Talking about whether hijab is mandatory or not in Islam

"I think parents have the right to introduce hijab to their children at an earlier age, but to be open to the concept that they may choose to not wear hijab at a later stage. I think it's important to realise that hijab is not the be all and end all of Islamic modesty, and that being a good Muslim is so much more than a piece of cloth hiding the hair."
--------------------------------------------
"That being said, obviously I believe people should have the right to dress the way they want. But I think it should be discouraged until the woman is old enough to understand fully and make her own choice..."

"I guess, to begin with I don't believe the Hijab is in fact mandated in Islam. This is entirely a cultural position and not one supported by the Quran. Also, teaching your daughter to be modest is not at all equal to training her to put a scarf over her head. Modesty is an innate quality. It is something you learn that is reflected not only in what you wear but in how you behave. If you are implying that fathers who didn't make their daughters wear the hijab when they are young will be held accountable by Allah on the day of judgement for it then I think we have totally different perceptions of what Allah is and what are responsibilities are in this life."

"
"1. The ayas discussed and the citations here are about the Asbab nuzul (reason for revelation) if the aya in the Quran that asks the believing women to draw their khimar over their chest. This is the one that is used to argue for hijab as people make the claim that the khimar was a shawl that was used to cover heads. It's not about the niqab at all. The Quran does not mention the requirement of a woman to cover her hair at all (2) I am surprised about this comment.l - especially because it'll the references includes ibn taymiyyah- you can't get more traditional and conservative than that! . It also includes other many respected scholars and it traces the scholarship of this issue over time and the various fiqh...and scholastic opinions (3) you are diluting the argument- we are discussing the obligation of women to cover their hair... obviously I'm fully aware of the complexity of hijab as modesty... but I am frustrated that people conflate it and assume a head covering makes a person modest- it's just not true. I know many women who don't wear hijab who are modest- and many who do who are immodest. (4) scholars should stop obsessing over what women wear and focus on the more important aspects of our deen."

"What I pasted before is an extract from sheikh khalid Abu el fadl. I respect his jurisprudence immensely"
----------------------------------------------------
"It's far more difficult to train your children to pray or observe hijab etc once they hit puberty, than to have them causally observe it earlier. My young daughters love wearing it, but often feel too hot and take it off. No worries. It's not about wearing it at this stage but more so being familiar with it."

"This issue isn't unique to hijabs - One could extend the discussion to practising /observing religion and cultural acts or events  at an early age. Attending a religious or cultural events, praying, fasting, marking of the body due to religious or cultural reasons, refusing medical treatment due to a religious or cultural beliefs, prohibiting certain foods, believing in a god or believing in no god, dressing one way over another..list goes on. How far do we take the argument that we shouldn't impose things on children till they understand?"

A person follows both Christianity and Islam. Is it possible?

Every time in the Olympic Games we see Muslim players refuse to shake hands with Israeli athletes during the games. I am not sure if this is done because of a religious or a political reason?
In Islam we are asked to respond with better manner when someone greets us, as Allah said in the Quran: (And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet with one better than it or [at least] return it [in a like manner]. Indeed, Allah is ever, over all things, an Accountant.) 4:86
I am aware of the different opinions between the scholars regarding initiating Salam by saying Alsalam Alikum, but the vast majority said its allowed to respond to their salam and the strongest opinion is that you can initiate it too. However, I am not aware that any one said its not allowed to great them with other than Alsalam !
We all know in these events it's usually a universal greetings like hi or hello!
If it's a political move, I would say it's a poor one because it is bad publicity for Islam and Muslims, and it will not serve any cause in my opinion. So what are your thoughts?

"Being gay is not a sin, Islam is firm in this. But committing sexual intercourse and/or same sex marriage is forbidden and a sin in Islam. This fact doesn't take away from the that gays, whether Muslim or not, have a right to life, liberty, property, income equality, free from discrimination in employement, healthcare, and to be loved and befriended just as their heterosexual counterparts. Keep strong my Muslim bro's and sis's... Both gay and hetero."

"British Muslims have 3 choices in relation to their potential interaction with the wider society.

Ghettoization, integration or assimilation.

