Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 239
! ! 239 just as people do not follow many other religious injunctions, so too is the case here. Once it is understood that Islam ic p u rdah is in no way detrimental, but rather is beneficial, people will begin to observe it. However, to say that the injunction of p u rdah does not even exist in Islam , is to attack Islam. It cannot be expected of those, in whose minds this concept has been imprinted [that the concept of purdah does not exist within Islam], that they will ever be able to justly adhere to true p u rdah. I call the current p u rdah a political p u rdah because circumstances are such. In British law , the price for chastity is monetarily set, which is why it is important to be cautious, otherwise women would be able to walk freely under a Muslim government. I n Arab countries , I have seen women shopping in the marketplace. The men there say t hat the women do not like the shopping the men do for them. The women say that men are not familiar with the clothes women prefer to wear , nor are they aware of the other things women buy, therefore they go out and shop for themselves. Sheikh Abdul Ghafoor : I asked Maulvi Muhammad Ali about p u rdah. He answered , “ My heart truly wishes that women could walk without covering their face s , but I do not have the strength to carry this out yet. I wish that Allah enable s me to enforce Islam ic p u rdah , or in other words, keep the face exposed. ” Maulvi Sahib corroborated this by saying that if the face was not meant to be exposed , then the Holy Qur’ān would not have commanded men and women to lower their gaze. Haz rat Khalifa t - ul - Masih II ra : The eyes and a little bit of the area around it can be e xposed, which is why it is commanded to lower their gaze. Sheikh Abdul Ghafoor : Can women go to the marketplace to get groceries? Haz rat Khalifa t - ul - Masih II ra : I f there is no danger , they can. The current burqa is very uncomfortable , and I do no t like it. The