Contemporary Islam: Analysis of Veiling and the Rise of Global Jihad

This essay delves into two significant aspects of contemporary Islam: the debate surrounding veiling and the factors contributing to the rise of global jihad. The essay begins by presenting contrasting views on veiling, highlighting its perceived role as either a form of oppression or a symbol of cultural identity and personal strength. It then explores the etymological, theological, and political dimensions of the concept of jihad, differentiating between its core meaning of self-purification and struggle for justice, and its interpretation in the context of global conflicts. The essay attributes the rise of global jihad to events such as the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut in 1983, which fueled anti-Western sentiment and the perception of a clash of civilizations. The author references key academic sources to support their arguments, providing a multifaceted analysis of these complex issues within the framework of contemporary Islamic discourse and political dynamics.

Running head: CONTEMPORARY ISLAM
CONTEMPORARY ISLAM
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CONTEMPORARY ISLAM
Is veiling an oppression for muslim women?
A muslim woman as per the wishes of Allah must hide her beauty from the male gaze
and reserve it only for her husband, which has been essentialized as a principle for observing
piety and devotion.
Whether veiling is an oppression for muslim women or not is a subjective issue which
depends. Some, like Fadela Amara consider the veiling as a mark of oppression and a barrier for
the women jeopardizing their right to exercise their bodily autonomy and agency. She had
opined in her book ‘Ni putes ni soumises’ that the hijab, or the veil is symbolic of oppression and
patriarchy. She had opined that the veil was not a choice but a sign of subjugation imposed by
the men on the women to control them hence it should be outlawed in a secular society (Lipton
2007). On the other hand Tawakkol Karman, Yemeni Human Rights Activist and a Noble
Laureate had in one of her interviews stated that her hijab had been her strength instead of being
an impediment in the path of her achievements. She had argued that her veil is a sign of the
civilization has human beings have achieved rather unwrapping her veil would be an act of
regression, as civilization has taught human beings to clothe themselves and removing it would
be an act of going back on the state of civilization (Eltantawy 2013). Thus the issue of veiling is
oppressive to some while to some it is not.
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What precipitated the rise of global jihad?
Before the discussion on the historically and politically significant episode of the rise of
global jihad proceeds, the meaning of the Arabic term must be made clear. Jihad as a concept
refers to self purification and also the struggle to make oneself capable of standing up against the
oppressor on one’s own accord. This is the etymological interpretation of jihad. From the
theological and Qoranic perspective, the concept of jihad refers to fighting for upholding the
principle of justice and for fighting against injustice. This is the most basic interpretation of Jihad
as per the Qoran. The other specific interpretations include the taking resort to arms for a
justified cause that essentially includes the cause of safeguarding the Islamic faith (Handwerk
2003).
The rise of global jihad is rather a political affair deriving its legitimacy from the Islamic
discourses on Jihad, involving the issue of safeguarding the national interests of the middle
eastern muslim majority nations against the western non muslim nation. Religion as such is
insignificant in the rise of global jihad, however it became an important factor as the rivalry
between the west and all the muslim nations of the world became a matter of clash on
civilizational lines as opined by Huntington (Huntington 1993). The rise of global jihad can be
attributed to two major events, the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the bombing of the US
Embassy at Beirut, Lebanon in 1983. Years of western influence in Iran and the close nexus
between the West and the Shah had deprived the common Iranians of their rights as citizens and
had also caused their religious and cultural values to be degenerated by western decadence. The
western nations had embarked upon interference in the middle eastern nation for the sake of
exploiting the oil reserves and thus the nations had risen in unison against the western influence

3CONTEMPORARY ISLAM
to safeguard their natural resources and Islam, the dominant faith of the region had played an
important role in consolidating the confederacy. The hostage crisis in Iran had earned the
muslims all over the world the tag of being a terrorist, irrespective of a muslim being a resident
of middle east or other parts of the world. This had further closely knit the global muslim
community together to fight against the western aggressive foreign policies towards the muslims
with the use of jihad, that is fight for a justified cause to instill justice (Hegghammer 2010).

4CONTEMPORARY ISLAM
References
Eltantawy, N., 2013. From veiling to blogging: Women and media in the Middle East.
Handwerk, B., 2003. What Does" Jihad" Really Mean to Muslims. National Geographic News.
Hegghammer, T., 2010. The rise of Muslim foreign fighters: Islam and the globalization of
Jihad. International Security, 35(3), pp.53-94.
Huntington, S., 1993. The clash of civilizations. Foreign affairs, 72(3), pp.22-49.
Lipton, E., 2007. Neither Whores nor Submissive.