Thread by @NafeesRehmanDr

Allama Mohammad Iqbal published an article in the British press in 1933 to explain to the West the stature of the women in the Eastern, mainly in Muslim societies, the philosophy and forms of veil.

Interesting arguments indeed.

#InternationalWomensDay
#AuratMarch2021

I wish to clear up a few points regarding the position of our women in the East, and how, they compare with the women of the West. In London streets, for example, I see a lot which Londoners do not notice. They are too familiar with the sights to notice subtleties.

But those who see a country after a long absence come with a fresh vision. What strikes me most is that the courtesy towards the female sex, for which Europeans were at one time famous, is becoming atavistic. In the Underground men do not surrender their seats to ladies,

or do so very seldom. In getting out of the cars they have no thought of letting the ladies out first. I do not want to blame them. The women themselves have brought it about. They demanded emancipation, equal rights with the male sex. The change that has come was inevitable.

Sacred Ground - Harem.

Perhaps I may here try and eradicate the totally erroneous notions which are held about the Eastern, and first of all, Moslem women, their life and the treatment they receive from men.

The Western woman, according to her own wish, has descended from the pedestal on which she stood, but the Eastern, the Modem woman, has remained the recipient of the same honours as before. The belief of some is still that the Turkish woman plays an inferior role in Turkish life.

They misunderstand many customs, especially the psychology of the veil. The origin of the veil is not man's jealousy, but the feeling that the woman is sacred, so much so that a stranger's eye should not fall on her. The meaning of the word "harem" in Arabic is "sacred ground,"

into which no stranger can enter.

There are other reasons for the practice of the veil. These are biological in nature; it is not possible to discuss them here. I can only indicate what lies at the back of this institution.

The woman is predominantly the creative element in life, and all creative forces in nature are hidden. The source and symbol of the greater respect which Eastern women enjoy is in that very veil. Nothing has happened to diminish the respect in which they were held for centuries,

and the principle of protecting them from the approaches of strangers and from all humiliations has been safely maintained.

According to the Holy Book of Islam, there are several rules relating to the segregation of women. The veil is only one of them. Another rule is that when men and women meet each other, they should not stare into the eyes of each other. If this were the universal practice, the

ordinary veil would be unnecessary.

Many women of India and of other countries of Islam wear no veil. I do not mean modern women, but the peasants of Punjab, and Moslem peasants, such as in Palestine and Egypt. You would not find much of the veil there.

The veil is really the name of a specific attitude of the mind. In order to reinforce this attitude of mind, certain concrete forms are needed, which forms depend on the circumstances of each people, age and country.

The Surplus Woman

The harem is also much maligned. It should be remarked first of all that only the kings had harems. When I am speaking of women and the respect that we show to them, you will think of polygamy. Polygamy is certainly permitted according to Mohammedan law.

It is only a rough method of evading a social evil i.e., public prostitution. Monogamy is our ideal, as well as yours, but the main defect of monogamy is that it has no outlet for surplus women. The Middle Ages in Europe furnished the convent and the monastery for the absorption

of surplus women. The so-called industrial revolution—the parent of the so-called woman emancipation movement— has given both man and woman the kind of mentality which is apparently opposed to polygamy; but I am afraid the social evil is there.

I am not suggesting that polygamy is the only cure, but I do mean to say that the state of fear which drives the woman to earn her own livelihood is awful, and is likely eventually to deprive the woman of the best in her — that is to say, the woman in her.

Rights of Wives

However, the institution of polygamy Islam is not an eternal institution. Acc. to the law of Islam, all legal permissions can be revoked by the State if they lead to social corruption. The Turkish State has done nothing contrary to Mohammedan law in doing this.

According to Mohammedan law, a woman has the right to the custody of her children, even after divorce. She can trade, contract and litigate in her own name. And according to some lawyers, she can even be elected as the Califf (Khalifa) of Islam!

She is entitled to maintenance from her husband beside the fixed dowry, to secure which she can hold the whole property of her husband.

The Muslim woman has equality of divorce with her husband.

This, however, is secured in Mohammedan law by the wife calling upon her husband at the time of marriage to delegate this right of divorce to her, to her father, brother, or any stranger. This is technically known as "tafviz" —that is to say, handing over, or transfer!

The reason why this roundabout way of security is adopted, I leave to the lawyers to understand!
— Dr. Allama Mohammad Iqbal

Source: Birmingham Gazette, 13 July, 1933.