Banners announcing Hijab week have been hung across Islamabad by the Jamaat-e-Islami. The Jamaat-e-Islami’s women’s wing is the force behind this celebration and recognition of Muslim femininity and piety. Here are my thoughts on this Islamic feminist effort:
1. Two thumbs up to the Jamaat for organizing a woman centric political campaign. Women despite being slightly more than 50% of the population in Pakistan remain neglected as a separate and unique electorate by all political parties. While all political parties have women’s wings – none of them have women centric platforms, agendas or nationwide campaigns. the Jamaat’s women’s wing seems to be light years ahead of the per-oxide brigade of most other political parties women’s wings. Note: per-oxide overdose can damage hair and also your brain. Use per-oxide with caution.
2. Two thumbs down for excluding women who happen to be Muslim but don’t wear the hijab. What about those that cover their head with a chaddor or duppatta. And what about those who dont cover their head at all? This political campaign clearly demarcates the chaste from the waste and while clearly defining, reaching out and making its target female electorate feel good about its self – it is also a prosletyzing nudge to those sitting on the hair covering fence.
3. The Jamaat’s existence pre-dates the existence of Pakistan. In 1947 or even 1987, the JI’s women’s wing would not have launched this campaign. This particular campaign is another indicator of the growing Arabization and Wahabi/Salfi trend in society and politics. This Hijab is the pious Pakistani woman’s newest accessory – a result of cross cultural influences from the middle east. A burqa or chaddor is just not going to make the piety or the Muslim femininity cute any more. Burn those burqas I say. They are now a fashion faux pas. The Hijab is the lastest religious riot!
4. If you are feeling left out and would like to participate – you might be bale to do so by Hugging a Hijaabi – just make sure that you are either female or a mehram. Otherwise hell fire and bearded brothers will be let loose on you.
5. Why hasn’t this campaign been sponsored by Sunsilk for covered hair?
Sehar Says.... 
I worry about the health of Pakistani women who succumb to the pressure to cover up. Sunlight on the skin is important for humans to manufacture Vitamin D. This vitamin is necessary for building strong bones. In later life, these women will be prone to osteoporosis. Religion can be dangerous for your health.
sehr all i can say is
SHAME ON YOU FOR LEAVING NO STONE UNTURNED TO INSULT ISLAM AND ITS CORE VALUES..
girl get a life and pleeeeez do some reasearch..
You are a pure illiterate ignorant when it comes to Islam
so kindly stick to your field of useless knowledge….Politics,feminism etc
and leave Islam alone for once…
I dare you to publish this as you are in habit of not uploading comments that downplay your articles..:)
May Allah guide you towards this beautiful deen and make u understand the truth..
two thumbs up !
Modest dress for women and men is required by The Quran, and is not an arab or middle east culture.
Sorry to disappoint you but I think you forget that the Jamaat definition of hijab automatically means head scarve plus an abaya. They are not telling anyone to burn those burqas!
Secondly, correct your facts, the current government in Center and Sindh both have women centric campaigns including Benazir Income Support Program, the mass distribution of agricultural land among the women haris(farmers) of Sindh, technical training program for empowerment of women and even a tacit policy of putting women in empowering positions including
1. The current NA speaker,
2. The Sindh assembly deputy speaker
3. The information minister
4. The foreign minister
5. The party’s official information spokesperson at center and Sindh level
6. Ensuring that all parties give a minimum number of legislature committee spots to women or forget them altogether (kindly note that PML-N refused heading committee on the grounds of women being unable to head committees, JUI-F though accepted the offer).
Lucid, well written and pertinent articles….Well done Sehar…proud to have known you
Hahaha! I SWEAR I was about to respond with an aside at the Sunsilk campaign… but you beat me to it!
Assalamu alaikum sister sehar!
I would really recommend you to this article…
It really touches your heart 🙂
the article is at http://sadaffarooqi.com/2010/11/14/hope/
sub drama hai all these hijabis r just hiding their sins behind Islam and they do all the things a gal in a mini skirt would do or even worse.i bet ppl with out parda r much better, they r what they r.they don’t hide behind a veil just to show ppl that they r deendar these hypocrites don’t know the first thing about sharm o haya and that abaya thingi that isn’t our culture if u can adopt some thing like this from middle east so quickly u can adopt all the kuchra from the west aswell fir dhool bajana.if u cant control ur kurtoot then stop hiding behind daris n pardas jo bhi karna hai deen ki muti pleet na karoo plzz we r already bohat budnaam kuch to khayal karoo
haft’ay kur’toot kub manaoo gay ? 😦
So what is wrong if these Hijabi Jamaati Muslim women are excluding non-Hijabi Muslim? Every organization has the right to set certain criteria for its membership, especially if they do not run on tax money!
Moreover, what was your last sentence about bearded brothers about? Do you let non-mehram guys hug you? Why do you think other women should let men hug them? What if these women are uncomfortable doing so, you would still force them to?
http://www.doomedlions.wordpress.com
My dear sister in Islam
If time permits do watch these videos to enlighten your views as well as thoughts about purdah in Islam, its importance and sanctity.It is indeed ironic that we tend to question and make fun of everything in Islam when Allah who created us knows whats best for us.
JazakAllah khair