Feminist movements play a significant role in promoting nudity in all its forms, sometimes under the guise of fashion, other times under the banner of clothing trends, and yet other times in the name of beauty pageants. This approach reduces women to mere commodities and tools of temptation, while imposing a rigid physical standard of beauty and elegance that emphasizes exposing women’s bodies, undermining their modesty and dignity.
“Al-Mujtama” brought this issue to discussion with a group of experts to uncover the secrets behind this spreading “cancer,” which manifests itself in international competitions, global festivals, and prestigious awards.
Dr. Rawda Hamza, Professor of Family and Childhood Institution Management at Helwan University, asserts that a woman’s clothing is a reflection of her identity. Since the beginning of humanity, every society has had traditional attire for both men and women. Over time, cultures have influenced each other, with the dominated often imitating the dominant as a way of coping with the psychological defeat.
Beauty pageants and fashion shows aim to expose women's bodies.
Over time, “fashion” emerged, evolving through various phases. Experts in fashion design often regard the Englishman Charles Frederick Worth as the “father figure of fashion design,” who collaborated with his wife, Marie Vernet, to establish the “House of Worth” in the 19th century. His prominence continued to rise after gaining the admiration of women from European royal families, followed by women from wealthy and elite social classes. He did not limit his work to designing fashion in his home country but expanded to Paris, in the early second half of the 19th century.
Dr. Hamza notes that the connection between women’s fashion and international beauty pageants, along with national-level beauty contests, has significantly contributed to the promotion of revealing clothing trends, swimwear, and other immodest attire. Muslim women have been particularly targeted because the West recognizes that a knowledgeable Muslim family, conscious of its religious obligations, is the primary obstacle to the plans of feminists and global fashion designers who aim to strip women of their modesty.
Dr. Nabil Al-Samalouti, Professor of Sociology and former Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at Al-Azhar University, observes that women’s fashion trends rely on two strategies that are both impermissible in Islam: First: Mastering the art of exposing women’s bodies and accentuating their physical features to present them as ideal models of beauty. Second: Encouraging women to imitate men.
There is a dubious Western agenda to establish a “Feminist United Nations.”
He adds that the influence of French feminist Simone de Beauvoir’s ideas, particularly in her book “The Second Sex,” stems from the idea that “femininity” is the essence of human life. De Beauvoir advocates reclaiming this lost power through sexuality, seduction, and nudity, facilitated by fashion, fashion houses, debauched parties, and beauty pageants. The ultimate goal, she claims, is to control the world and establish a so-called “Feminist United Nations.”
Fashion Obsession
Dr. Manal Youssef, a professor at the Faculty of Education at Damietta University, warns of the dangers of this obsession spreading among Arab and Muslim women, fueled by Western media’s promotion of the latest fashion trends and their association with modernity and uniqueness. Social media and other platforms market these trends at outrageous prices under the label of “global brands,” perpetuating what she describes as the obsession of conquered to imitate the conqueror.
She elaborates, using the example of torn jeans and unusual hairstyles that have captivated the minds of young men and women, making them sources of pride in a globalized obsession with cross-border fashion. She regards the commodification of women and departure from social and religious principles as an ideological and cultural invasion that must be confronted.
Chasing after “brands” is an obsession of the conquered imitating the conqueror.
Regarding the Sharia stance towards fashion, Dr. Hassan Kamal, a Professor of Hadith at Al-Azhar University, explains that while the term “fashion” is modern and not specifically addressed in Islamic jurisprudence, it can be judged based on the Islamic guidelines for women’s clothing in the light of Allah’s saying: “O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” (Al-Ahzab: 59) Furthermore, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Two are the types of the denizens of Hell whom I did not see: people having flogs like the tails of the ox with them and they would be beating people, and the women who would be dressed but appear to be naked, who would be inclined (to evil) and make their husbands incline towards it. Their heads would be like the humps of the bukht camel inclined to one side. They will not enter Paradise and they would not smell its odour whereas its odour would be smelt from such and such distance.” The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also said: “God has cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) emphasizes the description of Muslim women: “Any woman who puts on perfume then passes by people so that they can smell her fragrance then she is an adulteress.” He also warned us against resembling non-Muslims: “He who copies any people is one of them.” He also said: “Whoever wears a garment of pride and vanity in this world, Allah will clothe him in a garment of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection, then set it ablaze.”
Dr. Kamal explained that Islam has established specific guidelines for a woman's modest attire, requiring it to be comprehensive and cover her entire body in front of men who are not her mahrams (non-marriageable relatives). Even in front of her mahrams, she is only permitted to reveal what Islamic Sharia allows, such as her face, hands, and feet. The clothing must not be transparent, tight, adorned in a way that attracts attention when she goes out, or imitate the attire, morals, or customs of non-Muslim women. Therefore, it is essential to nurture our daughters to wear the Islamic hijab from a young age.
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