Saba Mahmood - Politics of Piety

Saba Mahmood’s readings aren’t as easy to read as the previous readings. It took me a long time to be able to finish these readings, but I’m glad I did.

It is funny I was just watching a trailer of this new show where the lead actor falls in love with the lead actress due to her ‘haya.’ I wonder if ‘haya’ really comes if you wear a veil and cover your face. If modesty really means to cover yourself with a piece of clothing and has nothing to do with one’s inner self.

I love this statement Mahmood makes because it is so relatable: “While all of the Islamic virtues are gendered, this is particularly true of shyness and modesty.” Characters of the men in our societies aren’t weighed on modesty and shyness, but character of women definitely are.

What Amal said about haya and hypocrisy is very relatable to me. There have been times where I didn’t perform certain things because internally I didn’t want to do it. And if I would’ve performed it, I would’ve felt like a hypocrite.

A lot of my family members and friends have told me that if I keep doing it, eventually I will feel comfortable and will adopt it. My only problem with this method is “How can I do something sincerely when my heart is not in it?”

Ashwami and Mosque Movement:

While I was reading about Ashmawi’s writings, I was convinced that I agree with him. But sooner I realized that I cannot pick between Ashwami and women of mosque movement.

Maybe it is weird, but I agree with both of them.  As a hijabi myself, I believe that bodily movements (wearing veil or not engaging with male) do not matter to an individual if the interior isn’t satisfied with those actions. But at the same time I feel if I do keep doing that, maybe at one point I will be satisfied with it.

Although I do feel that bodily movements (veil or no veil) does affect your behavior. I might not feel comfortable going to a club with a hijab on, but if I wasn’t wearing one would I go? Who knows, I might. But then again, this brings us back to the point that wearing a hijab doesn’t really make you modest. Or not wearing a hijab doesn’t make you immodest.

Sabr in Islam:

I feel like Sabr is kept aside only for women. They need to be patient if a men rejects them or don’t approach them. They have to be patient if her husband beats her up or if he brings other wives. Why are women expected to be patient?

I, for one, don’t believe in it. I agree with Sana when she says “Sabr is an important Islamic principle, but these religious types think it’s a solution to everything. It’s such a passive way of dealing with this situation.”

These religious types think that they are expected to be patient. Though they do believe that it doesn’t help that with their suffering; the suffering ends whenever God wants it to end.

“Where does Sabr get you? Instead of helping you to improve your situation, it just leads you to accept it as fate – passively.”