"What puts us away from Islam, simply cannot be right"
A convert sister reflects on  the negative image of Niqaab - the face veil.
By Anisah Liliou

Being a convert myself, I understand and agree with the remarkable points that brother Michael Young has made in his article "Yes to Hijab, No to Niqaab" published at this website. I do not think that the veil represents the true values and teachings of Islam. Michael Young supported this view with evidence through hadiths and verses from the Quran. In the following paragraphs, I will analyse the reasons why, based on some knowledge, but mostly on personal experience.

On the one hand, it makes people feel and think negatively of Islam. I remember when I used to be excited and ready to convert to Islam; then I would see a woman in the street wearing the face veil, and I would come back home in deep thoughts - thoughts of negativity and discomfort about the religion that some hours ago I admired 100%. I have to agree with Ruqaiyyah Maqsood, herself a convert, who has studied very closely many controversies in Islam. She once said: "What puts us away from Islam, simply cannot be right." The Prophet (saw) always struggled to bring people into the faith and save them from Hell Fire. So we should do the same, invite people in Islam; therefore, if the face veil is a burden, I prefer to never wear it. I would be very selfish if I wore it. Besides, nobody can bring enough evidence to convince me that the face veil is fard, so if I do not do it, I don't get punished. But think of the reward that one will receive for bringing somebody to Islam!!!

On the other hand, the face veil is a burden for the sister who wears it. She cannot drink or eat in public places without discomfort; people have difficulty identifying her; she cannot pray in public, because if she keeps wearing the veil, the salah will not be accepted!!! Does this not cause you any concern? I mean, men and sisters with headscarf can pray anywhere, in the train station, in the airport, in the street (as long as it is clean). But a veiled sister has to have a private room available to herself 24 hours per day, in order to pray in isolation. So, she locks herself in the house and she does not contribute in social events. The Prophet (saw) wanted women to be active. Evidence of this is that his favourite wife was Aisha, an amazing creature with sparkling character.

Moreover, think about Hajj. No woman goes veiled in Hajj. Even if she has been wearing the face veil since she was born, in Hajj she has to take it off. If I were that woman, I would not perform comfortably my Hajj. Having been living with my face covered (hypothetically speaking always), I would not like the fact that people would have the benefit now to see my face, plus, I would feel sinful. I would not perform my Hajj in complete concentration and I would come back home dissatisfied and miserable.

The bottom line is that we just have to realise that Muslims of different cultures and educational backgrounds, simply tend to interpret the hadiths and the Quran in different ways, and sometimes, in ways that suit their convenience. Once I talked about it with another sister, who said that we have to accept that Allah (swt) has made us all different and accepting each other's differences is one more test.

Also, I would like to point out that converts such as myself came to Islam through thorough investigation. So we cannot stop investigating after our conversion, because it has become second nature to us. And this is a true blessing. We do not follow anyone's advice, not until we find substantial evidence. This blessing I am praying for all of you who read this. Studying and observing is good. It helps one to distinguish the good from the bad, the beneficial from the harmful, the pure from the impure.

So, no matter if I am right or wrong, if you agree with me or not, at least you leave this page knowing one more point of view. And I would advise all the brothers and sisters, especially the ones coming from very cultural backgrounds, to do some self-reflection in the way they practice Islam. Just blindly copying what the previous generations do is not enough. It is good to have and know the evidence that justify your actions and prove you are indeed following the example of the Prophet.

And Allah (swt) knows best.

Source: www.talkislam.co.uk