The Return of the Pharaoh to Egypt

Al-Jazeera in English reported that, “The Egyptian government has banned female students from wearing the niqab, a face-covering veil, at schools, according to state-owned media.”

Misr (Egypt) has been a central wilayah of Islam, since its conquest in the time of the Second Khaleefah Rashid, Umar al-Farooq (ra). It has seen many heroes that defended the sanctities of Islam. It has seen Sultan Salahuddin al-Ayubi, who retook al-Masjid al-Aqsa from the Christian crusaders. It has born witness to Sultan Baybars who defended ash-Sham, Misr and the Hejaz against the Mongols. At times of crisis in the past Misr has been a fortress for Islam. It holds within it the treasures of historical centers of Islamic learning, including the Jamia of Al-Azhar. Simultaneously, it provided its Islamic rulers with wealth, power and a powerful soldiery.

Today, however, it has fallen to lows unimaginable in years past. A corrupt military establishment, ruling by man-made law, suppresses the Muslims and loots their wealth. It cowers to the West and serves its vile purposes. Today in Egypt, our sisters in Islam are no longer allowed to wear the niqab in schools. Today, they are being forced to live, in accordance with Western standards. This ban harkens back to the time of Mustafa Kamal and his secularist policies. This ban represents the treacherous mindset of the current leadership of Misr, in the form of Sisi and his military junta. Sisi has become yet another leader of a Muslim majority country that sells the honor of our sisters and daughters, in exchange for Western support.

The question arises, however, as to why is the West so interested in the morals of our women? Why are our mothers, sisters and daughters targeted in these attacks?

The Westerners are annoyed by a mo’mina’s modesty, piety, and lack of dazzling display (tabarruj). The evil gaze of these colonialists has long wandered towards our sisters and our wives. They first fought against our morality under the guise of freedom and equality. They falsely portrayed our women as oppressed and silenced, when they are fiercely protected and highly honored from the cradle to the grave. When this approach failed, they reverted to enforced freedom. They banned the covering of women as seen in France. It was also seen in Mustafa Kemal’s Western-influenced reforms, after his abolition of the Khilafah, in collaboration with the British. Regarding the war against Islam, the West realized it cannot be won through genocide or ideological poison alone. Instead, they are now forcing Muslims to abandon the Deen they hold dear, in exchange for acceptance and respect. This campaign of force is being first deployed against the chaste women of our Ummah.

The West has found our women an easy target due to the weakness of the current rulers. Furthermore, it views corrupting women more fruitful as a woman’s influence, good or bad, spreads to her brothers, her sons, her father and her husband. Paired with their filthy desires towards our women, this ban is a step toward their wanting to attain something unattainable, which is the Muslim woman abandoning her firm grip upon her Deen and her chastity. These factors are joined further with the general Western hypocrisy. The Emirate of Afghanistan enforces a dress code according to the Shariah and it is said to be a violation of human rights and freedom of choice. However, when France or Egypt enforce a dress code in opposition to Shariah, they are praised as beacons of freedom and human rights.

This blatant hypocrisy signals an imposition of Western moralistic supremacy, which the Muslims must fight against. Would it not be better if the Ummah was protected by a system globally, that allowed us to act in accordance to our morals and our Iman? Wouldn’t a Muslim’s sanctities be better protected, under the system given to us by Allah (swt) and the Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (saw)? Why must we bow to the West? Why must we allow them to dictate our way of life? Why must we stand for their insults and accept our own dishonor? Why must we allow them to wage war against our Iman without an answer?

Was it not the Iman of Sultan Abdul Hamid II that compelled him to threaten Jihad against the kufaar, for attempting to dishonor our beloved Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (saw)? Was it not the Iman of Muhammad bin Qasim that motivated him to conquer Sindh, in response to the tyranny of its ruler against Muslims? Was it not Islam that compelled Salahudin to fight the overwhelming force of the crusaders, and did Allah (swt) not grant him the honor of liberating Bait ul Maqdis? Yet, today the progeny of the Crusaders burn copies of the Noble Quran and wage war against the coverings of our sisters, without response. Will they not go further?

We must awaken. We must unify around Islam. We must restore the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood. We must return to the Deen of Allah (swt) and fulfill the covenant we have been favored with.
Allah (swt) said,

[وَالۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ وَالۡمُؤۡمِنٰتُ بَعۡضُهُمۡ اَوۡلِيَآءُ بَعۡضٍۘ يَاۡمُرُوۡنَ بِالۡمَعۡرُوۡفِ وَيَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ الۡمُنۡكَرِ وَيُقِيۡمُوۡنَ الصَّلٰوةَ وَيُؤۡتُوۡنَ الزَّكٰوةَ وَيُطِيۡعُوۡنَ اللّٰهَ وَرَسُوۡلَهٗؕ اُولٰۤٮِٕكَ سَيَرۡحَمُهُمُ اللّٰهُؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزِيۡزٌ حَكِيۡمٌ]‏

“The believers, both men and women, are guardians of one another. They encourage good and forbid evil, establish prayer and pay alms-tax, and obey Allah and His Messenger. It is they who will be shown Allah’s mercy. Surely Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” [TMQ Surah At-Tawba 9:71].

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Jalal ud Din – Wilayah Pakistan