Taking a closer look to misogyny and the hijab

The chapters that we read from Mernissi's book The Veil and the Male Elite were quite enjoyable. She told a lot about the history of Islam that I'm not familiar with because I came into this class from a gender studies perspective. It was interesting to read about such a problematic Hadith not only in terms of how it has shaped the religion, but the contextual and historical framework it is derived from. What also struck me was how compelling the arguments she presented, even though her book is from 20 years ago. The fact that this text an still offer questions to be asked two decades later is a testament to its ideas' effectiveness.

Mernissi describes the Hadith that puts down entrusting women as "the sledgehammer argument used by those who want to exclude women from politics" (Mernissi 4). I don't think there's any other way to put it. Such an absolute statement has obviously made the plight for Islam women an extremely difficult struggle, leaving them with very political autonomy and excluding them to the role of silent spectators. I really appreciate the fact that Mernissi goes against what has been propagated by "scholars" such as Al-Afghani. His views on the role of women were absolutely sickening. Instead, she questions how this knowledge was produced and renegotiates how it has been used as a hegemonic force to keep women in the non-liberated state they are in. In addition, she sets up her chapters as methods to prove the false fabrication of false traditions that have been sources of power for men, keeping misogynistic customs intact. The quote that best displays this is that "the sleeping past can animate the present. That is the virtue of memory. Magicians know it, and the imams know it too" (10). There is so much information hidden in the history of Islam that once accessed, could definitely sway how things are thought of today.

What stood out as a red flag right away in her chapter "A Tradition of Misogyny" was that Abu Bakra was the Companion of the Prophet that announced the Hadith about women. I'm not super familiar with the Quran, but I know with the Bible a lot of the critique it gets in terms of things it doesn't condone is the fact that it's a secondary source of many stories that have been handed down generation after generation, and also translated through different languages. I think this parallels to the trust that people give to Abu Bakra, that if he says the Prophet said something, people will believe it. Mernissi even gets a little sassy (which I appreciated haha) when she says, "Abu Bakra must have had a fabulous memory, because he recalled them a quarter of a century after the death of the Prophet" (50). She knows something is fishy about it, and is quick to call it out. One of the most interesting points about this chapter was when Mernissi talks about the duality between the two sides during the war: to follow the unjust caliph or rebel with A'isha. Along with also reminding readers that Islam means submission, I think it's an interesting observation. A'isha, the woman scapegoat, challenges the ideal of submissiveness. She does not adhere to what is expected. I think this is where a connection between women and needing to be contained may derive from.

What was my favorite part of the reading was definitely the chapter final chapter on the hijab. Reading about the history of the word and the idea of the curtain was extremely enlightening. Mernissi points out how hijab has three definitions that have merged together, all the while looking at the context of the situation after the Prophet's wedding that brought the term into fruition. Furthermore, the binary between the two kinds of hijabs was fascinating. How in the situation of the Sufi, it blocks the knowledge of the divine, but used with a prince and it can be a source of empowerment. I actually think I might use the hijab as my final project topic.

Overall, these were definitely the readings I've enjoyed the most so far. I'm looking forward to watching parts of the documentary Divorce Iranian Style Wednesday in class, as I've heard really good things about it. I've embedded the trailer below in case you want a primer of what it's about.