What does the Quran really say about a Muslim woman's hijab? | Samina Ali | TEDxUniversityofNevada 

The things these Muslim scholars don't tell you is that men are required to lower their gaze too.

People really need to learn the difference between culture/tradition & religion.

That is why in Islam,it is very important to read Quran in its original language and learn the translation from the right scholars, not just read the translation

I’m glad that Ted doesn’t shy away from issues that can cause controversy because that proves that they truly do provide a platform for all ideas - not just the politically accurate, socially acceptable ones.

Shouldn’t we teach men how to think correctly and treat women right instead of telling men and boys to look away?

Edit : the whole point of my comment is that in Islam, a guy averting his gaze is just as important as a lady covering up. Averting the gaze away from the tempting things have been mentioned many times in Qur'an. Whether it was for men , or women. So, when people blame harassment on women (which happens in all countries, but now I want to focus on the Muslim ones) it is not because of religion, but rather because of society. I believe that we have to teach our boys how to lower their eyes as much as we teach our girls to cover up.

Assalamualaikum. Yes whenever I wear hijab I feel free and protected , as a Muslim women i always wear hijab it gives me freedom and protection ,no matter how many people gives there views on hijab but mine is always in favour of hijab which is to protect their modesty...

I am from Egypt. And here there are some people call for this. But I don't why the most majority of people don't want to accept that they have a wrong believes. I mean what they think that it's from religion. But it's just a tradition.

Pls. Stop misinterpreting the Qur'an according to your whims and desires. You neither have knowledge about the Arabic language nor about Islam.

what men need to do is mind their own business and have some respect for women

People really have to know the differences between culture or tradition and Religion People should read the Quran in its real language and then know the translation from right scholars

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

Her way of talking, gestures.. everything is so calming. Makes you wanna listen.

I am neither in favour or against any religion. But it seems unfair that that women had (have) to suffer for the sins done by men. If men behaved badly, it was the men who had to be changed. Why did the women have to change themselves? Was refraining women the only solution?

Why are there only men commenting hate like wtf i dont see a single woman disagreeing with her why?

it's so funny how all the people in the comments who are disagreeing with her are the muslim men , and them saying please read the Quran in it's original form ,and assuming the speaker didn't and doesn't know about the original form just to invalidate her points and make people question her information.

(paraphrasing) "if the fundamentalists want to take us back to 600AD, it would actually be a step forward" truer words have rarely been spoken.

it is very interesting to see the amount of males that commented here thinking they got any right to talk about a woman's body and what she should do with it. how entitled.

My personal experience is when I choose not to wear a hijab around the people who do. They judge me as being wrong, not modest and less than them which I don't agree with. What you wear is a part of the many wisdom. But meanwhile, it is a big lifestyle change, especially for people living in a non-Islamic country. Overly imposing this rule before all the other verses is forming a barrier for women like me to get closer to Quran. Hence, voices trying to investigate and elaborate more on this context are essential. Mutual respect for garment choices is important. For that, we need to be more open-minded and dare to listen to different interpretations.

This feels so enlightening to someone who knows so little of Islam. Thank you for your courage to share.

When a woman tells you “Let me go!” Doesn’t mean convince me, When the women is trying to get away from you doesn’t mean she’s just scared. If she don’t like you LEAVE👏🏻HER👏🏼ALONE👏🏼 periodt.

If she had given this speech in India or pakistan, she would have been dead the same day. I hope she is safe in america

That is why education is a MUST!!! Especially for women... Thank You for educating me. I married a Muslim man and he always told me that people are miseducating about their faith. I am am very blessed to have found him...

A lot of Muslims here are saying she's wrong but not really saying why with direct evidence.

