Veiled babies

By: Qwaider

On:Thursday, February 22, 2007 4:24:10 AM
In:Thoughts
Viewed: (6223) times

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Rated 4.5/5 stars (185 votes cast)

This subject has been on my mind and on my conscious for years now and I'm so sad to see it continue to happen every single day. Not so much back home in Jordan, but right here, in the land of the free!

Every now and then I come across a family with young girls, and with young I mean minors. Not even teenagers, less then 12 year old

And It breaks my heart to see them wearing Hijab, and sometimes Niqab. Trying to cope with the demanding nature of the dress and the fear of other children who would naturally refuse to play with them because they're really afraid of them

I'm not trying to point to the idea or justify some people's fear of veiled women. But we're not talking about women here. We're talking about children. Pure and innocent children.

Islamically such children don't even need to pray or fast or anything. They're still at their tender ages, completely unaware of all these issues. Yes we are supposed to encourage them to go ahead and practice them. But it's not mandated NOT EVEN Prayers, and definitely not Hijab

Proponents of this practice seem to find refuge in a very weak justifications like, "it's better", "It covers them up", or "So that they would get used to it from an early age". What a silly argument, what preposterous ideas ....

I can't help but view all of this as violation to the innocence of little children who don't know better to select for their own self. And seek the protection of their parents. Only to be slammed with such a heavy burden ...

Every time I walk by a street, or see a friend and see that, I feel like I want to scream in their face and say HARAM, this is not fair .. Why are you tormenting your children like that? Why are you forcing them into that madness?!

Now I would understand if the girl was 15 or 16 and she decides that she wants to wear it. I would even understand if she encouraged to wear it. But forcing it on these little children is haram, haram, haram!

For god's sake, respect yourselves, respect your children, respect their innocence, allow them to breath, allow them to live, allow them to be children, allow them to grow up normal ..

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Memories....

#1
nido
Said
On: 2/22/2007 4:44:56 AM

Yea, it hurts me too. I see these little girls alot here in San Jose. I feel sorry for them. But you know something, it's cute sometimes, for example when the girls at the Islamic school I work at wear it, they even like it, and teach each other the right way to wear it. It's good to have an idea of how it feels like to cover the hair, at an early age, but forcing them to do so is not acceptable! A really good post Qwaider:)

#2
Saned
Said
On: 2/22/2007 4:46:08 AM

I've been debating this with many people. I totally agree.

ps. Children between 10-12 are REQUIRED to pray ;)

#3
Faten
Said
On: 2/22/2007 4:59:04 AM

I started wearing the veil at a very early age. I was only 15 when I decided I'm going to. But certainly not Niqab, that's not even Islamic

Anyway, it's sad to see people doing this to their kids ... it's just so sad. It's one thing for kids to imitate their mothers and fathers. But it's a different issue to see them forced into it ..
(My father used to beat me if I put the Hijab on me before 15, he used to say, when you grow older... There's plenty of time for you to cover up)

#4
Bilal
Said
On: 2/22/2007 8:11:17 AM

Dear Qwader,
Every one agrees that girls(in my opinion even women) shouldn’t be forced to wear Hijab, but in many cases little girls want to wear it to act like grown ups. The same way that little boys want to wear suits.
Anyway what we should worry more about is our kids boys & girls getting the wrong values from the west. You can hear one of what they call heavy metal songs and you will know what I am talking about.

#5
Qwaider
Said
On: 2/22/2007 8:40:39 AM

I don't have to hear Heavy metal for that. I'll just watch Melody, I'll see soft-porn all day. In every day, in every Arab house

#6
Maioush
Said
On: 2/22/2007 9:37:10 AM

It’s really sad to see these girls being forced to do so…
But what really concerns me, that the parents are putting these girls in a huge emotional pressure, those are the same exact girls you will see them making mistakes more than the other girls when they have the chance to, I mean they never experienced looking like the other kids so some of them end up over doing it, and above all that they will do it secretly since they are not allowed to do it in front of their families (mn bab kol mamnoo3 mar’3oob) and the examples for these kind of girls are pretty clear, we see them every day.

#7
kinzi
Said
On: 2/22/2007 10:31:28 AM

Oh, this just breaks my heart when I see it...little girl's innocent femininity is meant to be celebrated, SEEN, delighted in! To be covered up at a time their feminine dignity is being formed is actually quite harmful and CAN send them in wrong paths to affirm femininity later.

