From this we know that the Hijab is a compulsory act on Muslim women. Hijab in Arabic means to hide or conceal. When a woman wears the Hijab she is protecting her modesty, decency, chastity and above all, respect. The head covering is not only a physical barrier against prying eyes, but also a defence against a society obsessed with unachievable beauty. A schoolgirl is quoted as saying,
"We want to stop men from treating us like sex objects, as they have always done. We want them to ignore our appearance and to be attentive to our personalities and mind. We want them to take us seriously and treat us as equals and not just chase us around for our bodies and physical looks."
It is not women only, who are commanded by Allah (God) to upkeep social modesty, but men also. Men are prohibited from mixing with any women other than their mother, sister, daughter and wife.
There is a strange importance placed on the Hijab and women without any mention about the real overall purpose, and also the fact that Men have been shown by Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) to wear clothes which are loose and do not show off the figure. They are also recommended to keep a beard and preferably to wear a Topi (cap). The dress code of females AND males has been prescribed to Muslims by their Creator and Lord again quoted in the Quran
"O Children of Adam! (The Muslims) Wear your beautiful apparel (Topi) at every time and place of prayer" (Qur'an 7: 31).
The point is that Muslims males AND females are carrying out what they see as Allah’s (God’s) commands, it is not the business of those who have no understanding of Islam to criticise it’s teachings.
The Hijab has come to be recognised as a symbol of oppression, due to the war carried out against the Taliban during the invasion of Afghanistan where the Taliban are based, in retribution to the simultaneous attacks on the Twin Towers, which were supposedly carried out by the Taliban. A war implemented by America, aided by media propaganda, both of these together caused the hatred of the Hijab. The mass media frenzy over the Taliban regime was witnessed by million all over the world. The outrage felt and expressed by the public at the media portrayal of the Taliban’s treatment of women was distinct and tangible.
The whole world clamoured at the supposed lack of choice in wearing the 'Burka ', the garment worn by women in Afghanistan, which covers them from head to toe, was and still is compulsory for women to wear. The aftermath in Afghanistan paints a contradictory picture, as a majority of women in Afghanistan today are still wearing what was then named as a 'symbol of oppression', strangely, they do so willingly.
Recently the French government initiated a similar act upon the women of France by banning the Hijab because it is a ‘symbol of religion’ the same ban on large crosses for Christians and skullcaps for Jewish boys doesn’t compare to the illegalised headscarf, for the Hijab is regarded as a necessity to the millions of Muslim girls and women all over the world. A law of such resolution would be a crime against religious freedom. The Government had a specific target: aiming at the Islamic headscarves of young women, members of the 3.26 million-strong Muslim population of France
How can the wearing of a piece of fabric pose any form threat to a vibrant and a leading democratic society, bearing in mind that a similar cloth has been worn by the Catholic Nuns for centuries?
To summarize the oppression of women in France is no different to the oppression carried out by the Taliban in Afghanistan. So where are the Americans to set free the oppressed women in France?