in a contradictory fashion.

Take Sadia Azmats, a British Muslim stand-up comedian who wears a head covering, and then dresses like this.

The whole point of dressing "modestly in Islam, is not to call attention to oneself. Yet here Sadia is wearing skin-tight pants and red stiletto f-me shoes. Then again, she told Metro UK a few days ago:

It’s Ramadan, the month where Muslims not only fast our stomachs (during daylight hours) but when we Muslim women strive for modesty wherever it can be sought out.

The ‘modesty’ part is a bit of a problem for me. I’ve had sex during Ramadan (after Iftar, not during the fast which isn’t permitted) and it’s great.

Well it’s great all year round but there is a heightened sense of arousal given the increased awareness of primal urges through the hunger and thirst. If I had a choice, I’d give up a sandwich over semen.

But when I’m not observing fasting during the 30 days of Ramadan then society imposes upon me an almost involuntary fasting by holding me to a higher set of expectations than I do of myself.

Society expects me to be a ‘good girl’ and to lower my gaze around men. Muslim women are supposed to be bastions of culture, tradition, and responsibility, especially during Ramadan.

Muslim women like me – rounded, complicated, emotive and above all horny – aren’t even supposed to exist.

Say whaaat?  Premarital sex in Islam is haram (forbidden) and considered a sin. According to Al-Islam:

(A) Pre-Marital Sex
Pre-marital sex is absolutely forbidden in Islam, no matter whether it is with a girl-friend or a prostitute. Pre-marital sex is fornication (zina).

It also happens to be punishable according to Sharia law.

Allah says:

Do not go near adultery, surely it is an indecency, and an evil way [of fulfilling sexual urge]. (17:32)

Fornication and adultery have severely been condemned in the saying of the Prophet and the Imams. In Islam, pre-marital sex is considered an immoral act against the rights of Allah and one's own sexual organs.

Pre-marital sex is a sin punishable by the Islamic court. If an unmarried man and an unmarried woman are found guilty of fornication in an Islamic court, their punishment will be as the following:

The woman and the man who fornicate scourge each of them a hundred whips; and in the matter of God s religion, let no tenderness for them seize you if you believe in God and the Last Day; and let a party of the believers witness their punishment. (24:2)

If the unmarried man or woman commit fornication more than once, then they will be punished three times by hundred wipes, and if they are proven guilty for the fourth time, then they will be put to death.6 (As for adultery, its punishment is even more severe because married persons have no excuse, whatsoever, to commit adultery. The shari'ah says that married persons guilty of adultery should be stoned to death.)

Therefore, pre-marital sex is out of the question as a means of fulfilling the sexual urge.

So, on the one hand, Sadia is wearing a hijab to show her devotion to her Allah:

The hijab is worn by Muslim women as an act of obedience to God’s command in the Quran, where Allah (God) says:

وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ

“And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment….” (Quran 24:31)

And yet she's blatantly going against Islamic law by having pre-marital sex.

How's that for breathtaking hypocrisy.

I've written in the past about Muslim hijabi hypocrisy:  Bizarre hijabs worn by London women, and the Hypocrisy of Hijabi High-Fashion.  Yes, indeed, it exists.

Sadia wants to wear the hijab, I honestly don't care, but act accordingly.

Bizarre Fancy Hijabs Worn In London- More Hypocrisy

Iranian photographer Sara Shamsavari took a bunch of photos of the varying, eclectic styles of hijab that London women sport to cover their hair. The photos are part of an exhibit to celebrate International Women's Day.

Now, the whole purpose of donning the Islamic veil is supposedly for reasons of modesty, and to ensure that a woman does not attract undue attention to herself, even though the verses that are referred to in the Quran don't really mention anything about covering the hair, neck and ears:

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, or their brothers' sons or their sisters' sons, or their women or the servants whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex, and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O you Believers, turn you all together towards Allah, that you may attain Bliss. (Quran 24:31).

 O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. (Quran 33:59)

No actual mention of covering the head, which is probably why there are some Muslim clerics who have concluded that it is not an Islamic duty to wear a hijab. But there are some Muslimahs (like the women Shamsavari photographed below) who insist on wearing such outrageously wild veils, the whole purpose of not attracting attention is rendered totally moot.

Okay, the first one looks like a Muslim version of a graduation cap and gown, but the other two are kind of pretty in a bizarre way. But all three would definitely prompt stares, which is what I assumed they were trying to avoid.  They definitely call more attention to themselves than if they were to remove the veil and just dress modestly.

They're not the only ones dressing Islamic trendy, they actually have hijab high-fashion shows, with even more elaborate hijabs ready for all those fashion-conscious, hypocritical hijabis.

What's the point?

Christian Woman Fired From Jordan Bank For Refusing To Wear Headscarf

Here's an interesting situation. A Christian bank worker was fired from her job at the Jordan Dubai Islamic Bank for refusing to wear a headscarf. Vivian Salameh claims that she

“refused to wear the partial head cover because it is against my principles.”

Apparently, the headscarf is now an approved (in January) part of the women's dress code at the bank, and Salameh had been warned, at least so says the bank's rep Iman Afaneh. According to Afaneh,

“Five other Christian women are working at the bank, and they are committed to wearing full uniform, including the headscarf.”

So what? Because 5 others have no problem with that doesn't make it okay for the one who does have issues. Besides, Salameh says that's not so:

“The bank uniform registered at the trade and industry ministry does not include wearing anything to cover my hair.”

But here's the deal, if you are working for an Islamic bank (or any other company that has a specific dress code) then, sorry, you need to abide by those rules. If you have a problem with that and refuse to comply, then they have a right to fire you or you need to quit. Perhaps she was hired when the headscarf was not mandatory, but if it is now, she needs to wear it or find another job.
Now this is where it gets interesting. This same kind of situation happens in the West all the time, only it's Muslims who want to wear their hijabs in companies or venues that have certain dress codes, and when they refuse to follow company rules and are fired, they enlist the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)  to intervene on their behalf, or file complaints and sue.  More often than not those companies cave. There were several cases that Disney had to deal with recently, one of which CAIR bullied its way into winning.  An intern who never mentioned during the phone interview that she wore a hijab was eventually accommodated, and she accepted the compromise.  In another case, a themed restaurant hostess Imane Boudlal, who initially was hired sans hijab and suddenly got religious on the job, filed a complaint and sued Disney for refusing to allow her to wear her scarf, even though they also bent over backwards trying to  accommodate her. I wasn't able to find any updates on that case, but hopefully it was thrown out.

Bottom line, if you are going to work at a company that requires a strict dress code, then be prepared to follow the rules, if not, find alternate employment.