My Choice?

I was just watching an interview done by a non-Muslim man with a “diverse” group of Muslims. One of his questions was directed to a sister who was not wearing hijab, while the others were in “hijab”. He asked why she didn’t wear it, and, as expected, the answer was that it is a choice. Sadly, no one in the gathering corrected or qualified that statement. What do I mean by that? It’s like if someone asked my why I ran a red light and I answered by saying, because it’s a choice. Is it though? Yes, I suppose; it was a choice to run a red light and break the law while it is still illegal and a punishable crime. However, it is not a choice in that the law doesn’t say, stop at a red light, but if you choose not to, it’s ok, there are no consequences. Similarly here, yes, it is her choice not to wear the hijab and break Allah’s law, but that does not mean it is ok or acceptable. It is a punishable crime and not something approved of in Islam.

It is sad that this mentality exists in our communities. In an effort to prove that we are not “extreme”, we give many generic answers which are in fact a type of dishonesty. Why don’t you pray; oh, because it’s a choice, forced religion is no religion. Why did you (a Muslim woman) marry a non-Muslim man or you (a Muslim man) marry a Hindu woman; oh, because it’s a choice, we all have freedom of choice. Such answers are ridiculous and absurd. Some think they are doing Islam a favour when giving such answers, when in fact, all they’re doing is misinforming others and exposing themselves to Allah’s wrath and punishment.

~Younus Kathrada