Some parents SAY they don't want to let the girls do it, but allow it. This is a subtle form of approval. Let them grow up in the right time!
And isn't covering the hair a modesty issue, to protect both genders from either lust or being lusted after? What does this tell a child, it is a form of premature sexualition.

I think the Muslim ummah needs to send a very clear message about this, because the covering of small girls is part of what chills the heart of Westerners with fear of what Islam is and would do to a society. No need to encourage that reaction.

#8
secratea
Said
On: 2/22/2007 10:53:25 AM

Well, in this post I do not sense that these young girls are being forced into wearing the hijab. Yes, I agree that girls are not to be forced on wearing the hijab at any stage in their lives, but if their parents want to practice certain codes of Islamic dress,hijab, where is the problem in letting the daughter get used to it at an early stage?? I do not see anything wrong in the parents following a certain strategy with their daughters to show them what they like and want them to practice. Draw the analogy between this Islamic code of dressing and also muslim parents not wanting their children to start dating when they are 12 just like their friends at school do? Parents start teaching their children what they like/dislike at an early stage to prevent future clash over the issue. And why should a muslim care of what the OTHER (especially in the West) thinks of their practices??
Also, I strongly beleive it is an abuse for parents to allow their daughtersto wear full make-up and provocate clothes at an early stage in their lives, rendering themselves sexual commodities for anyone stare at and have a share! THAT IS WHAT MAKES ME FEEL SAD! I just don't understand why most of you see it as being forced upon those young girls, rather than these girls really wanting to wear it to look like their mothers and older sisters, and then when they reach an ago of fully comprehending what it means, they will continue wearing it proudly.
P.S. Q: the girl is smiling in the picture.. she doesn't look like an abused girl to me, what do you think?

#9
Qwaider
Said
On: 2/22/2007 12:03:24 PM

smiling for the picture! They're kids Secratea

When a girl is only 5Years old, what exactly is she gaining? I just feel sorry for them. I don't think any mentally healthy person would look at a 5 year old and think sexually of her with or without makeup. And if some pedophile does exist, make up is not going to encourage it, and Hijab is not going to stop him

#10
OmAr
Said
On: 2/22/2007 5:36:58 PM

This is disgusting, I was with a bunch of friends the other day and we saw a little girl, probably 6 years old, wearing black abaya and hijab, everyone smiled at her and started the usual 'sho cute!' sho tal3a ammora hal benet! I was about to blow of anger!

Even in the weakest hadith ever, the one about Asma bint abo bakr that 99% of muslims rely on when it comes to Hijab, the prophet "supposedly" say that women are required to waer the Hijab when they become adults!

#11
Palforce
Said
On: 2/22/2007 6:32:17 PM

Salam,

Well, Personally I'm not gonna ask my daughter to wear one, that's her preference.

But I do not see anything wrong with girls dressing up like their mother's. I mean if the little girl wants to dress like Mama or the boy dresses like Baba, what's wrong with that?

Now I'm against parents forcing their kids to wear hejab. But if they want to do that on their own (even if they don’t know any better) nothing wrong with that.
Why is it OK for a little girl to dress up like Barbie and it is wrong for her to dress in hejab?

Peace

#12
Qwaider
Said
On: 2/22/2007 6:47:15 PM

If kids are playing pirates or cowboys and Indians, that's their business, and I doubt anyone disagrees
But when I see these people it's usually at the grocery store. And unusual place for a costume you know.

But I've seen kids in Superman/batman/spiderman ...etc costumes but I'm not sure I want to brand Hijab or niqab as a costume like that.

The sad part is that I know these kids are forced to dress in that way

#13
Devil's Mind
Said
On: 2/23/2007 2:02:51 AM

Don't you think its a kind of double standard to find it questionable that girls at early age wear Hijab, while seeing older women wearing Hijab as conventional wisdom?!

I think neither category should be compelled (neither encouraged) to wear Hijab. You might ask, why not encouraged?! Well, its simple, encouraging behavious is a kind of black-mail! Doesn't it happen that when people tell u that its not "necessary" for you to do something, but its "preferred" to do that behavior would u then feel at some point that you have to follow the trend because simple disapproval is also an emotional burden?!

My point is, why can't we see all women (and men) as "innocent" - why do we always assume that when people cross a certain age they become bad people?! It amazes me following this line of thought!