Boreal

The Niqab in Wartime

Let us assume, for a moment, that Al-Qaeda is correct and that the war to impose the Perfect Religion on an imperfect world is ongoing everywhere, and will not end until all have submitted to the Will of Allah as expressed in the Koran and in the example and sayings of His Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad.

Considering the rise in the number of female suicide bombers and male bombers shredding females as indiscriminately as they do males, you may be surprised to know that in this war to rid the planet of unbelievers, Allah may have not wanted females to be harmed.

In the following revelation He wants female believers to tighten their garments so that their feminine attributes can be discerned and therefore, let us resume, not be mistaken for male combatants:

33:59 O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the wives of the believers, to draw their outer garments closer. That is more conducive to them being known and not being injured. Allah is All-Forgiving, Merciful.

Let us extend Allah's concerned that females not be harmed in wartime to not suffering emotional harm (yes, I know it's a stretch) such as the stress a young recent Egyptian immigrant to Canada is supposed to have experienced and continues to experience, in school in particular, because she insists on wearing the niqab at all times so that even her face, let alone her body, is an enigma.

Because of her insistence on complete anonymity she is both shunned and feared because of people's innate primordial fear of masked figures.

If we take for granted that Allah’s revelation about avoiding harming females during armed conflicts also applies to causing women emotional harm, then Allah would expert her to show her face to avoid such a thing.

Bernard Payeur