Islam, headscarves… and men (who need to see their way out)

On By TFFIn feminism, hi'jab, Islam
A message to Muslim men:

Shut the fuck up.

That is the shortest entry you will ever see here on Islamic studies. This is because there is nothing to study or analyze. There is absolutely no question that my body is none of your business.

And I will not apologize for my tone. See the title of this entry? You should not be in it. If my hair distracts you so much, you are free to not look at it. As a matter of fact, the Qu’ran advises you not to look at it. You have an obligation to lower your eyes. Maybe if you read it more often instead of policing me, you would know this. I will not apologize for that either.

In case this message isn’t clear enough, I drew a pretty little Venn diagram for you:

According to my complex scientific calculations, the two do not intersect.

Seriously, from now on I’m just going to assume that any guy attempting to interrogate me about my hair is secretly madly in love with me.

25 thoughts on “Islam, headscarves… and men (who need to see their way out)”

  1. I'm guessing it's no coincidence this was published directly after the previous post?"Seriously, from now on I'm just going to assume that any guy attempting to interrogate me about my hair is secretly madly in love with me."HAHA! It's probably true.

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  5. I found your blog through the Islamic Feminism group on Facebook. I wish to thank you for this blog and I will be following it very closely. I myself have an islamic feminism blog which you can see the address, and I would be honoured if you commented about my content; I look up to you a lot. I also feel shy about speaking up about this, since I'm a white non-Muslim…but after reading Ayaan Hirsi Ali, I felt the urge to raise awareness to the cause, especially since on the blogging platform I use, there is a lot of feminists who refuse to critic [Fundamentalist] Islam from a feminist point of view and the so-called Muslim Feminists are never ever denouncing the wrongdoing of Fundamentalists and instead, only protect and defend Islam at all cost, with no (critically needed) self-reflection at all on the culture.Please message me through my Ask Box if you ever make a Tumblr, because I'll instantly add you to the list of blogs appearing on my dashboard :)

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  6. Thank you for visiting! I will definitely be following your content! Don't feel shy being non-Muslim or white–everyone is welcome and appreciated.I personally haven't met any Muslim feminists who refuse to criticize fundamentalists, and I have to say I'm a little uncomfortable with your obscure use of terms (though I know it may be because English is your second language) and you may be encountering defensive Muslim feminists because of the ambiguity of your terms. Islam itself is not a fundamentalist religion, but many of its followers unfortunately are fundamentalists, and these fundamentalists cave into the dictations of culture rather than the religion itself, which you did clarify later in the comment. =) So I take it that this is not what you meant. Culture and religion are two different things.So I actually will be protecting and defending Islam, a religion which has been abused… but definitely not the fundamentalists, who are the abusers. Pretty much every Muslim feminist I've met hasn't hesitated the least bit to renounce the wrongdoings of fundamentalists. Of course, that's personal experience and we've probably got really different experiences.As for the "so-called Muslim feminists" part, I'd also avoid accusing people who identify themselves as feminists of not being feminists. We won't get anywhere if we keep telling each other we're not really what we say we are. It implies that one person is strictly right in this complicated theology and the other is wrong, when really they're just different perspectives and approaches and oftentimes miscommunication.I really love some of the topics you've addressed on your tumblr! And it's all beautifully laid out! I think it's a little too late for me to get a tumblr (too much done here) but you make me wish I'd made one in the beginning! Yours is beautiful!

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  12. so wait "Islamic Feminist" is a self-professed white non-Muslim feminist who has a blog on "Islamic Feminism"??? Um, ok.P.S I'm one of those "so-called Muslim feminists" who is proud to speak out against right wing extremists (Wahhabists and Salafists)that twist around MY religion to serve their misogynist agenda. So yeah, we exist.

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  16. With your permission Nahida, do you mind if I steal this image for my facebook profile picture? I will of course give you full props and link back to your blog:-DI'm having one of those days where a lot of Muslim men are just…. *sighs and rolls her eyes lost for words*The image sums up how I'm feeling right now. A picture is worth a thousand words. I refer to this particular gem of a person (honestly I don't know whether they are male or female) on this facebook group I am part off: http://www.facebook.com/groups/197457766286/. Saeed Ahmad Khan – Stop Females to upload Photos on Facebook. They some how thinks it is their duty to police Muslim women!!!!: Some choice gems (I quote them and all their bad grammar):- I’m requesting you to remove your pictures becoz Its Allah Order to Hide your beauty.- Sisters BEWARE: A serious threat for Girls !Now,In todays date Most commonly your pics are being used Prostitutes / Call Girls to promote Websites For Advertisement of Adult Websites- Even Hijabi’s are also not Safe…- Now the Question Do you want to get listed as Prostitutes / Call Girls- Any Part of Your body can tease a man,if he think @ wow You have very good figure.wow You lips are very good.Congrats,you Earned SINS.- I would like to tell you,showing beauty(Tabarruj) is GRAVEFUL PUNISHABLE SIN.-There is a Hadith saying In hell females are more than males.do you want to be part of those females (I'm confused, I thought no one's fate of heaven or hell is decided until the day of judgement. By Allah – am I missing something???).Are you bemused yet? Of course they do the pearl, diamond and gold (that's new) analogy.They finish their ramblings with this:-Your body,beauty is sacred. You’re far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too. I’m requesting you so that you are protected from harm, injury and from collecting sins and get saved from fire of hell.Oh Nahida… I'm tied. Just so so tired.

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  18. FemEm

    Dear awesome feminist,
    This is totally unrelated to this posting but, I didn’t know where else to comment. I am interested to hear your views about honor killings.

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  20. Pingback: Food. Clothes. Hijabs. New Rules. | Consider the Tea Cosy

  21. Thijs

    As a man i really couldn’t care less what you wear. You walk past me unjudginly and i walk past you unjudgingly. Seems like a perfect equilibrium to me. If i’ll judge you, it will be on your actions as a human being. And quite frankly what you decide to wear or not wear has no influence on the actions you decide to do.

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  22. This one is pure gold! The way you speak the truth is beyond truth itself…… Its almost as if you ARE truth, setting everybody else straight!
    (Im kind of referring to an old friend of Jimi Hendrix who said that during his gig at the Monterey Pop Festival in California in 1967, Jimi transcended music and BECAME music) Well, you have transcended truth, and become truth…… ;)

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  23. Hahahah. I love you. Honestly, my thoughts exactly. I have the least religious guys, I know coming up to me to tell me about the “haram-hijabi” they saw.(I’m a hijabi and they assume I’m a saint that judges other women. -.-) And it irritates me to no end when I question why they’re trying to fix other people without fixing themselves first and they reply with; “As a Muslim brother we should guide our sisters. Blah blah blah. *Insert Hadith which is an overused excuse by Muslim men to pick on Muslim women*” BTW, I’m not hating on the Hadith, just the way men use it as an excuse. :)
    Keep up the amazing work, I think you’ve become one of my favourite blogs! :) xxx

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  24. Pingback: On whether the hijab is mandatory « the fatal feminist

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