This is so intriguing, I'm not Muslim so I know nothing about the religion or the Quran but so far it sounds like early Islamic women were cool AF Edit: Religon, not culture

She has a lovely narrative voice, I would love to hear her narrate an audio book. Very soothing

Besides being clearly educated, and knowledgeable on this subject. Samina is a thinker, and we need more women to think for themselves and ask questions no matter what walk of life they stem from

This lady is amazing. I’m hooked to how she speaks. So calming

Finally! So tired of explaining this to non-Muslims. Now I'm just going hand out this link like a business card.

her voice, her movements... they're so powerful, so fluid, so controlled. her presence is commanding.

love it how explicitly she stated verses and their meanings, ofcourse for deeper and accurate understanding we gotta know arabic and the word origins

Innovation in the deen is a slippery slope. May Allah guide the sister and anyone who agrees

Her voice draws attention. She could command an army with that

my father tested corona positive.. He is in a very critical condition.. I request my all brothers and sisters to pray for his health... edit: I thank Allah and after him, everyone who prayed for my father's health...Allah has blessed my father with shifaaaa...Alhamdulillah

You go girl and keep going get louder and louder my sister

She spoke in the best manner,,provided proofs and verses,, and has really distinguished immortality from divine commands. We need more speakers like her, Quran says most people will lead astray from path of God when followed, that's what she taught us that instead of following scholars if quran is observed carefully then it provides us clearer understanding of right and wrong.

She's articulate and brave. She touched on a subject most wouldn't go near .. And she made her point!!!

I m Muslim male ...and I know it might be harsh for many but I would like to say she does have a logical point... . .

I love reading all these comments about people disagreeing with her and telling that she is lying when she provided all proofs you need by quoting verses hahahaha, these people just like to ignore clear evidence at this point and is really intertaining 🤣 And all these "religious people" cursing her instead of at least being open to the facts she is saying

Mind blowing, what a girl,probably the voice of every educated Muslim women.

Woundnt it of been more appropriate to expect the men to restrain themselves when women were around???????

I am in awe. Her voice, her tone, her narration, the way she puts forward such intelligent words, everything about this is beautiful.

It’s clear that most people clicked on this video to argue and not to listen. If you think you could’ve presented this topic better than her, why didn’t Ted invite you?

13:05 I’m confused. She says: „[…] so that they NOT be known“. But that it’s incorrect. The Quran says “[…] THAT THEY MAY BE DISTINGUISHED and not be harassed […]” (33:58-59)

Our Prophet Muhammad's first wife was a " CEO " 👍👏👏👏

That's an alpha, intelligent, gorgeous, fearless woman. I love this lady

Where did you get this nonsense from Wikipedia 😂😂😂

When a Muslim girl is born she becomes a reason for her father to enter jannah/ paradise. When she grows up and marries a man she become a wife she completes half of religion of her and her husband. When she becomes a mother paradise / jannah lies under her feet. All Religious scholars largely agree Islam in the early 600s CE, the Prophet Muhammed expanded women's rights to include inheritance, property and marriage rights. It was a revolutionary move at a moment when women held few, if any, rights. At a time when female children were buried alive inArabiaand women were considered transferable property, Islam honored women in society by elevating them and protecting them with unprecedented rights. Islam gave women the right to education, to marry someone of their choice, to retain their identity after marriage, to divorce, to work, to own and sell property, to seek protection by the law, to vote, and to participate in civic and political engagement. God devotes an entire chapter of the Quran, the holy book of Islam, to women. In addition, God directly addresses women repeatedly throughout the Quran Women are empowered with many rights and protections under Islamic law and are honored with a dignified stature in society.

"or does this sound strangely uncomfortably erotic" if you're a muslim girl in the middle east you know exactly what she is talking about. even showing your wrists and parts of your lower arm by lifting your sleeve up are sexualised here. everything is sexualised here, even showing some of your hair while still wearing the hijab is seen as you being seductive. if you haven't experienced this, don't pretend and say it's not true. this stuff is TRAUMATISING, when you are sexualised from the age of 8 in the middle east for being a girl, then you know EXACTLY what she means by that sentence.

Why not tell the men to restrain themselves rather than restrict women?

