These days there is much of a talk about a stage play. This is story of a young muslim girl of London who belongs to an asian family but her entire family is coloured in western culture. She herself too is part of the same culture. Her mother Rukhsana is fond of western dressing and refering to feminist movement of west she says it is the matter of woman's like and dislike. Thinks hijab or veil is the opression on women. Fatima was brought up and educated in the same environment. In school too she mixes up with all white people even has a white boy friend. But suddenly she changes. The part of the western life style which is of shameless and based on prohibited and bad things she avoids. And thus by her style she obviously looks like a muslim girl. A muslim girl who for common western society is a old styled, backward and one holding dark age thoughts. Fatima by this change in her becomes strange not only in her school and surrounding but in her own home. Now the central theme of the drama argues with the question that why did this change come in Fatima and what is the motivation behind that. The story of the play is written by a 21 year old girl Ateha sen gupta and presented it to public with the help of a white director and a local drama company. The name of the drama is "What Fatima Did."
This is analysis of a non-muslim girl
Ateha sen gupta herself is also a daughter of Indian immigrant parents though she was born in britain. The idea of writing this drama she got based on her own observation and experiment. Reporter of Daily Hindu, Hasan sarwar after seeing this play sent a report from london and analysed that after 9-11 in america Islam is being debated all over the world, pardah or hijaab is in debate in particular, about which it is beleived that muslim women do hijab not willingly but due to the pressure of their family people and the society and this is verily a cruelty on women. Sen gupta tried to prove this baseless and wrong. And showed that muslim women observe hijaab by their own choice and by this wants to show their muslim identity. Fatima too by adapting this style wanted to show as she is muslim and she is proud of that. (The Hindu / 3rd Nov). Sen gupta also showed that in britain, there is discrimination with non-britains specially asians due to their cultural and religious background. For Ateha sen gupta Fatima's act is reaction of the same. Also by her action she wants to show the way in between.
Actual thing is not identity
Over this report of Daily Hindu its readers also expressed their views. Most of them have moderate or positive views. But that mind is also obvious which even with sympathy for muslims is unaware of the wisdom behind the Islamic rulings. For example in 5th november's paper this concern of Aditya dekonda of Hyderabad that "For showing identity is it the only way of hijaab, muslim women surely show their identity but it is not necessary that adapt hijaab only, there are other ways of showing the identity too, in your selected field of expertise the better performance is also a way." The answer for that could be as, the showing of identity itself is not the goal. Practicing Islamic rulings is the goal. Identity is the secondary thing. But this answer can not be satisfying for everyone. Thus this question is to be brought forward as why Islam requires women to observe hijaab. what is the wisdom behind it. what are advantages of doing hijaab and what are the drawbacks of not doi8ng it.? That is to understand the benefit of hijaab for the human society and its wisdom it is required that first Islam and its theory of society be understood. Only after that unity of god, interest free economic system, and daily life ruling about halal and haraam can be easily understood. The debate over hijaab along with america and europe even in India could be a best reference for the Dawah of Islam.
10/11/09 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Ibrahim Shaikh
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