I think that when somebody has made it- if they’re a woman and proudly muslim they should be embraced- instead of scrutinised. Just because you don’t wear the hijab does not mean you have not had significant impediments to your success- be it from not drinking with work mates or strict family upbringings. Let’s celebrate all our achievers.Leave judgment to God.

You don’t know what it feels like to be a young woman receiving demeaning messages about your religion from an early age- by the outside media and even the internal muslim world which subscribes conditions on your success. When brown faces like Mishal Hussain adorn BBC or muslim names like Nadia Jamal are in the paper- it is a huge morale booster for young women, (regardless of whether or not they use prayer beads everyday.) Just through networking and common affiliations it can be so powerful to have that connection.

that hijab equates with backwardness or the like — is being reinforced when the women who are most visibly holding themselves out as ’successful’ are not wearing it.

Not necessarily. It is ironically women themselves who are actually more inclusive- i’ve spoken to US court judges who wear hijabs – their happy to see sisters up their in all their colours. She said Muslim women should not be homogenous. Like the jewish community- it’s great they should be to have varying religious and even political views- shows subtlety and intellectual depth in a community. There is no police of Islamic orthodoxy in the west- just thinking and free thought which should be embraced.

Solidarity sisters- let’s get over superficial differences and embrace humanity in its variety. Houssami is not a muslim scholar- she’s not invoking some kind of theological change so as jesus says “Judge not lest ye be judged- lift the plank from your own eye first etc.”

Constant scrutiny of muslims really turns off people who could be so sympathetic to the community- because they’re scared they are too sinful to be even able to say “hey you know i am muslim too.” It probably even prevents some great people taking that step of saying i’m muslim- beloved infidels like karen armstrong and the late edward said- (i still harbour hope they are secretly muslim!:)

Besides contradictions make people interesting and complex and give the muslim world its stunning variety.

ps- “infidels” thing was a joke!

Peace

(and congrats on a fabulous and very intellectually stimulating blog Muslim thinkers:)

what are the next 10 words in your argument? in fact there are none.

Indeed if you were to have read here : http://austrolabe.com/2006/06/.....r/#more-19 it will be immediately apparent that no one has been “running” Sunni Islam for 1300 years. Islamic scholarship has always been a fellowship of meritocracy. The strongest opinion wins.

The greatest scholar in islam was in fact a woman Aisha bint Abi Bakr. The communicated the vast numbers of the most important prophetic traditions (hadith). Thus large chunks of our faith have been communicated to us by a woman, and it is through the prism of her perspective that many pillars of theological orthodoxy stand.

The world of classical Islam had thousands of women scholars, something sadly lacking in the modern muslim condition. Sheikh Abdul Hakim Murad estimates this number to be between 15 and 20% of all scholars http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/ahm/default.htmThis is a higher figure than the % of female scholars at his university today ; Cambridge.

One of the modern Islamic reform movements in Pakistan, that seeks to return to greater religious orthodoxy in pakistan is founded, run by and funded by a female scholar Farat Hashmi (who did her Ph.D. at a british university).

You may also have not realized that the author of this piece was a woman.

So you will need more than a 10 word slogan

See http://weekbyweek7.blogspot.com/ for our comments on the significance of the ‘masculine’ in Islam.

But it seems to me that there is a plethora of ‘muslim’ women out there who succeed or fail either covered or not and they deserve our support and respect.

I also hate the whole “breaking down stereotypes” card that gets played too. The Australian Muslim context clearly shows that we Muslims do not fit in to nice little defined boxes. Specifically when we have this varigated scale of appearance – from the convertables to those who wear the scarf but the tightest clothes, to those who don’t cover their hair but are much more modest than the above and all in between; each one of them identifying as a Muslim woman.

If our generation is anything to go by, there will be plenty of hijab wearing girls/women being successful in the very near future, if not in the present. Once people see that wearing hijab does not stop you doing anything (much), then actions will speak louder than words.

I have seen plenty of hijabis in all types of jobs, from being martial arts instructors/competitors to swimming, athletics, as well as office jobs and suchlike. These go a long way to changing stereotypes when interacting with the wider community. I think it is great!

This is exactly the essence of my piece. While there are, of course, many accomplished and faithful Muslim women achieving wonderful things, the effect is not as powerful when she doesn’t wear hijab or any form of Islamic dress. What makes her different from a non Muslim at a basic level? Sure, she might believe differently and pray five times a day, etc, but no myths have been dispelled because she looks just like the next woman.

As I said in my piece, I don’t think it’s our place to hand down judgment on other Muslims, but I will certainly raise my voice when my religion is being invoked in such an insulting way.

I think that is an interesting opinion Amir. I have no doubt about the requirement of hijab, but also understand that it is not up to me to enforce the wearing of it upon others, especially here in the West.

I wasn’t suggesting that women should be forced to wear it or even that women who don’t wear it are doing something wrong by having careers or being successful. I was speaking specifically about women who don’t wear it but, at the same time, hold themselves out as examples of ‘Muslimahs that have made it’, claim that their success has led to significant stereotypes being broken, or that their success makes it easier for other Muslim women to follow.

Personal sinfulness is another matter, but the hijab is different because it is the principle reason why some women find it difficult to ‘get ahead’ in their chosen careers and why others lack the confidence that they can attain the same heights in their chosen profession as their non-covered sisters. This is the point that I was trying to make: that all this talk of ‘breaking down stereotypes’ is not really accurate because the biggest stereotype affecting Muslim women — that hijab equates with backwardness or the like — is being reinforced when the women who are most visibly holding themselves out as ’successful’ are not wearing it. This is why I don’t think Ms Houssami’s comments are particularly helpful to the cause of Muslim women in this society.