Following the flaming row over the recent statements made by the Egyptian minister of culture, Fārūq Husnī, in which he said that the Ḥijāb signifies cultural regression and backwardness, the People’s Assembly’s committees for Religious Affairs and the Culture and Media held an emergency meeting on Sunday in response to requests from more than 100 parliamentarians to discuss the issue.
Commenting on the minister’s controversial statements, Dr. Ahmad al-Tayyib, the president of the Azhar University and a member of the Islamic Research Academy, said that the majority of Muslim scholars agree that wearing a Ḥijāb is obligatory for Muslim women. In a statement issued by the university, Dr. al-Tayyib highlighted the Azhar’s role in correcting false and misleading perceptions.
Yesterday, nearly 260 Azhar scholars, university professors, writers and intellectuals issued a statement in which they called on authorities concerned to remove the minister from his position. The signatories included Dr. ‘Abd al-Mun‘im al-Birrī, the president of the Azhar Scholars Front (ASF) and the Azhar scholars ‘Abd al -‘Azīm al- Mat‘anī, ‘Ablah al-Kahlāwī, ‘Abd al-Sattār Fatḥ̣ Allāh, Ahmad Tāhah Rayyān, Farahāt al- Munjī, Yahyá Hāshim, in addition to a number of university professors, including Dr. Nādyah Mustafá [Reviewer: No discipline mentioned. Dr. Nādyah Mustafá is a professor of political science in the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University], Dr. ‘Abd al-Halīm ‘Uways, Dr. Ahmad al- Mahdī, Dr. Sayf al-Dīn ‘Abd al-Fattāh [Reviewer: No discipline mentioned for the above-mentioned professors], Mamdūh Ismā‘īl, the deputy founder of the Sharī‘ah Party [Reviewer: Mamdūh Ismā‘īl is also a former member of al- Jamā‘ah al-Islāmīyah], Jamāl Sultān, the deputy founder of the Reform Party, Mahfūz ‘Azzām, the vice president of the Labor Party, Shaykh Hāfiz Salāmah, the leader of the popular resistance during the 1973 war and members of the Bar Association, Muntasir al-Zayyāt and Hāfiz Abū Ismā‘īl.
Over the past week, the government attempted to ease the tension between the minister and a number of parliamentarians who demanded his resignation.
On Saturday, Dr. Mufīd Shihāb, the minister of legal affairs and parliamentary councils, held a meeting in his office to which he invited Husnī and a number of independent, opposition and Muslim Brotherhood members of parliament.
Dr. Ahmad ‘Umar Hāshim, the head of the Religious Affairs Committee, said that the committee will take the appropriate procedures in this regard after listening to the minister’s point of view. Dr. Muhammad al-Biltājī, the secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood’s bloc in the parliament, called on Husnī to make a clear apology for the "offence" he had caused. Dr. al-Biltājī stated, "We are not discussing the issue of the Ḥijāb here. The main issue is about the right of Ḥijāb-wearing women to choose the dress they want."
Dr. al-Biltājī indicated that the meeting does not aim to settle old scores with the embattled minister, asserting the parliamentarians’ demands for a clear and unequivocal apology. He further stated, "We do not want him to apologize in the manner of Pope Benedict XVI, claiming that we misunderstood him."
Under the headline, ‘Reconciliation between the People’s Assembly and Fārūq Husnī,’ ‘Amr al-Khayyāt, Samar al- Badrī and Muhammad Hamdī wrote in al- Akhbār of December 4, 2006 about the special parliamentary session held on December 3, 2006 to discuss Husnī’s controversial statements on the Ḥijāb.
With Dr. Ahmad Fatḥī Surūr, the speaker of the People’s Assembly, presiding over the session, Husnī expressed his deep respect for all Egyptian women; "those who wear the Ḥijāb and those who do not." He further explained that his earlier statement was misinterpreted as an insult to Ḥijāb-wearing women.
In a clear attempt to defuse the tension, Dr. Surūr said that Husnī’s statements on the Ḥijāb were twisted by the press, adding that the minister’s explanation of his position before the parliament would be accepted as an "implied apology."
Meanwhile, the Sawāsiyah Center for Human Rights [Reviewer: No link found], has organized a symposium entitled, ‘Fārūq Husnī’s Statements: An Insult or Expression of Opinion?’ During the symposium, Dr. Nādyah Mustafá, a professor of political science, expressed her surprised with the large number of protestors who took to the streets to defend the Ḥijāb, while no demonstrations against corruption or despotism took place. [Reviewer: This is not true. Many anti-corruption and anti-government demonstrations took place in Egypt recently, such as the demonstrations following the parliamentary elections in late 2005. Many people claimed that the elections were rigged. Claiming that no demonstrations against despotism have taken place in Egypt is an exaggeration.]
