Twitter feminists debate on whether hijab is empowering for women or a tool for oppression

[Do]

x.com

x.com

The above tweet from a South Asian feminist went viral with more quotes and comments up till now days later, with some labelling her as Islamophobic (she might very well be) and others who fully agreed with her.

What's interesting is the split between feminists who defended Muslim sisters wearing hijab as it's their right to choose and the other half who firmly pushed back against it, citing that it is just as sexually degrading as revealing clothing as it carries the connotation that female bodies are inherently shameful. Like these two directly opposing takes here.

x.com

x.com

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

x.com

x.com

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

Even the quotes of the quotes are on fire, these feminists are having a whole civil war regarding hijab/niqab!

 

[Galool]

Why would any Muslim be surprised?

Feminism is a false religion and a branch of liberalism. It is opposed to Islam.

 

[Periplus]

A large part of feminist thought involves freedom of what to wear.

One cannot hold that position, yet deny women who want to dress in order to please their creator.

I don’t consider myself a feminist, largely due to its colonialist/western-centric tilt, but I do think our society could do with some female empowerment.

P.S: Frantz Fanon had a very good quote about people’s frustration with the hijab which sums up my opinion on feminists like this…

 

[Kizaru]

Who cares what twitter niggas say lol. They just seethe. That can't do shit.

 

[Do]

A large part of feminist thought involves freedom of what to wear.

One cannot hold that position, yet deny women who want to dress in order to please their creator.

I don’t consider myself a feminist, largely due to its colonialist/western-centric tilt, but I do think our society could do with some female empowerment.

P.S: Franz Fanon had a very good quote about people’s frustration with the hijab which sums up my opinion on feminists like this…

"The woman who sees without being seen frustrates the coloniser."

The amount of hijabi influencer girlies I've seen quote that bit of Fanon for their IG caption, not knowing its origins pisses me off.

 

[Khanderson]

One of my main issues I have regarding Burqa usages

It hides your identity away from the public

My biggest complaints has always been: I can’t see the person in public her face is covered up.

If we’re living under secularism and western liberal society this is their rights and they have their rights to wear whatever. But we should challenge ourselves on the people who wears face coverup mask. I’m suspicious on people who cover up their faces in public places.
This is the challenge we should have. Is the west compatible to have people who cover up their face’s in transport places?


Also: Burqa is cultural clothings that’s has been imported into Islamic cultural norms.

 

[Gacmeey]

Their minds are so corrupted they cannot fathom that a society exists that does not want to show off their breasts and butts but hey it must be the evil male patriarch who is tormenting her

 

[Gacmeey]

One of my main issues I have regarding Burqa usages

It hides your identity away from the public

My biggest complaints has always been: I can’t see the person in public her face is covered up.

If we’re living under secularism and western liberal society this is their rights and they have their rights to wear whatever. But we should challenge ourselves on the people who wears face coverup mask. I’m suspicious on people who cover up their faces in public places.
This is the challenge we should have. Is the west compatible to have people who cover up their face’s in transport places?


Also: Burqa is cultural cloths that’s has been imported Islamic cultural norms.

I mean you’re not entitled to know people’s identity as a stranger

 

[Khanderson]

I mean you’re not entitled to know people’s identity as a stranger

Facial coverups are somewhat a taboo and it can indicate negative things on the perception of that person.

I’m not entitled to know who that person is but aren’t we a social and visual creatures? Is not healthy for me to see a person covering their faces every times. It can also add suspicion to that persons character.

Muslim women also have alternative modest wear why limit on a clothing that covers the whole of that persons face?

 

[Periplus]

Muslim women also have alternative modest wear why limit on a clothing that covers the whole of that persons face?

It’s the idea of cede an inch, lose a mile. If you concede on niqab, which isn’t religiously mandatory, you allow for further incursions on our dress.

This is shown by France essentially restricting hijab use in public not long after the niqab ban.

