Non-use of the tudung has brought moral decay

By Zainol Abideen
Oct 20, 04 5:03pm

I refer to The long and short of Muslim dressing by Zahid Abbas, in which he foolishly commends Malay Muslim singers such as Siti Nurhaliza, Misha Omar, Sarah Raisuddin as being good examples of how Muslim women should dress.

Allow me to quote form the Holy Quran, Surah An-Nur Ayat 31 which reads:

‘And say to the faithful women to lower their gazes, and to guard their private parts, and not to display their adornments except what is apparent of it, and to extend their headcoverings (khimars) to cover their bosoms (jaybs), and not to display their adornments except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband's fathers, or their sons, or their husband's sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their womenfolk, or what their right hands rule (slaves), or the followers from the men who do not feel sexual desire, or the small children to whom the nakedness of women is not apparent, and not to strike their feet (on the ground) so as to make known what they hide of their adornments. And turn in repentance to Allah together, O ye the faithful, in order that you are successful.’

As can be seen from the above, Allah the Almighty enjoins the women of faith to extend her head coverings to cover her bosom and not to display her adornments, except to her husband and those who are her muhrim (male relatives as defined above).

Malay women in the ’60s used to go about without the tudung (headscarf) because society then then was not practising the faith as they should have due to the lifestyle at that time.

But gradually, Malay women got used to wearing the tudung as we now have in the land, and slowly but surely, it has become normal for Malay Muslim women to dress modestly in public.

But Malay women are very susceptible to fashion changes and aping Western couture. We now see youngsters wearing the tudung with skintight figure hugging jeans in public. This brings to mind the hadith by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) that in the Last Ages (the present), women would be dressed yet 'naked'.

This can be taken to mean that even though a woman were dressed, she will seem naked because of the way her figure can be made out due to a tight outfit.

We see in the media nowadays women wearing next to nothing, leading to more exploitation of the female sex in society. We see almost naked women being pictured in ads selling liquor, beer, cigarettes, etc.

Skimpily dressed women are paraded around Formula 1 tracks standing next to fully-clothed F1 male drivers. Where's the pride of women there?

Islam protects the rights and standards for a woman by enjoining her to dress modestly. A woman feels protected from the stares and glares of men who are not her muhrim when she is covered modestly in public.

Christian nuns and sisters dress as the ‘muslimah’ (Muslim women) do and are respected and left alone. Sick, depraved men at times do molest, rape and perpetrate violent crimes against even properly covered females - after being exposed to all the wanton 'free shows' on the streets of big cities.

Today, even remote villages are not spared the onslaught of promiscuity and the breakdown in moral values due to the advent of information technology and the mass media's slant towards sex in almost 90 percent of films, dramas, shows etc.
Media such as magazines flaunt scantily-clad teenage girls and young women as attractions to increase their sales. Exploitation of women seems to be reaching an all-time peak.

We are not safe anymore. Incest, rape, sodomy, molestation happen almost everyday. No one seems safe anywhere, anymore. Imams, priests, and religious figures too, are not spared.

Almost the entire fabric of society reeks of sin. Is there a reason for such a catastrophe?

It's because of us. Because we condone calls (as by Zahid Abbas for example) who say that it is okay for Muslim women to go around bareheaded. Then why shouldn’t they expose themselves more? Go around stark naked, reduce yourselves to nothing more than sex objects ... to be molested as you please.

I would prefer to abstain from such ludicrous exhortations for Malay Muslims to go to the dogs through the wanton lifestyles of the decadent ones, be they Westerners or globalized.

I say this to the muslimah of the world: Remember, Allah, the most compassionate, most merciful has raised you in standards from being mere sexual objects; from the lifestyles of the ‘jahiliyahs’ (ignorant) to being respected individuals on par with the men - as long as you protect your modesty and integrity when it comes to dressing and being in public.

Protect your rights and preserve your status as honourable counterparts to men. We have the highest regards for a woman who dresses modestly and will respect you for who you are and not because you show more skin in public.

Ignore stupid callings for you to regressing back to the days of ignorance.