Westernization

After the failure of some of their military expeditions, Western politicians developed a devilish idea that armies should not be involved in confrontations because they arouse severe reactions, and that they should exert efforts to get the Muslim countries to surrender to the Western culture and civilization willingly. This is how the idea of Westernization was developed, with the basis of blending the Muslim character with that of the Western character in such a way that the former does not see except through Western eyes, does not admire except what the West admires, renounces the values, beliefs, and morals that are derived from the Islamic Sharee‘ah (Islamic legislation), adopts this new Westernized religion, and is involved in the cycle of economic consumption that is promoted by the West.

Westernization programs try to serve a dual objective. On the one hand, they guard the benefits of colonialism by bridging the gap that separates the West from Muslims due to the difference in values and the bitterness that Muslims feel towards the occupiers of their countries whom Muslims are obliged by their religion to strive against. On the other hand, Westernization programs weaken the religious bond that gathers Muslims, and disperses their association that centers on the unity of thought and intellectual values, or more comprehensively, the unity of cultural values.

Thus, Westernization means blending the Ummah (nation) in such a way that it becomes a deformed nation which is a reproduction of the disbelieving Western nation. However, there is a difference between the two nations – the Western nation is the leader and ruler while the other nations are its humiliated submissive subjects which comply with its dictates. This is what Westernization means.

The Westernization of Muslim women is a part of a comprehensive scheme for Westernizing the Ummah in all its affairs. Dr. Muhammad Muhammad Husayn said,

Westernization programs rested on two main principles – as was held by the early imperialists:

First: Associating with allies and friends from among Muslims, empowering them, excluding opponents who object to their projects, hindering their progress, and distracting people from them by different means.

Second: Controlling educational programs as well as information and cultural systems in a way which they established by means of their allies, and directing such programs in a way that serves their objectives and supports their friendship.

Manifestations of Westernizing Muslim women:

• Intermixing between the two sexes in schools and workplaces:

In most countries, there are mixed schools and workplaces, with only a few exceptions. This is what the advocates of Westernization want because the more men and women meet, the more their instincts are aroused and opportunities for indulging in immorality takes place. This is especially so when women do not wear Hijab (Islamic covering); there are multiple outlets of sexual motivation and people find it difficult to get married, in addition to weak religious commitment.

When the West fulfills its objective of corrupting women, the family will be afflicted with corruption and degradation, and the society in turn will be ruined from the inside, and thus, it will be easy prey.

If intermixing between sexes begins, it will never end except with women frequenting places of depravity and immorality, without adhering to Hijab and modesty. This has already started occurring and continues to take place in many Muslim countries. Consider, how does this compare to the narration of Prophet Muhammad when he left the mosque and found men and women mingling in the street. He said, addressing women: “Draw back, for you must not walk in the middle of the road. Keep to the sides of the road.” Women used to keep so close to the wall that their garments would rub against it. [Abu Daawood] [Al-Albaani: Hasan]

• Tabarruj and Sufoor

Tabarruj means women’s exposure of their adornment to men to whom women are not permitted to show their adornment.

Sufoor means women’s exposure of parts of their body which they are not permitted to show to other than non-Mahrams (marriageable men).

It is rare to find a Muslim country that is devoid of Tabarruj and Sufoor. This is a very dangerous manifestation in the Ummah. In the past, women were modest and fitted the description of “dwellers of boudoirs”. This was not a social tradition. Rather, it stemmed from worshipping and obeying Allah The Almighty. It is clear that the Sharee‘ah-compliant Hijab is an inherent emblem of Islam. That is why Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “May Allah have mercy upon the early immigrant women. When Allah revealed {and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests} [Quran 24:31], they tore the edges of their waist sheets and covered their heads with them.” [Al-Bukhari]

Therefore, the spread or decline of Hijab is an indication of the Islamic awakening in society and of people’s devotion to the religion of Allah The Almighty; and the spread of Hijab annoys those falsifying hypocrites.

• Following fashion trends:

Nowadays, you see Muslim women imitating Western women with great alacrity. Even the way little girls are dressed follows Western fashions. Thus, you find girls who have reached the age of fifteen still wearing short clothes, marking one of the first steps of following Western fashions. When girls are stripped of modesty, they can easily respond to everything new.

