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Growing up, you read me the Ugly Duckling. And for years
I believed that was me. For so long you taught me I was
nothing more than a bad copy of the standard.
I couldn't run as fast or lift as much. I didn't make
the same money and I cried too often. I grew up in a
man's world where I didn't belong.
And when I couldn't be him, I wanted only to please him.
I put on your make-up and wore your short skirts. I gave
my life, my body, my dignity, for the cause of being
pretty. I knew that no matter what I did, I was worthy
only to the degree that I could please and be beautiful
for my master. And so I spent my life on the cover of
Cosmo and gave my body for you to sell.
I was a slave, but you taught me I was free. I was your
object, but you swore it was success. You taught me that
my purpose in life was to be on display, to attract, and
be beautiful for men. You had me believe that my body
was created to market your cars. And you raised me to
think I was an ugly duckling. But you lied.
Islam tells me, I'm a swan. I'm different-it's meant to
be that way. And my body, my soul, was created for
something more.
God says in the Quran: 'O mankind, We created you from a
single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into
nations and tribes, that you may know one another (not
that you may despise each other). Verily, the most
honored of you in the sight of God is the one who is
most righteous' (Quran 49:13).
So I am honored. But it is not by my relationship to
men. My value as a woman is not measured by the size of
my waist or the number of men who like me. My worth as a
human being is measured on a higher scale: a scale of
righteousness and piety. And my purpose in life-despite
what the fashion magazines say-is something more sublime
than just looking good for men.
And so God tells me to cover myself, to hide my beauty
and to tell the world that I'm not here to please men
with my body; I'm here to please God. God elevates the
dignity of a woman's body by commanding that it be
respected and covered, shown only to the deserving-only
to the man I marry.
So to those who wish to 'liberate' me, I have only one
thing to say: Thanks, but no thanks.
I'm not here to be on display. And my body is not for
public consumption. I will not be reduced to an object,
or a pair of legs to sell shoes. I'm a soul, a mind, a
servant of God. My worth is defined by the beauty of my
soul, my heart, my moral character. So, I won't worship
your beauty standards, and I don't submit to your
fashion sense. My submission is to something higher.
With my veil I put my faith on display-rather than my
beauty. My value as a human is defined by my
relationship with God, not by my looks. So I cover the
irrelevant. And when you look at me, you don't see a
body. You view me only for what I am: a servant of my
Creator.
So you see, as a Muslim woman, I've been liberated from
a silent kind of bondage. I don't answer to the slaves
of God on earth. I answer to their king.
Yasmin Mogahed received a B.S. in psychology from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently a
graduate student in Journalism/Mass Communications at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison and working as a
free lance writer. |
