Burqa, Cloak of Invisibility
How does the heteropatriarchal oppression of women benefit the state and keep men in power?
Through the eyes of Michel Focault, the body is subjected to forces of discipline and control. In the “classical age” the body was discovered as an “object and target of power” in which the body is “manipulated, shaped, [and] trained” to “obey, respond, become skilful and increase its forces”. In other words, the “manipulable” body is docile and “may be subjected, used, transformed, and improved”.
Through the acts of discipline, docility is achieved, and control is gained. “The constant subjection of its forces” has transpired into a form of “domination”. With domination comes power; a power that was formed to control and “define” how one “may have a hold over other’s bodies” so that the body will not only “do” what “one wishes” but “operate as one wishes” as well. We can look at domination as an example of the state or form of governance. Every country in the world is ruled under a system of government and must adhere to the rules (the constitution and laws) that it follows. Because the docile body is dominated and controlled, everyone must do what one determines and operate when and how one pleases.
This is where the policy of “disciplinary coercion” is formed and applied to increase domination. When the body acts out or objects to discipline, the act of punishment to correct disobedience is applied. In other words, the docile body is given more discipline for not being disciplined. For example, law enforcement being used in society to enforce obedience and handle any violators of the law through acts of punishment.
In history, acts of punishment are seen as something being done to the body to set an example or reminder of what will happen if one disobeys. For instance, the judicial system and prisons. Through discipline and control societies have justified punishment and violence inflicted on bodies simply because they did not abide by the rules or laws. With this, we can argue that because the docile body is controlled, it is vulnerable to punishment and, therefore, violence. And that if a system of power or form of domination demand conformity amongst certain groups (i.e. women) then individuals are overlooked and ignored to the point of being invisible.
One form of invisibility is evident in Islamic societies. Women born into Shari’a law are taught from a young age to be obedient, modest, and decent. They are told to guard their innocence and trained to behave accordingly. In the Quran, both women and men are taught that modesty is “virtue” and everyone must practice it. However, women are punished for being immodest while mens acts of immodesty are justified by the law. With this, women are asked to cover their whole body (excluding the face and hands) and men are asked to not wear shorts in public (be covered from the navel to the knee). The style or fashion of how the women covers herself (with the veil) depends on her country of origin.
In Afghanistan, women must wear Burqas while in public. A Burqa is a veil that covers the whole body and leaves a windowed mesh or grille across the eyes for the woman to see. In this heteropatriarchal society, a woman’s individuality is stripped away leaving her distinguishable only by the color of her eyes or the sound of her voice. The act of covering the woman’s entire body diminishes her to invisibility and leave her subjected to violence. Whether by choice or voluntarily, “…they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty save to their husbands, or their fathers or their husbands’ fathers, or their sons or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical desire, or small children who have no sense of sex…”Q 24:31. “The burqa can be seen as a symbol of patriarchal Islam’s intolerance of dissent and desire to contain and repress female sexuality”. Similar to Focault’s theory that a medical doctor looks beyond the patient for its organs, so do males in Islamic society by objectifying women when looking beyond their veils.
The political interpretation of the Quran (Shari’a) is intertwined with law; women are disciplined and trained to obey men under the auspices of protection. Wearing a veil is an act of modesty. In the an-Nisa’ (Women) Chapter of the Quran it explains that “men are the protectors and maintainers of women”. In a society where Shari’a is the answer, women are ranked very low on the social spectrum and often viewed as objects rather than people. Similarly to Focault’s theory of discipline and punishment, Shari’a and Islamic Law can be seen as a form of maintaining governmental control over women.
Under Shari’a women are deemed inferior to men and treated as such. The Quran states “your women are cultivation for you; so approach your cultivation whenever you like, and send ahead for yourselves” Q 4:34. This excerpt on how to control and treat women, disparages and keeps them oppressed by comparing them to a piece of property. Furthermore, giving men permission to “cultivate” their women whenever and however they’d like, dehumanizes women to “objects”.
Because women under the Shari’a are disciplined and controlled by their male counterparts, the violence inflicted on them is justified if they were to be disobedient. By law, men are given permission to beat their wives, if they “fear disobedience” from them. “Men are the managers of the affairs of women for that God has preferred in bounty one of them over another, and for that they have expended of their property. Righteous women are therefore obedient, guarding the secret for God’s guarding. And those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them. If they then obey you, look not for any way against them; God is All-high, All-great”.
In order to keep the balance of power in a heteropatriarchal society and instill control over the body(ies), one must inflict fear of resistance or rebellion to make sure that power isn’t lost or overthrown by the oppressed. Islamic governments remain male dominated by “controlling the operations and positions of [the female] body.” Thereby, keeping the women of Islam invisible through the enforcement of Shari’a Law.
