The Muslim Student Association @ UConn

I was honored to give a talk on "Misconceptions about Islam" at the Muslim Student Association's Ramadan Awareness Dinner and Fast-a-Thon at UCONN. Many Professors and students expressed to me their appreciation for both the topics covered in my lecture and my manner of delivery. But of course one can not please them all. So I am replying to one Ms. Cayla Smith who misunderstood one of the topics, was offended, did not ask me any questions then voiced her protest or disapproval via the The Daily Campus.

First of all, the Arabic word ħijab means to cover, to veil, to screen, to shelter. It does not mean "headscarf" as Ms. Smith sought to define it as in her Letter To The Editor 9/22/08. Hijab is used to refer to the modest, loose clothing that covers the Muslim woman's body except for her hands and her face. This could have been easily learned from a more careful observation of my talk and a less emotionally motivated one. This common internationally known meaning of the word hijab can also be easily found via common everyday Non-Muslim sources of information like Wikipedia, the free on-line encyclopedia.

Secondly, the most important point that needs to be addressed from Ms. Smith's letter is her assumption, or jumping to the conclusion or putting words in my mouth. She stated and I quote, "Cleaver clearly implied that women in the U.S. who do not wear Hijab are at fault if they are ever raped." This was not in any way clearly implied in my talk. A rapist is a criminal who has made a heinous and most horrible sexual assault. The fault of his crime rests solely 100% on his shoulders. The comprehensive nature of the Sharia law dictates that any person convicted of forcible rape using a weapon is to be sentenced to capitol punishment. I wish American law were as just as the Islamic Law in this regard.

Now the question at hand here is the high station and place of modesty in Islam for both women and men. Islam's religious dress codes are for loose modest clothing for both women as well as men. This is to cover the private area in Arabic, Al-Aouwrah. This private area is a much wider section of the body in Islamic teaching than it is in contemporary Western culture. Try to remember the pictures of women in old America and old Europe and how they used to go swimming while wearing long dresses. Then ask yourself two questions;

1) Is there any true and real benefit for humanity and for society to have so many women commonly walking in public in very revealing modes of dress?

2) To a man who is criminally violent, depraved and  desperate can seeing many scantily dressed women be the last string that broke the camel's back? Meaning, is it within the realm of possibility that watching women in very revealing modes of dress could realistically spark and stir an already criminal mind to assault a woman, another human being?

Islam is realistic and brings the final divine revelation from God to mankind. Within it is a message of modesty for higher morality and increasing mankind's and womankind's piety. From Islam's realistic teachings is the hijab. To be a shield between women and men who are desperate and dangerous. And I stress and emphasize to Ms. Smith, to all women of all faiths who are my sisters in humanity, to my dear Christian African-American mother and sister, and to my dear six daughters that no woman ever deserves to be raped. And as Muslims, we encourage all women to wear modest loose clothing as a shield between them and those dangerous and filthy men who are, if we want to see the world realistically, very common and abundant in the North, South, East and West of all the countries in the world.

Now as far as my lecture, I encourage university students at UCONN to assess and evaluate their speakers, lecturers and teachers with an objective view towards learning the truth and not to view them only behind their personal subjective opinions. Try to listen first in detail, then ask questions. Seek to understand prior to passing judgment. First, as students, be assured that you got the message clearly and accurately so as to try to overcome the pre-conceived notions and imagined half-truths that are often a result of one's upbringing. My talk at the MSA's well-organized program covered many points including Sources of Misinformation about Islam, Comparison of the perception of God in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Religious Practice and Belief in Islam, Views of Jesus and the Prophets in Islam, religious meanings of the Ka'bah in Mecca, Polygamy, Hijab, the perception that Islam is spread by the sword, Muslim criminal law, Female genital mutilation, Separation of the sexes, Views of Islam being intolerant of other Religions, Views of Honor Killings, Terrorism and Fundamentalism. So Ms. Smith's hope that next year the MSA chooses a more appropriate speaker is based in her misunderstanding of one point of my talk and ignoring twenty others. Below I will list references to the verses in the Quran regarding the hijab and the modest dress code in Islam as well as a link to the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Justice Information Services Division where the high numbers of the terrible crime of rape in the U.S.A. against women can be seen. And I am a post-graduate student of Islamic Studies and I do not speak in lectures from my own opinion. Rather this is my specialty and I draw my words from the sources of Islam which are the Quran and the Sunnah; the teachings of the final Prophet of God Muhammad. (May the peace and blessings of God be upon him and upon all of the Prophets sent.)

Best regards,

Ahmad Eldridge Cleaver

> Quran verses regarding hijab and Modest Dress:

Chapter Al-Ahzab (The Confederates) 33: 53 and 33: 59

Chapter An-Nur (The Light) 24: 31