The session has just started. You are invited to join us with your questions.
After the session, you could view the whole dialogue in the recent sessions.
Yours,
Islamonline Live Dialogue Editing Desk..
Name
Shahien
- South Africa
Profession
Engineer
Question
Can one marry a woman in another country without his wife's permission, knowing she won't grant permission? And then support the woman finacially? But see her like twice a year?
Answer
No, because, islamically speaking, the most important conditions is the mutual permission.
Editor:
This session is not dedicated to Fatwas. You can re-submit your question to our Fatwa service.
Name
Shargil
-
Profession
Question
What is the expected scenario (from the Muslim side) if the French government issues such a law of banning hijab?
Answer
At First, we are doing our best in order to make the french government relinquishing, through a campaign with the deputies. Now, there are a lot of manifestations in the greatest cities of France, like Paris and Strasburg.
I think that it is a great mistake in the history of France, if a law will be made in that sense.
Because, this law will be understood, undoubtedly, as an agression toward Muslims in France.
Secondly, such a law will be a crash for one of the fundamental bases of the republic, which is conscious freedom, and whom the freedom of choosing one's religious is just an aspect.
Name
Hassan
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
I have read that the insistence on making schools as religion-free zone goes to the heart of the French idea of citizenship , so how you could deal with such a fundamental pillar in French collective awareness?!
Answer
The principle of laic thought , just like thought through the principles of the republic was explicit in the resolution taken by the state council in 1989, in which the council declared obviously that the religious symbols at public schools, mostly the hijab, wasn't contradictory with the principles of religion-free schools.
Now, the problem is that some groups want to coerce a new variety of laic thought which is contradictory to the state council resolution. These groups are ready to make a law in order to restrict religious freedom, despite of its contradictory aspect to the resolution of the state council.
Name
Alyaa
- United States
Profession
Question
I think that one of the main problematic issues for the Muslim community in France ,as well as other Muslim communities in the west, is not having one (formal)representative body .To what extent does this affect the Muslims' existence in the west , especially, in France?
Answer
Fortunately, it's not the case for France, because may 2003, the Muslims of France elected a council who would represent them, the Conseil Français du Culte Musulman (French Council for the Muslim Religion ).
It speaks, now, officially, on behalf Muslims in France.
Name
abidin
- Malaysia
Profession
Question
Assalamua'laikum,
Could you please list out name of countries that currently oppose the wearing of hijab?
Answer
Now, there are Turkey and Tunisia.
Name
Hadia
-
Profession
student
Question
Assalaamu Aleikum!
What kind of research is this French hijab-ban proposal based on, and who has conducted it?
A similar debate is going on in Norway, and many other European countries. What do you suggest we do to try to avoid ending up in the same situation as our dear brothers and sisters in France?
Wa salaam..
Answer
At first, two commissions were made, the first by the National Assembly and was directed by the Assembly President, Mr. Debré, and the second one, was made by the President of the Republic and was presided by Mr.Stasi.
The two commissions intended to think about the secularism in France and its links with the religious freedom, mostly at schools and public offices.
The Statsi's commission was so militated and unfortunately, its debates turned into auditions about hijab.
Paradoxally, within 160 persons which were asked about this subject, only the President of the Conseil Français du Culte Musulman;French Council for the Muslim Religion (CFCM), I , as a general secretary of the Union des Organisations Islamiques de France;Union of Islamic Organization in France and two sisters which wore veil, Saïda Kada and Fatiha Ajebli were the Muslims who took part to the auditions.
Curiously, the commission privileged to interrogate people who were afraid and frustrated by the great number of Muslims practices and the troubles which was caused by their practice at schools and public offices
In my view, and according to all the Muslim leaders and intellectuals, there was an exaggeration and an intention to make a prejudice to Islam.
For the second part of your question, I think that the threat of contamination really exists.
So, all the Muslims in Europe and the people who are attached to the freedom, have to cooperate in order to make an end to this contagious campaign, mostly, through an explanation of the real values of Islam.
The fact that Muslims asked for practicing their religion shouldn't be a pretext to make of them outsiders within European societies..
In one word, the best solution is dialogue.
Name
Peter
- Hong Kong
Profession
Question
How you feel that the Muslims and other minorities are discriminated in the West?
Is it the problem of the law or because of those who enforce the law?
Answer
I don't think that the problem is linked to the law. I rather think that the problem is linked with thinking.
I am persuaded that the majority of our political leaders still consider that Islam and, then, Muslims, are stranger for in Europe.
This feeling have different degrees, from a country to another.
The most opened country in this sense is the UK, but also Sweden, Italy…
But, despite of this, I am still persuaded the more the Muslmis of Europe will considered themselves as European citizens, more they will be heard and respected.. the road is too long.
Name
Aishaa
- Canada
Profession
Question
I am a new Muslim of 6 months and to me the Hijab is a woman's prerogative. My eyes filled with tears seeing my brothers and sisters protesting for there rights to wear our blessed hijab and my question is how can the political system, which seems so bias, even have a say in whether a sister can where it or not? I have seen pictures of the alternative and to me that could be construed as more of a gang symbol rather than religious. To me this whole situation is like Hitler all over again what gives them this right? There are crosses all over for the catholic and Christians and what about the Jewish? Are they still going to be allowed to wear there kappa? It is completely biased
Answer
Yes, we feel that the Islam practice is linked to this affair. But I am convinced about what the Arabic proverb says: we never loose a right, when there are people leaning on it.
The whole of the Humanity history teaches us this. I think that in such a moment we need a lot of proximity with Allah, because we just defend our rights.
Name
Joe
- United States
Profession
Question
Welcome to the "Free" world!
