Forcing a woman to adhere to purdah system is unconstitutional, so is dragging one out of it | The Indian Express

Forcing a woman to adhere to purdah system is unconstitutional, so is dragging one out of it | The Indian Express

Written by Tahir Mahmood |Updated: May 9, 2019 7:50:41 am

The writer is distinguished jurist chair and professor of eminence, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Amity University.

Forcing a woman to adhere to purdah system is unconstitutional, so is dragging one out of it

The ban on face-covering in Sri Lanka is a precautionary security measure and the Kerala educational organisation’s circular prohibiting the practice — notably, issued before the Sri Lanka incident — is an admirable attempt to put the record straight on the Quranic injunction concerning women’s dress.

The burqa and hijab have been part of religious and social debates across the world and its total or partial ban anywhere makes international news. (Representational Image)

“To my husband who took me out of purdah and spent the rest of his life regretting it”. This is how the dedication page reads in a Muslim woman author’s autobiography published a century ago. It speaks volumes about the age-old tradition of keeping women in purdah. Having originated in early Islamic history, the controversy as to which of a wide range of outfits — from the burqa (tip to toe gown covering entire body) to hijab (scarf covering head and shoulders) — answers the Quranic injunction on women’s dress code remains unabated till this day.