An Islamic Perspective on Legislation for Women Part I by Dr Magdah Amer

The below verse is about privacy as the Quranic text states: The Quranic text reveals the use of the term in various passages Surah An-Nur and Surah Al-Ahzab. The term 'awrah as it is used in the Quran is confined neither to women nor to the body. During the Salat, the awrah must be covered. In Turkish, avrat is an often derogatory term for 'woman' or 'wife'. In Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the word za'if is still used in the Tajik dialect of Persian and its subdialects. Instead, the words zan and xânom are used. In modern-day Iran, using the two words ( 'awrah and za'ifah) to refer to women is uncommon and is considered sexist language. Traditionally the word 'awrat, alongside the word za'ifeh (which derives from Arabic ḍa'īf ( ضعيف), meaning weak) has been associated with femininity and women who lived under the protection of a man. Other derivatives range in meaning from blind in one eye, to false or artificial, among others. Consulting Mohammad Moin's dictionary of Persian, 'awrah leads to three significations: In Persian and Kurdish as well as Urdu, the word 'awrat (Persian: عورت) derived from the Arabic 'awrah, had been used widely to mean 'woman genital or person who has female genital'. In Arabic, the term 'awrah or 'awrat ( عورة) derives from the root ‘-w-r, usually meaning 'women vulva'. Precisely which body parts must be covered varies among different schools of Islamic thought. Exposing intimate parts when needed, such as going to the toilet or bathing, falls under a specific set of rules.

Exposing them is normally considered sinful. Exposing the intimate parts of the body is unlawful in Islam as the Quran instructs the covering of male and female genitals, and for adult females the breasts. The intimate parts ( Arabic: عورة 'awrah, Arabic: ستر, satr) of the human body must, according to Islam, be covered by clothing.

An Islamic Perspective on Legislation for Women Part I by Dr Magdah Amer