Source: SurreyLive
- A Muslim woman who observes the hijab made it to the final of Miss Britain 2023 beauty pageant, and was sponsored by ‘Human Appeal’.
- The modern understanding of modesty needs to be challenged.
A Muslim woman from Epsom, Surrey, has made history by becoming the first person wearing hijab to compete in the Miss Great Britain beauty pageant. The pageant has been running since 1945, and Taslimah Rassool has entered in the 31-44 age category. This begs the question, “Is it acceptable for a Muslim-hijabi to enter a beauty pageant?” The answer to this lies in understanding what hijab really is.
Allah has commanded the believing men and women with haya and modest dress. For women, this involves concealing their entire bodies and hair, with the exception of their faces and hands, and according to some scholars, the feet. We live in an odd time where Muslims, and people of conservative values in general, are being challenged ideologically at a personal and societal level. This is arguably truer for women, because the goals and values which Islam sets for them are even further removed from those set by secular society than they are for men. Consequently, it is not uncommon today to see Muslim women who have taken the effort to cover their hair with a headscarf but who simultaneously wear skin-tight jeans or short, fitted tops. This juxtaposition of modest, Islamic attire with that of revealing, immodest clothing is symbolic of the dichotomy of many (particularly young) Muslims – not unlike the modern British phenomenon characterised by a few young brothers who wear long thawbs and have beautiful sunnah beards – may Allah bless them for it – who also disobey Him by smoking cigarettes and shouting down the phone with foul language – may He guide them and us.
This phenomenon is not, of course, representative of all or the majority of Muslims, but it is one that exists, and tells us that many Muslims are struggling with a clash of ideologies – one, of modest, humble and selfless servitude to Allah, and the other of a postmodernist rejection of traditional laws and values – an ideology that encourages ‘living in the moment’ rather than planning for the akhirah, of ‘being whatever you want to be, rather than conforming to the moral standards of society, of chasing pleasure, rather than disciplining oneself from it, and one that boasts, “if you’ve got it, flaunt it,’ rather than valuing modesty. This internal psychological battle of fundamentally opposing worldviews likely exists in the majority of young Muslims in the West today at some level (due to our environment and malignant social engineering), but the extent to which it manifests varies. This issue is, of course, one of spiritual purification of oneself – until a Muslim submits in his or her entirety to the Will of Allah, be it His commands and prohibitions, be it in character, or in the moral compass and worldview which He has set for us, they will always be dealing with conflict in their hearts.
Though she has covered herself through use of a headscarf, Rassool, as is generally expected from a beauty pageant, is sometimes seen in fitted clothing, and is heavily clad in makeup in most of her pictures. By contrast, Allah commands the believing women to lower their gaze and to guard their private parts, and then to “not expose their adornment, except that which [necessarily] appears…” [Surah An-Nur:31]
This ayah clearly indicates that women in Islam are not to reveal their beauty in front of non-mahram men, but rather to conceal it. Bearing this in mind, what can we say about not only revealing one’s beauty, but actually enhancing it with excessive makeup, for the world to see?
In addition to the legal rulings on hijab and covering, there is a broader argument for us to consider. Some may read this article and post, “It’s ok for her to enter the pageant, as she is wearing hijab.” In response to this, let us consider the following: if Allah has commanded women not to reveal their beauty, then regardless of dress code or makeup, can we, as Muslims, honestly endorse a career which demands one flaunts oneself on stage for the sake of beauty, for all to admire? In the previous ayah to the one mentioned above in surah An-Nur, Allah commands the believing men to lower their gaze, just as He did the women afterwards. We can clearly see that the shari’ah has honoured women by not making them objects to be ogled and lusted over by men, but to be treated with respect and not to be looked at. Is it at all possible to argue that a vocation which involves posing on stage and in front of cameras, where all can stare, is in line with our holistic Islamic understanding of modesty and gender interaction?
When Musa عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ was approached by a woman bearing a message from her father, Allah describes that she “came to him, walking with shyness.” Within this statement of Allah lies a wealth of lessons on gender interaction, but the most obvious of them is that men and women are to be shy with each other, and that it is not befitting of believing women to be bold in front of the opposite gender or to willingly exhibit themselves as objects of beauty.
The Prophet ﷺ said, in his characteristically eloquent yet concise manner,
“Haya leads to nothing but good.”
[Al-Bukhari]
Another facet to this story is that of the pageant itself. Beauty pageants themselves are historically associated with the shameless objectification of the female form, featuring women in revealing clothing, beautified and adorned with lavish dresses or worse, swimsuits. Not only do they represent every ideal which opposes modesty and haya, they also do a disservice to women, treating them nothing more than dolls to satisfy the gaze of their audience. It therefore seems unbelievable that a Muslim can endorse such a contest by entering it. In addition, the presence of a woman wearing hijab – who is therefore visibly Muslim – inadvertently sends a message to the world about Islam. As a minority in the West, it is imperative to understand that our actions and behaviour represent Islam in font of non-Muslims – we are all, in some sense, bearing the flag, and unfortunately the flag currently being carried by Rassool (and countless hijabi fashion youtubers and tiktokers) will be read by some, regardless of her own intentions, as “Hijab is a fashion accessory, and Muslims endorse beauty pageants.”
In a similar vein, Muslim children are in genuine need of present-day role models to look up to. Is a phenomena like this going to result in a generation of little girls now aspiring to be fashion models when they start wearing hijab?
Some may commend Rassool for holding on to her faith and for continuing to wear a headscarf in an environment which has swept many away from Islam entirely. This argument may not be entirely invalid – regardless of mistakes and sins, on some bizarre level, it clearly takes a certain level of conviction to decide you will continue to wear hijab in a system which is the absolute antithesis of what hijab stands for. However, this does not make her actions halal and does not justify her participation in Miss Great Britain.
Moreover, there is another issue to address. Rassool was quoted by The Sun as saying, “For me, making it to the final is a personal triumph. An organisation that has not recognised women like me before has picked me and commended me for wearing a hijab.”
The question we can ask ourselves, upon reading this – and it may be the most pertinent one of all – is, “why would a Muslim want recognition from an organisation like that? Allah stated, “
This day I have perfected for you your religion, and completed My favour upon you.” [Al-Ma’idah: 3]
Our religion is perfect, and does not require approval from anybody. Why, as Muslims, are we yearning for hijab to be accepted? To fit in? Many of us are so desperate to simply be accepted, we forget something fundamental – that we actually have something to offer society; that this beautiful gift that Allah has blessed us with is something for others to aspire to, not the other way round, and if it were followed, almost all of the issues seen by society today would be resolved. This belief is the foundation upon which da’wah is built, and we cannot create positive change without it. We ask that Allah guides our sister in Islam to leave this pageant and embrace her hijab completely, and that He guides all of us and makes our hearts firm upon His religion.
Charites such as ‘Human Appeal’ are trusted by many. The fact that they have been sponsors of Rassool is truly disappointing. We expected better from them.
Source: Taslimah Rassool’s Twitter page