 

[Gacmeey]

Facial coverups are somewhat a taboo and it can indicate negative things on the perception of that person.

I’m not entitled to know who that person is but aren’t we a social and visual creatures? Is not healthy for me to see a person covering their faces every times. It can also add suspicion to that persons character.

Be that as it may, you still don’t have the right to pressure someone to give up their right to privacy for some perceived greater good.Futhermore, your negative suspicions based on another’s clothing with out any basic context is solely a you problem. Just because face tattoos make someone look “suspicious” doesn’t mean they can’t have face tattoos. Same goes for the veil

 

[Do]

Their minds are so corrupted they cannot fathom that a society exists that does not want to show off their breasts and butts but hey it must be the evil male patriarch who is tormenting her

With all due respect, this is a massive oversimplification of feminism. There's a good amount of difference of opinion and many place (in my opinion) rightful blame on women when they contribute to their own oppression.

I used to take an interest in radical feminism several years ago and typically the feminists within that category who take issue with hijab/niqab for its misogynistic origins (in their view) also reject women being overtly sexualised with the normalisation of p0rn/nudity.

They view it as two sides of the same coin that contribute to the objectification of women, as they see the reasoning behind hijab/niqab as one that states that a woman is inherently a sexual object.

 

[Khanderson]

Be that as it may, you still don’t have the right to pressure someone to give up their right to privacy for some perceived greater good.Futhermore, your negative suspicions based on another’s clothing with out any basic context is solely a you problem. Just because face tattoos make someone look “suspicious” doesn’t mean they can’t have face tattoos. Same goes for the veil

Let me challenge you for a second: what’s your opinion on ski mask? I see lots of black youths who wears them. The people who wears them use the same excuse as You.

Not long ago a guy wore a ski mask committed Homicide. The issue is they couldn’t detect the criminal because surprise, surprise he’s wearing a ski mask.

My biggest issue with Burqa is the facial coverages. You can wear hijab but why cover the face? This normalises face coverages. Which can produce potential criminals.

Reminder: I’m not against hijab just facial mask.

 

[Periplus]

Let me challenge you for second: what’s your opinion on ski mask? I see lots of black youths who wears them. The people who wears them use the same excuse as You.

Not long ago a guy wore a ski mask committed Homicide. The issue is they couldn’t detect the criminal because surprise, surprise he’s wearing a ski mask.

My biggest issue with Niqab is the facial coverages. You can wear hijab but why cover the face? This normalises face coverages. Which can produce potential criminals.

Walaal, you are being facetious if you’re comparing ski masks in public with niqab.

There is no need to be wearing a ski mask in public, no religious, cultural or practical reason to wear one unless you’re in freezing conditions.

That’s why wearing a ski mask is problematic because there is almost no other reason for wearing it in a city, except for committing crime.

 

[Khanderson]

Walaal, you are being facetious if you’re comparing ski masks in public with niqab.

There is no need to be wearing a ski mask in public, no religious, cultural or practical reason to wear one unless you’re in freezing conditions.

That’s why wearing a ski mask is problematic because there is almost no other reason for wearing it in a city, except for committing crime.

It really doesn’t matter whether is a cultural practices for the divine. If you’re wearing face mask take it off. You’re in a public setting. There’s no need for you to wear it unless it’s for medical purposes.

Burqa provides no value. As you said in your post: it’s not mandatory. And is not medical either. It’s just cultural clothings that’s originated in the middle east that have been imported into the Islamic world.
Even Egypt (a majority Muslim country) have ban this practice.

