Hijab and the Perservance of Society

Taking sexual desires from the bounds of the family environment to society has weakened the society's capacity for work and activity. Contrary to the opinion that 'the hijab results in paralyzing half of the energy potential of the individuals of society', the lack of the hijab and the gradual development of free relationships has caused the social force to fail.

That which has caused the paralysis of woman's power and that which has imprisoned her talents is the lack of the hijab. In Islam, there is no question of the hijab prohibiting a woman from participating in cultural, social or economic activities. Islam neither says that a woman cannot leave her home nor does it say that she cannot seek knowledge and learning. Rather, men and women must both learn and seek knowledge. There is no objection to women's economic activities in Islam. Islam has never wanted women to be useless and unoccupied. It has never desired that women bring up useless and indifferent children. The covering of the body, except for the face and hands, is not to prevent any kind of cultural or social or economic activity. That which paralyses the working force is the corruption of the work environment by the element of seeking the satisfaction of sexual pleasures.

If a boy and a girl study in a separate environment or in one environment where the girl covers her body and wears no make-up, do they not study better? Do they not think better and listen to the words of the teacher better? Or is it better when a boy sits beside a girl who has make-up and wearing a short skirt which barely reaches her knees? Will men work better in an environment where the streets, offices, factories, etc., are continuously filled with women who are all having make-up and are not fully dressed up or in an environment where these scenes do not exist? Any company or ofiice that is serious about its work and endeavours to produce a good job, prevents these kinds of intermixing. If you do not believe this, check it out yourself.

The truth is that the disgraceful lack of hijab in Iran (before the Revolution) whereby we were even moving ahead of America, is a product of the corrupt western capitalist societies. It is one of the results of the worship of money and the puruance of sexual fulfilment that is prevalent amongst western capitalists. It is one of the means they use to manipulate human society and stimulate them by this force to become consumers of their products. If an Iranian woman only wants to put on make-up for her legal husband or only wants to get dressed up for gathering with women, she will not be a consumer of western products. It will be her duty and assignment to mislead the morals of young boys and girls, to weaken them so that they are no longer active members of society which is to the benefit of the exploiters.

Adopted from the book : "On the Islamic Hijab" by : "Murtaza Mutahhari"