Summary
Sexuality and gender are contemporary concepts that have led to historical inquiry into a contest over culture in Islam. The Quran places both male and female sexes about each other based on biological and physical standpoints. Nonetheless, Western feminist scholars have many times interpreted the patriarchal society of the modern world without ample consideration of periodization and inquiry into the underlying socio-cultural problems. The historiographical evolution of female sexuality in Islam can be traced from the time of prophet Mohammed until the Middle Ages. During this time, many female roles, such as motherhood and wifehood, developed across Muslim society. Based on these religious impressions, one would say that scholarship has superimposed modern theoretical contexts over ancient times. This reflection paper focuses on examining the issues faced by women in the firm rules of the Muslim community. The article brings out a better understanding of the precursors for contemporary constructs of gender and sexuality in Islam based on these historical concepts. The discussion narrows down to veiling as seen in the popular dressing culture of the Muslim woman. The reflection paper also relates Western to Eastern harem in a modern-world context.
A Critical Analysis of the Readings
Gender can be regarded as a social construct that identifies a person with a larger social group. In the article Downveiling: Gender and the Contest Over Culture in Cairo, Herrera points out dressing as a primary element affecting the lives of women not only in the Quran but also in the broader human society (265). Present-day concerns with democratization, colonial domination, and prevailing economic conditions are relevant throughout this work. The dressing is an argumentative topic in the analysis of gender and sexuality issues in Islam, and it brings out a better understanding of various concepts in the foundations of the Muslim community. The paradigms of veiling and unveiling are overly contested in different levels and cross-cultural contexts. The article reveals that the mobility of the veil has been transferred from one generation to the next without contravening the codes of Islamic female modesty. In the Egyptian context, women are required to wear hijabs regardless of the work situation in which they are involved. This rigidity in the Islamic culture has given rise to hot debates regarding the dressing requirements of certain professions, including medical fields where the staff is required to wear lab coats. The representation of the Muslim female in the area of contemporary fashion and curatorial projects is also limited.
The article Downveiling: Gender and the Contest Over Culture in Cairo demonstrates rapt attention of the Western media and the scholarly community. Although the work gives special attention to the subject of veiling in Cairo, Egypt, it represents the pressure mounting on Muslim women to keep abreast of modernism across the world (Herrera 265). Fashion is particularly popular among the youth, and this poses a challenge to the Muslim woman because she is entangled in the chains of blatant religious beliefs. Globalization is a primary factor in the spread of Western culture to almost every part of the world. The growth of TV shows and fashion competitions have either challenged or lessened the importance of modest dressing among ladies in many Islamic nations, including Egypt. The hijab is represented in highly ideological terms since it is rather a representation of cultural authenticity and feminist beliefs upheld in the Islamic doctrine than modesty and versatile dressing.
Changes in Egypt’s socio-political sphere have compelled scholars to view the subject of veiling from another dimension as Muslim women, and even men, adopt modern practices of dressing. Herrera refers to this phenomenon as “downveiling” (265). The article brings out the government’s move that “has discouraged and even tried to prohibit men and women from wearing particular types of Islamic attire” (Herrera 267, par. 1). The shaving of the beard is also observed as men are subjected to detailed security checks as they enter government recreational areas. Veiled women are also prohibited from taking part in “state-run televisions as presenters of any sort, whereas women wearing the niqab are banned…and workplaces” (Herrera 267, par. 2). These realizations are relevant in the modern world where terrorism and extremist behaviors have taken center stage in the security sphere. Veiling and the growing of long beards among men are characteristics that can inhibit the detection of people with criminal intentions, especially in Islamic nations. The relevance of downveiling, as demonstrated by Egyptian ladies, can be seen in instances where terrorists camouflage in religious attire to execute attacks.
Most Islamic states are now discouraging the wearing of the veil in government-sponsored schools and offices. Regardless of the religious beliefs attached to traditional Islamic attire, the element of modernity in today’s society stands out. The article shows the audience that Egypt’s elite community views veiling as backward and oppressive. Some of such interpretations have been fueled by globalization and the assimilation of foreign culture into Islamic traditionalism. The world has become increasingly small as people can travel to any destination physically or electronically via smart devices. Information in one part of the world is readily available in almost all countries provided individuals have access to computers, tablets, and smartphones with an active internet connection. Therefore, the concept of downveiling can be visualized from diverse standpoints.
Fashion, as mentioned above, is also represented as a primary contributor to downveiling as young men and women try to catch up with modern dressing styles. However, this notion is also challenged in the article Tracing Gender’s Mark on Bodies, Sexualities, and Emotions. In this piece, Mernissi presents the image of beauty in American society. She faces gender discrimination from her fellow woman due to her hips that “were too large to fit into a size 6” (Valentine, Mary, and Spade 285). This demonstration is also relevant in today’s society where beauty is deemed a vital element of a woman. The subject in the article is mistreated by the owner of a cloth collection store just upon seeing her size. Although sexuality does not reveal in this scenario, social bias and harassment are evident.
From a personal standpoint, the representation of beauty is overrated among women. The feeling that every woman should fit into size 6 is a violation of human rights by any means. This Western woman’s harem has ruined modern society as more ladies try many products to attain a slim physique. The author represents men as conservative on complimenting gorgeousness. Unfortunately, the idea of beauty is always shifting, and many of the masculine realms of attractiveness exclude larger women. It should be noted that beauty is subjective rather than objective.
The author portrays a personalized opinion on the attributes of attractiveness by assuming that the audience supports her claim. It is essential to realize that while a large percentage of people have similar perceptions of the factors that determine beauty, some individuals may have very different viewpoints. Nonetheless, cosmetics and style are reshaping what many people regard as beauty. The ideology that “women’s fashion is a man’s business” is fast-growing around the world (Valentine, Mary, and Spade 285). The article depicts how beauty is masked in cosmetics to hide physical aging as opposed to the Eastern harem, where men exercise dominance to exclude women from the public arena.
Both articles bring out the idea of a world that is still evolving in many aspects. Firm Islamic traditions are slowly wearing out as more people enter the realm of civilization. Herrera points out that women in Egypt are slowly changing the conventional hijab to less conservative and stylish dresses. In some areas, this tendency to deviate from the traditions of the religion has been regarded as modern Islam. Although both articles bring out common issues in society, the authors fail to choose a side for the audience. My opinion is that people should change with time and adopt modern ways of life without destroying moral decency in society. Islamic society is adamant about cultural change. However, interaction with other communities and the rise of extremist groups associated with the religion is compelling, and some people are gradually drifting towards cultural universalism. Further analysis can be included in future studies to address the applicability of collective social-cultural and political ideologies across diverse communities.
Works Cited
Herrera, Linda. “Downveiling Gender and the Contest over Culture in Cairo.” Middle East Report, vol. 31, no. 219, 2001, pp. 264-270.
Valentine, Catherine G., Mary Nell Trautner, and Joan Z. Spade, eds. The Kaleidoscope of Gender: Prisms, Patterns, and Possibilities. Sage Publications, 2019.