Women’s Social Presence

Women's Islamic covering is one of the most debated topics surrounding the issue of women in Islam towards which different discourses have taken a variety of positions. This paper will examine two distinct views of Qasim Amin (1863-1908), a male Egyptian scholar who is traditionally is known as the first Muslim feminist in Arab world, and Ayatullah Mortaza Mutahhari (1903-1980), an Iranian religious scholar who his works on women related issues are still, after a few decades, among the main sources in the study of women in Islam. This paper through analyzing the contents followed by a comparative analysis of the views of these two figures of the Islamic world reveals that recognition of Islamic covering as ''a right'' (haq) and “an obligation” (taklif) for Muslim women is an element that is absent in Amin's discussion of Muslim women's covering while it is a turning point in Mutahhri's discussion of the Islamic modest dress. This differentiation which is rooted in fundamentally different approaches of Mutahhari and Amin towards the concept of hijab has resulted in several disparities in their gender views. A major disparity is reflected in Mutahhari and Amin’s views on veiling and women’s social presence; the former considers veiling as the key to women’s dynamic, legitimate and constructive social activity while the latter judges it as the main obstacle in women’s activity in society.