Page 10 - Pakistan Link - July 2, 2021

P10 – PAKISTAN LINK – JULY 2, 2021 OPINION
n By Abdul Malik Mujahid Understanding Modesty in an Islamic Context Nikah, and Hijab are Islamic val-
Chicago, IL ues, norms, and etiquettes. Al-
though not all Muslims may live
ost of the Muslim up to these ideals, social morality
world sees America is still defined by these norms in
Mthrough the eyes of the Muslim world. And nudity is
Hollywood movies, which is far nothing but the antithesis of Haya,
from an accu- even by those who may not be liv-
rate portrayal of ing by these ideals in the Muslim
American moral- world.
ity. Nonetheless, Breaking these norms is tak-
there certainly is en extremely seriously in Muslim
a big cultural gap societies. Many states treat crimes
in the way people against these norms so seriously
in the West deal with modesty that they use capital punishment.
and privacy of the body, and the Unlike what some in America
way individuals in the Muslim lead us to believe, no one hates
world do, regardless of their lev- America in the Muslim world be-
el of Islamic practice. cause of democracy and freedom.
This Islamic sensibility of It is the immorality of America
considering the human body of a (championed by Hollywood),
very personal realm is connected along with American foreign
to the concept of honor, dignity policy which defines the conflict
and privacy. This is not limited between the Westernized elite and
to Muslim countries. In fact, it is religious elements in Muslim so-
found in many Eastern cultures as cieties.
well, such as in India and China, at https://www.soundvision.
a far higher level than in the West. com/article/understanding-
What is Haya? Haya, Satr, Ni- modesty-in-an-islamic-conte
kah, and Hijab are four important xt?eType=EmailBlastConten
concepts that help explain Islamic Muslim world look for Christian- there is no exposure of the human carf" in Turkey and France, many t&eId=5169d1f8-3094-4df9-
precepts relating to modesty. themed films from America to body. Muslims will go to great people in the world now think b41a-c2835b319e8b
run on their stations because they lengths to avoid this. In many Hijab means headscarf. In the
Concept of Haya feel these come close to the Haya villages, people have refused to fight for the hearts and minds of
The concept of Haya is con- standards of their societies. see physicians if they needed to Muslim women, the headscarf FEAR FROM P7
sidered a major Islamic virtue and Public Haya is also the reason undress for them. This prompted has become a symbol of assertion Paedophiles and sexual abusers are
an integral part of human charac- that even in secular Muslim coun- Imams to preach that a Muslim for Muslim feminists as well as a present in many professions but cler-
ter. tries you will not find collective can undress in front of a physician symbol of women's oppression for ical sexual abuse is of a particularly
Ask anyone in the Muslim shower rooms in school dorms, most Western feminists. However, egregious character. This is because
world, Muslim or not, and he or community gyms, or army bar- the concept of Hijab has a much while all sexual abuse is terribly trau-
she will know what the Arabic racks where persons of the same There is no exact broader meaning than a piece of matic, these people use their power
word “Haya” is. But if you ask gender freely undress and shower English word which cloth on a woman's head. as religious and spiritual leaders to
them to define it, they will be hard in front of each other. I remember The etiquettes of Hijab go be- make their victims obey them. It’s
pressed to do so. Haya is in the choosing not to stay in a dorm in can convey the yond a dress code. It defines the not just their power as adults that is
grain of personal and social mo- Chicago at a high cost to me be- relationship that men and women at play but also their power as reli-
rality, values and behavior. cause of this common shower area whole meaning in a Muslim society maintain with gious leaders whose purpose is to
There is no exact English issue. of the Arabic each other. It lays out the guide- guide people towards the right path.
word which can convey the whole Haya is the reason many Mus- lines for interaction between the In this sense, such abuse involves
meaning of the Arabic term Haya. lim men and women prefer to be term Haya. Most sexes, particularly those not re- not only the desecration of the per-
Most people translate it as modes- seen and treated by a doctor of the lated to each other by marriage son but also the desecration of faith
ty, shamefulness, and shyness. But same gender. Haya is also the rea- people translate or blood. In essence, it is a set of itself.
all these words have negative con- son that Muslim men and women it as modesty, legal and social norms that define Keeping silent about this par-
notations, which the word Haya avoid situations where they will be gender relations in the public and ticular sort of child abuse is also tan-
does not have. Haya, unlike shy- alone with a non-related member shamefulness, private space in the Muslim world. tamount to desecrating religious and
ness and bashfulness, does not in- of the opposite sex. Even Muslim architecture in- moral principles. The paedophiles
dicate that a person lacks self-con- It is also because of Haya that and shyness. But corporates the element of Hijab in and sexual abusers will continue
fidence. In fact, in Islamic history, you will not find the demonstra- all these words defining public and private place committing their nefarious deeds
the person most noted for Haya tion of public affection between within one's own home. but it is incumbent on every single
was the third Khalifa Othman ibn spouses in public. That loving re- have negative Muslim to stand up and call out cler-
Affan, may God be pleased with lationship is considered a private The Institution of Nikah ical abuse.
