Our Society Suffers From Schizophrenia

[Red Sea Diver]

By Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi •

kbatarfi@al-madina.com

A foreign journalist told me about a weird incident that happened to

him on

his flight from Jeddah to London. After taking a short nap on board, he

woke

up to set eyes on a totally different scene. His veiled neighbor

wearing the

familiar long black abaya had disappeared. In her place, he found a

beautiful and stylish girl in tight pants checking her make-up. Still

dazed,

he looked right and left trying to find his veiled neighbor, but then

came

the second surprise: All surrounding veils were gone. Some men who had

been

taking care of their women were busy watching others, some of the

completely

silent women started talking and laughing loudly, expensive dresses

came

out, and for the first time the astonished journalist saw and heard

Saudi

women. In London, it was the same. Cheery Arabs were gathering in

London’s

markets, squares and nightclubs dressed in the latest Western

fashions.My

confused friend asked: If your religion and traditions specify certain

features for a woman’s dress, why is their use limited to your country?

Why

can’t I phone my friend’s wife in Jeddah if I can meet her in full

make-up

in London? Why does my Muslim friend perform his prayers regularly five

times a day in his country and turns his back on some or all of them in

London? Is your religion confined to the land of Islam or do rules vary

according to time, place and occasion?I explained to him that these few

don’t represent the whole of society. There are maximum and minimum

levels

of veiling depending on persuasion and circumstances. Covering the face

is

required in most Islamic schools of thought.Although

I believe in that answer, I also share the desire to explore the

reasons for

the “schizophrenia” many segments of our society suffer from. Our young

are

taught the noble values and virtues of the Prophet (peace be upon him)

in

schools and mosques, and learn about them from radio and TV, but when

they

are out in the real world dealing with adults and observing the

behavior and

attitudes of their teachers and parents, they discover that what they

had

learned is necessary. Confusion rules and

innocence

is submerged in a sea of contradictions.We are in real need of

religious,

sociological, and scientific studies concerning these phenomena.

Experts in

each field should participate in exploring ways to get us out of this

situation. Allah doesn’t help a people unless they help themselves.

[Muslimah]

I fully agree with the basic theme of this article. However, I am sure that there were some who maintained their veil. Those are the ones who took the veil in compliance with Islam and not adhereing to the tradition dress. In countries like Egypt for example where no national dress is available. Women walk in the streets either veiled, not veiled but modestly dressed up or iin ultra fashion clothes. It depends on the person. Same thing applies on men. There are those who maintain all their worship duties whereever they are. While others who do it only under obligation just find a chance to skip. It is the human being. Other wise why there are ranks in jannah and why many Muslims shall have a taste of Hell.

As simple as this