Ghettoization is where the community lives separately & remains isolated from the rest of the society with very limited interaction. This choice is self-defeating & counter-productive as it means non-muslims will have potential dawah restricted as well as no awareness of Islam & Muslims therefore will only receive their knowledge from the biased media & politicians who base their opinions on ignorance, prejudice, misunderstanding, misinformation, distortion, exaggeration, propaganda & hatred.

Assimilation is another possible option. This is known as the melting pot which is a metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogenous, the different elements "melting together" into a harmonious whole with a common culture.

However, this would be suicide for the community as it means dissolving into the rest of the non-muslim society without remaining distinct. For example, adopting English names like John as opposed to Muhammed, becoming indifferent about Muslim identity or any of the required Islamic obligations & even, God Forbid, becoming an apostate from Islam.

The only viable option for the community is integration which means interacting & mixing with the rest of non-muslim society while remaining distinct in our Muslim identity, values & behavior. This is known as the salad bowl concept which suggests that the integration of the many different cultures of a country combine like a salad, as opposed to the more traditional notion of a cultural melting pot.

In the salad bowl model, various cultures in a country are juxtaposed — like salad ingredients — but do not merge into a single homogeneous culture. Each culture keeps its own distinct qualities.

As Muslims, we are a naturally conservative community including a socially conservative community in relation to, for example, the family & gender relations.

Do Muslims have the right not to be liberal? Do we have to abandon established orthodox Islamic doctrines & teachings regarding homosexuality, same-sex marriage, the family, gender relations & our religion, in general, in order to be ‘British’?

That’s what is being suggested to us? That we need to subscribe to Liberalism in order to be accepted as ‘British’? What does it exactly mean to be ‘British’? Has anyone defined it?

Trevor Phillips appears to be ignoring the fact that the overwhelming majority of Muslims are involved in all aspects of British life including for example speaking English, participating in elections & the economy, attending sporting events, appearing on TV programs, involvement in various sports such as Boxing (Amir Khan), Athletics (Mo Farah), Cricket (Moeen Ali), sending our children to the state & private education system as well as walking the same streets as everybody else.

Personally, I am of the opinion that the community should adopt a position somewhere between ghettoization & integration which means mixing with the non-muslim society while remaining distinct as well as slightly separate in order to preserve our moral, religious, historical & civilizational identity & values.

We would have 2 parallel societies where the community has its own distinct society as well as interacting with the wider non-muslim society. Thankfully this largely appears to be the reality at present.

This is what has upset & scared the likes of Trevor Phillips which is that Muslims have refused to assimilate into ‘British’ values & have maintained a strong identity unlike other minority communities who, perhaps, are surrendering to the identity & values of the wider majority society.

We should give the likes of him a befitting response to the dangerous nonsense that he has peddled in this program.

We will remain who we are in terms of our identity & values regardless of how much liberals despise it.

Long may we continue to upset the likes of Phillips!

Why does Trevor Phillips think like this about Muslims?

Unfortunately, the reason is that he is a coconut & an Uncle Tom. Although he is of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity & has black skin color, he is internally white & the Western ideology of Liberalism is the prism through which he views the world.

In reality, he is internally white despite of being externally black. Tragically there are many like him who are either Muslim, non-white & of non-western origin who have internalized false consciousness.

Being the liberal determinist that he is, Phillips, like so many others, seems frustrated by both Islam and Muslims. Why can’t they just get with the secular liberal program & stop being such a nuisance unlike other communities who have apparently accepted ‘British’ values, ‘modern’ values & ‘progress’?

Phillips believes that history moves with intent, that the forces of ‘progress’ will inevitably prevail which entails, secularism, being areligious and liberalism.

The implication is clear enough: that to be truly “British” is to adopt a particular set of views about society, gender relations or, more generally, to be or become liberal. 

This is a sentiment that has been noticed more and more after 9/11 & especially over debates about immigration during the last decade: the desire, sometimes a demand, to see Muslims embrace the western ideologies of secularism & liberalism, and an anger that many simply won’t. Too many Muslims, it seemed, are intent on defying the arc of history.

Long may it continue!"

"A divorced woman or widow never had any issues getting married in the time of the companions. In fact, she would have a hard time choosing which proposal to accept since there were so many great men asking for her. She was never made to feel like she was a burden on her family/society, nor was she told that she'd have to marry anyone that'd be willing to propose to her. Some Muslim cultures are backwards, Islam is not."