In countries where veils are the norm, their image is as mysterious as the cultures they take precedence in. Veils are able to hide women, as well as make them stand out. Veils are used as ceremonial coverings as well as religious signifiers for rite-of-passage markers. Veils are also argued as being protection for women from men, as well as for men from women. On a historical basis, veils have been used for hundreds of years for many different reasons, and by many different cultures. One of the most common reasons that the veil is used is for women to veil in front of certain people, and these people are usually older, not related, a higher caste, and it is seen as a sigh of respect. The next reason to focus on in relation to veiling women is a from a religious standpoint. Bedouins veil at specific times for religious motives, and it is here where the hijab verse comes into play. The final reason why women veil is based on the belief that it is for men’s safety, or safety for the women themselves.
As a Sign of Respect
One way that the veil is used is to delineate respect levels. Women in Bedouin societies follow rules about the people women need to be veiled in front of, and ones that do not. Women veil for those who have authority over them, or who have greater responsibilities for the country. They do not veil for those lower in the hierarchy chain, such as dependents and those without their honor such as the poor, as well as those who do not believe in Islam. So it is apparent that the older the women get in Bedouin society, the less they have to veil in front of their authorities and other such important figures also due to these people dieing. Bedouin women do not have to veil in front of their husbands when they are within the home, because they are thought to be in the same situations, being sexual partners. Therefore, the women do not veil in front of the husband’s clients and those that are of a lower caste and younger age then her husband, because these men are seen as beneath her husband. This type of veiling is all about the respect that women have towards their families and kin.
Within the Religious Confines
Veiling due to religious proclamations in Muslim societies is based on the hadiths and especially by the hijab verse. Sanctioned by the Prophet Muhammad to protect the dignity, morals and elite status of his many wives, the hijab verse transferred to the rest of Islam due to his wives’ examples. Over the years, the term hijab (curtin) that was mentioned in the Quran, was broadened into the idea of seclusion, where women were not to be seen outside of the house without a covering on or without permission from the head of the household. Women accepted the seclusion because they wished to be as virtuous as the Prophet’s wives. Religiously, Bedouin women are forbidden to sit with men in prayer and not allowed to recite from the Quran. They are permitted to do their five daily prayers, but it is all within the seclusion of their homes.
The Scope of Daily Life
Muslim women wear the burka or chadors when they are leaving their homes. Women are seen as closer to nature because of their sexuality and ability to be pregnant. They are denied their dependence from men and due to this, their sexuality will always be oppressed. For Bedouin women, they veil to show that they are no longer virgins, and for some to also signify that they are married. In this society, men are obligated and responsible to their women; on the same token, women are responsible to men in doing something for them and to protect men from the dangers of sexuality. The image of women that was codified was that the sexuality of women was dangerous and should therefore hide for their safety and for the safety of men.
Bedouin women, as well as other sects of Muslim women veil, and these reason are still broad and daunting to the untrained eye. In the means of respect, it is done when they are in public view. Their own homes are safe zones. Religiously, Muslim women are not only secluded from praying, but the Quran reinforces the idea of the veil. Bedouin women veil to show they are no longer single. They are women whose roots are Muslim, but vary due to cultural norms. They might veil to protect the outside world from their sexuality, but that hinges on caste and age. All told, no matter how hidden from view they happen to be, all Bedouin feel that the veil is apart of their everyday lives.
Abu-Lughod, Lila. (1999). Veiled Sentiments. Los Angeles, CA; University of California Press.
Kaohane, Alan. (2008). Bedouin: Nomads of the Desert. London, England: Kyle Cathie Limited.
Stowasser, Barbara. “Chapter 8: The Mothers of the believers in the Quran.” Women in the Quran: Tradition and Interpretation. netlibrary.
 |