him. joy. connotations, which Nikah means marriage in One immediate step that ab-
A person with Haya is not a It is due to Haya that while the word Haya does Arabic. This is the only relation- solutely must be taken is the in-
shameless person. He or she is romance is there, even in the secu- ship in which an adult man and a stallation of CCTV cameras in all
chaste, moral, restrained, upright, larist-run television stations of the not have. Haya, woman can see each other's bod- madressahs. This will provide vic-
and virtuous. He or she is not im- Muslim world, bedroom scenes, ies. It is not surprising, therefore, tims a means to prove their allega-
modest, immoral, indecent, lewd, explicit language, and sexual in- unlike shyness and to note that dating still remains tions and just as importantly it will
unabashed, unashamed, unblush- nuendo are not part of the shows. bashfulness, does unheard of in the Muslim world, help protect the faith from men who
ing, and unchaste. No, we are not Of course, all of that is being despite the practice's introduction claim to spread Islam but instead are
talking about angels here. A Mus- challenged by satellite television, not indicate that a through Western television pro- spreading the most depraved kind of
lim goes up and down in his or her which brings the Hollywood ver- grams in the region. abuse one can imagine.
faith and practice, but the ideals of sion of America to Muslim homes person lacks self- Extramarital sex is considered Evidence of this can be seen in
Haya are such. around the world. confidence. In fact, a major sin in Islam, and Muslims the fact that Mufti Rehman chose
Prophet Muhammad, peace While Haya is an expected are encouraged to marry. This is to abuse his victim on Fridays, the
and blessings be upon him, said norm of personal behavior defin- in Islamic history, why in several Muslim countries holiest day of the week in the Is-
that every way of life has its dis- ing social morality, the basic Is- governments offer a stipend for lamic calendar. All of this must be
tinct character and for Islam it lamic personal law taught to Mus- the person most eligible couples to get married if stopped immediately and the only
is Haya (Muwatta). He also said lim children in homes or weekend noted for Haya was they cannot afford to. way to impose accountability on
Haya is the fruit of faith. (Bukhari, schools around the world, from Of course, there are people such monstrous clerics is to demand
Muslim). the United States to the United the third Khalifa who do have affairs in the Muslim that Prime Minister Imran Khan
Haya is not morality to be im- Arab Emirates includes the fol- world. But this is considered a se- and parliamentarians in the nation-
posed, but something that must lowing concepts of Satr, Hijab and Othman ibn Affan, rious crime against one's family, al and provincial legislatures pass
arise from within a people. But at Nikah. may God be pleased the community, and a major sin laws that require all the thousands
the same time, it is not a private from a spiritual perspective. of madressahs registered with the
affair. It is an established and ac- The Code of Satr with him The institution of marriage in government to immediately install
cepted social morality which Satr is another important the Muslim world has been seri- CCTV cameras in places where chil-
members of society collectively code to understand. Muslim men ously challenged by the cultural dren and clerics interact, as well as
regard as desirable. and women are asked by Prophet if this is required for treatment. imports from the West. However, to crack down on the huge numbers
A state, therefore, is expected Muhammad, peace and blessings its strength despite these pres- of unregistered madressahs. The fear
to be the organ through which any be upon him, to observe Satr. This The Etiquettes of Hijab sures, prompted former US Presi- of God has not deterred these men
society mediates its moral values. means Muslims must keep their "Tell the believing men to dent Jimmy Carter to note that from abusing our children, perhaps
This is the reason we find that the bodies from the navel to the knees lower their gaze and be modest. the only countries in Africa where the fear of CCTV cameras will force
Malaysian government asked for covered in front of others of the That is purer for them. Lo! God is AIDS has not become an epidemic them to leave our children alone.
the removal of nude scenes from same sex. The only exception to aware of what they do..." (Qur’an are Muslim countries.
the Hollywood film Schindler's this rule is one's spouse. 24:30-31) (The writer is an attorney teach-
List, for example. It's ironic that Satr explains why in the tradi- Due to secular fundamental- Conclusions ing constitutional law and political
many television stations in the tional dress of Muslim countries, ists who have banned the "heads- The concepts of Haya, Satr, philosophy. Dawn)
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