Do the French Muslims plan to take this laying down?!
I suggest they look into the methods women and blacks used in their civil right movement in America.
Freedom is not free.
Answer
Effectively, all the means are efficient. But, we have to be prudent to not to adopt the extremes.
We have to be intelligent, calm, and efficient.
Name
abidin
- Malaysia
Profession
Question
Do you seek any assistance form leader of other countries in helping our Muslim there to influence France president to retract the instruction not to wear hijab in school?
If yes, what are those countries?
Secondly, do you contact the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) regarding this matter? And what the role of the (OIC)?
Answer
Till now, we regret the silence of the official Muslim authorities, that's to say the OIC, the Mujlis Fikhi(Fiqh council) of the International Islamic League, the Al Azahr Council for Fatwas and the Mujlis Al Bouhouth of Jeddah (Research Council-Jeddah),…
I hope that they will react but not too late. Because the history is written.
Name
Abdallah
- Algeria
Profession
student
Question
The leftists, the Church and the Human Right Organizations are against Chirac's stance. Do the Muslims build a coalition gathering these groups and can this affect the political scene of France?
Answer
We make a lot of efforts in this sense.
Coalitions are made up, now. This is what i can say, for this moment.
Name
Abbas
-
Profession
worker
Question
Honored Ustadh,
Can you tell me if the hijab is an Islamic obligatory (fareedha)? My German friends ask me often why women must cover their hair. How can I reply? What is the wisdom (hikma) in covering of hair?
Schukran cazeelan sayyidi al-ustadh
Answer
Yes,hijab is a fareedha. But, it's not the end. The hijab is an essential element in Islamic practice for Muslim women, but it must be accompanied with other elements too important, like good behavior, high spirituality.
For me, hijab didn't be prescript by Allah to isolate women but to permit to her to free herself within her environment, without considering her as an object.
Eventually, I say the form and the aspect of the hijab must be adapted with one's environment.
Hijab in Morocco is not the same in Indonesia or in Saudi Arabia or in Europe.
Editor:
You can find more details about the hijab issue at the following fatwas and articles:
It's obvious that there is a grand conspiracy against Islam and the ultimate motive is to force its adherents to a western way of life that will rub it of its virtues and further exclude it from the mainstream. A potent means of achieving this is to defile our women as can be seen in the case of France and Germany. My question is, should this plot succeed and our women withdraw from the society, what will be the appropriate response as far as providing alternatives for Muslim women in Europe seeking personal development. What would this portend in the long run and in what way can Muslims in other parts of the world assist in extinguishing these discriminatory laws?
Thank you
Answer
Thank you for the question. You can read the last answers.
Editor:
Thank you for your participation. We apologize for not being able to answer all your questions due to the lack of time.
Name
frstrated
-
Profession
Question
Assalamu alykum..
Why are we not hearing of Muslims taking the streets in demonstrations? Why isn't there a FUSS about this? We've heard more in the news from Catholics opposing this move, but not as much from Muslim figureheads in France.
Answer
Bismallah Errahman Al Rahim,
We can say that Muslims didn't express their point of view obviously about the law which will ban hijab, but the majority of Islamic organizations and the French Council of Islam expressed differently through tracts and personal positions and all this didn't turn into demonstrations.
After the demonstration of 21 December 2003, which was an initiative taken by some pupils; we can observe that Islamic organizations began to move. Next 17 January, another demonstration will take place, on behalf of many Islamic organizations; mostly the French Islamic Party and we intend other movements in the future in opposition to the law.
On the other hand, there is no FUSS about it because there are two sides representing the Islamic community in France: one side defending the religious identity, and another which defends the non-religious identity.
And it goes with the interest of the Islamic community if we make near such each side in order to claim the application of the first chapter of the French constitution which stipulates that every citizen, despite of his origin, race, and religion, has the right of equality above justice.
And it is, here, the most important problem of Muslims' agenda for the religious, and the non-religious people.
Name
Safawi
- Japan
Profession
Question
Hijab is according to islamic law, of course. I worry that other countries will slowly follow the footsteps of France in banning it. All muslims throughout the world should be together so that there is strength in our voice. How can it be possible when muslims are so disintegrated?
Answer
I don't think that france will be a model concerning the respect of one's religion for the rest of the world. France has a special history concerning the ties between pepole's power and hurch one. So, France secularism is particular so that it doesn't admit that the State has an official religion. The second chapter of secularism law of 1905 stipulated the neutrality of the state toward all the religions.
But, it's false to consider that the secularism in France is against religion. It's an imported concept from the secularism experience in some islamic countries, just like Turkey with Ataturk and Tunisia with Bourguiba.
The problem, now, is that the law project concerning hijab (Headscarf) will restore the tutory of the State on the religions, because it gives the State the legitimty to control the religions facts and to evaluate it's fashion with the republic principles and especially the secularism.
Since the French Revolution in 1789, the republic hadn't succeed in making laws concerning the unbias of the state toward religions, and mostly the church institution only in 1905. From 1801, date of the signature of the contract between Napoleon and POP which stipulated the Catholicism is the religion of the majority of french people, the french State started to impose tutory on catholicism by naming the cardinals and all the officials of the church and making a hand on the catholicism trainee. So, the catholicsm, since that date, untill the secularism law of 1905, on a double tutory : the tutory of the state and of the church institution.
And this risk may happen, now, through the question of hijab. The problem of hijab doesn't concerning only the Muslims but all the religions. That's why, since the begining of this problem, all the christian insitutions and the jewich ones expressed their opposition to the intervention of the State within religion affairs. So, we have to make one's hand with the whole of the religions in order to impose to the State to respect freedom of worship and it's unbias toward all the religions.