Clothing is an important manifestation that distinguishes Muslim women; therefore, they were forbidden to imitate the disbelievers because this signifies an acceptance of their norms of behavior, removal of barriers and developing amicability between them. It is known that similarity of dress diminishes the distinction of what is good from what is bad and the distinction of Islam from disbelief, thus, facilitating the spread of falsehood and the concealment of its advocates.

Western fashion is rejected for several reasons, including:

• Imitating the disbelieving women: The Prophet said: “Anyone who imitates a people is one of them.” [Abu Daawood and Ahmad] [Saheeh]

Ibn Taymiyyah said,

The straight path constitutes inward matters that exist in the heart including convictions, wills, and the like, and outward words and deeds which come in the form of acts of worship or traditions pertaining to diet, dress, and marriage. There is definitely a relationship between such inward and outward matters, since the feelings and conditions that are related to the heart result in outward conditions, and at the same time outward deeds necessarily result in certain feelings and conditions in the heart.

Hence, it is known from this that it is serious matter and forbidden that Muslim women imitate the disbelieving women.

• The economic damage resulting from attachment to fashion: It is well known how much money and expenses are involved in following fashion trends.
• Fostering mutual envy among women: This is because they are naturally attracted by a beautiful appearance and thus, they boast to each other and vie with one another in terms of their possessions. This may cause the wife of a man with limited financial resources to charge him with what is beyond his abilities so that she will be equal to fashion trends.
• Meetings of women with non-Mahram men in seclusion: People have taken this matter so lightly that some of them consider it natural. The forbidden meetings between men and women in seclusion is an aspect of Westernization that the Muslim Ummah has fallen into. It is an act of the disbelievers who do not have a religion that forbids doing so. Respecting the boundaries set by Allah The Almighty is a characteristic of the Muslim Ummah. Daring to meet a non-Mahram (marriageable) woman in seclusion is a transgression of one of the boundaries set by Allah The Almighty and is also a great danger. It is forbidden by Sharee‘ah in the words of the Messenger of Allah who said: “No man should be alone with a (non-Mahram) woman unless her Mahram is also present.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
It is a given that any person who advocates falsehood clothes his falsehood in the garb of reform and decorative speech so that it gains public acceptance.

This is because falsehood is ugly and disliked, so when it appears in its real image, people do not accept it, as they, by natural disposition, are not satisfied with it. Therefore, Westernizing secularists resort to dressing their methods, objectives, and thoughts in the garb of reform and keenness to maintain public benefits. Thus, mixed employment and education are promoted for the benefit of the Ummah and under the pretext of employing women, who are half of society, to attain economic revenue. This is decorative speech that is inspired by the devils from among humans and Jinn. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And thus We have made for every Prophet an enemy - devils from mankind and Jinn, inspiring to one another decorative speech in delusion. But if your Lord had willed, they would not have done it, so leave them and that which they invent. And [it is] so the hearts of those who disbelieve in the Hereafter will incline toward it and that they will be satisfied with it and that they will commit that which they are committing.} [Quran 6: 112-113]

This is deceptive to people with weak faith and deficient intellects.

In addition, secularists have found traditions that are not related to Islam in Muslim communities, so they exploited them and employed them to diffuse their poisons through them toward achieving their schemes. Then, they claimed that such traditions belong to Islam and thus, attacked Islam through them. For example, some Muslim communities are not fair with women when it comes to giving them their shares of inheritance. They may give women their shares from movables such as money and cattle but they fail to give them their shares from real estate, a practice that was followed during the pre-Islamic era.

Also, some polygamous men do not treat their wives equally, thus, violating the orders of Allah The Almighty. Secularists capitalize on these shortcomings, though such acts do not belong to Islam and are not supported by divine authority, but are considered by Islam as forbidden injustice.

Methods of Secularists in Corrupting Muslim Women - I

Methods of Secularists in Corrupting Muslim Women - III

Methods of Secularists in Corrupting Muslim Women - IV