Before jumping to conclusions, let me tell people the history of Niqab.
Dating back to pre-Islamic Arabia, it was invented by Bedouin (nomadic) women to cover their
faces as a necessity to protect the skin of their faces from sun rays and dust storm. It was
just like sun block.
That is the same reason WHY BEDOUIN MEN WEAR "LITHAM" (Niqab for men).
When Islam came, wearing the Niqab (and litham of course) was already an established custom among the Nomadic Bedouins.
Neither the Quran nor the Prophet has ever told women to wear anything beyond the Khimar
(head cover that does not cover the face).
Sheikh Al Albani, the most prominent Hadith (Prophets tradition) scholar of our time, said:
"people should not confuse Bedouin customs and traditions with Islam. The Niqab is not Islamic!
It is Bedouin".
When I got married, my wife wanted to wear Niqab. I stood against it because it was, in my
opinion, demeaning to women.
She said: "I am just fed up with men ogling( sustained look or stare) me wherever I go"
I steadfastly opposed her wearing Niqab, and she let it go.
Later on, we were at a mall and I realized something:
MEN ARE REALLY OGLING HER! Yes, she is a pretty woman and men were like literally
eating her with their eyes!!
I was too proud to admit that I was wrong. The irony is that I didn't realize at that time that
telling a woman not to wear something of her choice is also demeaning!
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