A Nigerian public commentator, Morufu Smith, has condemned the personal opinion of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia that a hijab is not compulsory for Muslim women.
While expressing his indignation in reaction to the circulation of the ‘reckless’ opinion, Morufu said, “The Saudi Crown Prince is not a model in Islam just as Saudi Arabia as a country, and Saudis as people do not hold spiritual superiority to or over any other places or people in Islam.”
Continuing, Morufu opined thus, “The CP expresses his personal opinion based on either ignorance or a pretence to ‘modernism’. Islam does not belong to Saudi Arabia same way Christianity and Judaism do not belong to Israel. It’s an accident of history that Prophet Muhammed who is our best model in Islam was birthed in Saudi Arabia. He could have had his origin elsewhere, anywhere,” he added.
The commentator decried the Saudi CP’s opinion. He stated that the CP failed to quote any scripture to back what he called the Saudi CP’s reckless opinion.
“There are explicit instructions in the Qur’an, even in the Bibles, how and why women must dress modestly. It’s never a tool to oppress women, it’s on the contrary a tool to accord respect to women. It’s ‘no’ shocking that as people of intellect, we choose to glorify what erroneously speaks glowingly to our prejudices without intents to cross-examine available scriptural facts about hijab,” he said.
He explained that the Saudi CP was expected to quote a chapter and a verse of the Qur’an like what I reference below to support his allusion to Sharia about how women should dress.
The quoted verse reads, “Quran 24.31. And tell the believing women that they (also) should restrain their gaze (from looking at the men whom it is lawful for them to marry, and from others’ private parts), and guard their private parts, and that they should not display their charms except that which is revealed of itself; and let them draw their veils over their bosoms, and (tell them) not to display their charms to any save their husbands, or their fathers (and grandfathers, and both paternal and maternal uncles), or the fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands (both their own and step-sons and grandsons), or their brothers (and foster- and step-brothers), or the sons of their brothers, or the sons of their sisters, or the Muslim women and the women of good conduct with whom they associate, or those (slave-girls) their right hands possess, or the male attendants in their service free of sexual desire, or children that are as yet unaware of femininity. Nor should they stamp their feet (i. e. act in such a manner as to) draw attention to their charms (and arouse the passion of men). And, O believers, turn to God all together in repentance that you may attain true prosperity.”