Under the headline, ‘Muslim women’s abidance by the Ḥijāb and Islamic teachings terrify the enemies of Islām,’ Dr. Āmāl Yāsīn, a professor of comparative fiqh at the Faculty of Islamic Studies at the Azhar University, writes about the obligation of the Ḥijāb in Islam.
When asked for a comment on the claims that the Ḥijāb is a traditional tribal dress that has no relationship whatsoever to Islām, Dr. Āmāl says that all Muslim women are instructed to wear the Ḥijāb as illustrated in the Qur’ānic verse, "O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognized and not annoyed. Allāh is ever Forgiving, Merciful." [Chapter of ’al-Ahzāb’ (the Confederates) 33: 59, ’The Meaning of the Glorious Qur’ān’ by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall]
Dr. Āmāl states, "Let’s say that the Ḥijāb is a pre-Islamic dress." According to Dr. Āmāl, Islām approved of some pre-Islamic habits, customs and traditions that do not run contrary to its teachings. The Qur’ānic verse, "And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands’ fathers, or their sons or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons or sisters’ sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigor, or children who know naught of women’s nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allāh together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed," [Chapter of ’al-Nūr’ (the Light) 24: 31] clearly shows that wearing the Ḥijāb is an instruction for all Muslim women. [Reviewer: The word translated in the above-mentioned verse as "veils" is khimārs. According to Muslim scholars, the word khimār has no other meaning than a type of cloth that covers the head]
"Bedizen not yourselves with the bedizenment of the Time of Ignorance." [Chapter of ’al- Ahzāb’ (the Confederates) 33: 33] Dr. Āmāl elaborates that during the time of the Prophet Muhammad women did wear the khimār, but would wear it tied so as their neck and upper chest were still visible. The above-mentioned verse is therefore an order that the khimār be drawn over the chest, so that the neck and chest were not bare.
Dr. Āmāl further explains that the Ḥijāb is fard, like praying, fasting, Zakāh and hajj. [Reviewer: In fact, praying, fasting, Zakāh and hajj are four of the five pillars of Islām. The Ḥijāb is certainly not one of the pillars of Islām] Dr. Āmāl states, "Whoever denies its obligation can also deny the obligation for Muslims to perform other acts of worship." Dr. Āmāl indicates that freedom of expression and opinion should not violate the basic fundamentals of religion. God says, "O ye who believe! Guard your duty to Allāh, and speak words straight to the point. He will adjust your works for you and will forgive you your sins. Whosoever obeyeth Allāh and His messenger, he verily hath gained a signal victory." [Chapter of ’al- Ahzāb’ (the Confederates) 70-71] Dr. Āmāl quotes the Prophet Muhammad as saying, "Whoever believes in God and the Day of Judgment let him say what is good or be silent."
Under the headline, ‘Egypt knew the Ḥijāb 1370 years after Islām entered it,’ ‘Abd al-Latīf Hāmid writes in al-Musawwar of December 1, 2006, that Egypt only knew the Ḥijāb as a result of the migration of millions of Egyptians to the Gulf in the 1970’s. Dr. Qāsim ‘Abduh Qāsim, a professor of history [Reviewer: no university mentioned] illustrates the close relationship between clothes, appearance and the environment. According to Dr. Qāsim, the Niqāb did not exist in Egypt in the past. In fact, it is a tribal traditional dress. There are tribes called al-Tawāriq in North Morocco, where men wear the Niqāb because of the harsh environmental circumstances.
Dr. Qāsim says that during the time of the Ayyubid dynasty and the Mamelukes, there was no specific dress code for Egyptian Muslim women. Muslim and non-Muslim women would cover their whole bodies, with the exception of the face and hands. Egyptian women started to wear the yashmak with the rise of the Ottoman Empire. Under the British occupation of Egypt, Egyptian women started to dress like their European counterparts, following the latest fashion trends.
Dr. ‘Āsim al-Disūqī, a professor of modern and contemporary history [Reviewer: no university mentioned] relates the widespread phenomenon of the Ḥijāb in Egyptian society to the return of millions of Egyptians from the Gulf and the increasing influence of Wahhābism.
Apart from the heated debate over the content of the statement, a number of newspapers have severely criticized the minister for his withdrawal and failure to contain the crisis. Labeling Husnī as "The minister in seclusion," M. N. [Reviewer: Only initials are mentioned] writes in al- Jumhūrīyah of November 30, 2006, that Husnī was the first Egyptian minister to go into seclusion for fear of a possible confrontation with the angry parliamentarians who expressed their rage at his statements.
In a further attempt to clarify his position on the Ḥijāb, the embattled minister says in an interview with Akhbār al-Yawm that he has the courage to admit his mistakes. He explains that his statement was twisted by the press and was taken out of context to serve non-religious purposes. During the interview, the minister sent out a message to all women who wear the Ḥijāb, and affirmed his total respect for them and their right to choose the way they dress.