Egypt bans niqab at schools, allows 'conditional hijab'

The rather conservative niqab has long been advocated by extremist religious groups and Salafi sheikhs, even though it is known for not being an obligatory dress code by Islam.

www.newarab.com

 

[Internet Nomad]

To be clear I am not against women empowerment and fair treatment in Somalia. Im just very skeptical of projects back by western governments and institutions

This is a French propaganda poster made by the French bureau of psychology that was pushed on to Algeria during the 1940s and 50s. It says “are you not pretty? Unveil yourself!” Algeria suffered a brutal occupation from the French empire for years. They were genocided and restricted to pray

Feminism has always been a tool to justify and support colonialism and occupation in non white countries throughout history. This is the “white mans burden” : a duty formerly asserted by white people to manage the affairs of nonwhite people whom they believed to be less developed.

Western society has always used feminism as an tool to sow division and discorse amongst muslims.

Watch this 5 minute snippet from this documentary. They perfected the craft of manipulation.

 

[Periplus]

It really doesn’t matter whether is a cultural practices for the divine. If you’re wearing face mask take it off. You’re in a public setting. There’s no need for you to wear it unless it’s for medical purposes.

Burqa provides no value. As you said in your post: it’s not mandatory. And is not medical either. It’s just cultural clothings that’s originated in the middle east that have been imported into the Islamic world.
Even Egypt (a majority Muslim country) have ban this practice.

Egypt bans niqab at schools, allows 'conditional hijab'

The rather conservative niqab has long been advocated by extremist religious groups and Salafi sheikhs, even though it is known for not being an obligatory dress code by Islam.

www.newarab.com

Honestly, I won’t entertain any discussion in Western society about the “public appropriateness” of niqab until the same amount of discussion is done for wearing indecent clothing in public.

People should show their face in public, fair enough. People shouldn’t also be skinny dipping or flashing or wearing underwear only. After all we are in public.

But only one gets continual debate. It is ridiculous and it so blantantly orientalist in its origin.

 

[Internet Nomad]

The hijab is never meant to be a thing for men to order but a command from Allah who is the most merciful and just.

Surprisingly this was one of the most productive video i have ever seen when it comes to a feminist and a muslim.

 

[Gacmeey]

Let me challenge you for a second: what’s your opinion on ski mask? I see lots of black youths who wears them. The people who wears them use the same excuse as You.

Not long ago a guy wore a ski mask committed Homicide. The issue is they couldn’t detect the criminal because surprise, surprise he’s wearing a ski mask.

My biggest issue with Burqa is the facial coverages. You can wear hijab but why cover the face? This normalises face coverages. Which can produce potential criminals.

Reminder: I’m not against hijab just facial mask.

I understand you against face coverings in general.

With the ski mask, a criminal covering his face doesn’t mean the rest of us can be stripped of our right to privacy. Let’s say ski masks were banned, don’t think it would impact a potential bank robber? Would this impact be justifiable reason to strip an individual of his right to privacy and bodily autonomy.

Yoh might counter and say this is the same thing gun nuts say, but it isn’t equivalent thing since guns directly harm others.

As for normalising face coverings, cat is out of the bag. With face masks, I don’t really think it is even feasible to ban face coverings at any capacity tbh

 

[Internet Nomad]

A woman will sit in a bedroom full of shein clothing with more to come so she can stay within the trend but will look at a hijabi and say you’re enslaved.

The truth is both are slaves but one is slave to the coming and goings of the fashion industry and what people will think of her. The other is a slave of her lord who is everlasting and only wants good for her.

Thats what it means when you take your shahada your breaking all the other chains and your solely relying upon your lord.

25:43
أَرَءَيْتَ مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُۥ هَوَىٰهُ أَفَأَنتَ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ وَكِيلًا ٤٣

Have you seen ˹O Prophet˺ the one who has taken their own desires as their god? Will you then be a keeper over them?

Dont take your desires as your god because it will lead you down a dark path. Lust, Greed, Envy, Pride, Wrath and Sloth all our lives we hear stories of people following these desires and it taking them astray.

59:19
وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ نَسُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَأَنسَىٰهُمْ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ ١٩

And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. It is they who are ˹truly˺ rebellious.

You can either make your desires, money, social approval or anything of the like your god or you can say "I bear witness that there is no deity but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”