Why hide face, the index of personality?

Thiruvananthapuram: Writer and critic Hameed Chennamangalloor says the dress should be delinked from religion because what one wears is dictated by personal comfort, protection and decency. To that extent what MES president Fazal Gafoor’s decision is praiseworthy; it guards the interest of his students, especially at medical colleges.

“It is ridiculous to hide oneself behind a veil, with eyes peeping out,” he said. “How does one interact with others without the spontaneous display of genuine expressions on the face, which is the index of the mind? Even the Muslim community is divided so it is better to keep the faith and the dress apart.”

Those who oppose the decision argue that a certain dress code denotes the identity of the Muslim woman and that it is a symbol of her chasteness. Nothing is far from truth because this is the prescription imposed on women by patriarchy. If at all one’s purity is defiled by exposing one’s face, it is for men to cover their faces and prevent themselves from assailing their women, he said.

Writer Dr Khadeeja Mumtaz lauded the MES for taking a timely decision, which also underlines the need for similar decisions that fit in with the times. “Why cover the face, which is the most visible part of the personality? Dr Gafoor did the right thing because medics should not take cover, their faces should be seen by others who they interact with. I feel this reform should not be restricted to the campus. Why prevent women from expressing personalities while engaged in any other realm of social transaction and why do we want to make them nonentities? Even at another level, this is important. There have been instances of burqa being misused through impersonation for clandestine activities. Use decent dress that suits the clime and the culture,” she said.        

Ms Khadeeja Nargis, a leader of the Mujahid Girls Movement under Kerala Naduvatul Mujahideen, said that Islam does not ask women to cover their faces while offering prayers. “Which makes it clear that the face should not be covered while one is engaged in genuine activities. Our stand is that both the face and the hand should not be covered. This is an undisputed fact of our lives, anchored in deep faith. Even women undertaking Haj do not cover their faces. So the demand by a section of the community for women to cover their faces is ridiculous even from the religious standpoint,” she said.

Commentator O. Abdulla said there is nothing un-Islamic in the MES decision, which bars girl students from covering their faces. “There is not even a mention of purdah in the Koran. This practice merely entombs the Muslim in a hot suit. Purdah and burqa are recent additions to the Muslim women’s wardrobe in Kerala. It may have to do with the affluent Arab nations, where such attires are in vogue and zealously guarded by their tribal and clannish culture. Also Kerala Muslim women have been, of late, influenced by several north Indian agencies and their business interests,” he said.