Well done! Well explained, I as a muslim man share your views a 100%

dude just say u don't want to wear the hijab. there's no reason to spread misinformation

my question is why we say to girls cover you self and dont hang out but the boys we don't tell them respect women

The verse advising women to dress a particular way rather than coming up with something to stop men, something is definitely not right.

with the amount of mental gymnastics this took, I'm honestly impressed that she kept a straight face

It is funny that a majority of the people disagreeing with her and posting hateful comments are....men :)

Why are most people missing the main point. She is talking about women empowerment through her own decisions. It's not about whether she has to wear the hijab or not. It's as to WHY. The hijab I wear is empowering to me. It gives me a sense of identity. Mostly because I chose it. For some other cultures, like described in the video, it's demeaning. So before going off and insulting people, understand their reasoning first. Please.

She is saying that we have to choose how to dress, as a hijbi girl I choose to wear hijab and I'm really proud of it!!

And majority of people talking in this comment section have never studied the Quran they just know hadiths and salahs.

I do believe god has more important work than worrying about what women wear.

how well she presented this topic. hope no harms comes to her in any form.

I Love such open minded people. Thanks for deep insight. Av learned alot.

She's probably the most beautiful Muslim woman I've ever seen

"The prophet's first wive is what we define today as a CEO" . . Absolutely true!!

Still feel that the onus of avoiding harassment shouldn't be on the women, it should be the man's job to not harass.

How is it possible to say all cultures are equal when males in some of them are distorting religion to abuse women on its behalf? How can I respect a culture where a woman needs to restrict herself?

The hjab is obligatory in Islam. All scholars agree on this. Then one of them comes and tells me that it is not an obligation. Just don't talk if you don't have knowledge. May Allah guide us. 🤍

'or are THESE men, no different from THOSE men lurking out in the dark' When I tell you I got chills down my spine.

Restrictions on women are because of men's insecurities. :( God is fair and just.

Mixing religion with tradition is a form of idol-worship since it implies setting up other sources of religious laws besides the law of God. ❣️

Mam you are strong and confident and I admire you ❤ you are an inspiration. The way you conduct yourself.

Very well spoken. We need more Muslim women like her to educate Muslim men. God bless you.

As a Christian, one of my favourite verses of the Bible is Matthew 5:29, where Jesus says in reference to a man looking at a woman lustfully "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away". Instead of telling women to cover up he attacks the men for their lustful thoughts! Having watched this video now, it seems as though Islam has a similar approach, which I never thought before. Although the women were told to wear the garment to stop themselves being harassed, it was aimed at the men who were to blame, and the women were merely being protected, not blamed for dressing immodestly.

idk why she has a platform of spreading misinformation. may Allah swt help her

I know the RU-vid comments section is notorious for being a terrible place for important discourse and a breeding ground for dogmatism but for goodness sake, don’t gaslight others into misunderstanding what TEDtalks are for. They are a platform to share ideas. Innovative ideas, brave ideas, not ideas to suit your predetermined interests. If you didn’t come to learn something new, you are not the intended audience.

The man must be weak if the woman have to cover up like a mummy to keep a man from lusting after her body.

that conclusion left me breathless. I feel like everyone should watch this no matter what you beleive in.

im soon to be a muslim convert and really struggling with hijab….i feel as if it were absolutely compulsory Allah would’ve said so…but there are many hadiths saying otherwise …. i just feel so bad for not wearing one 😞

If you really knowing about islam and about muslimah,you'll be istiqomah and tawadhu and humble

I found her voice SO satisfying

Why do we never learn these things in school?

who should we contact to have or write transcript in italian for this fantastic talk? 👏

Hi there, please could you provide the sources for where you got the information from? I think it would be really useful to help women across the world!

I don’t understand..if y’all don’t want to wear a KHIMAR (head covering), than don’t do it. Why you have to get up on stage, parade false information with zero knowledge is beyond me. Islam doesn’t change. It doesn’t evolve. The fundamentals stay for fundamentals even 209998 years into the future. A commandant from the Creator, the One who wants the best for men and women, has commanded that people observe modesty, that woman wear a head covering and man lower his gaze.

There are 2 types of crazy people 1. Will acquire abundant knowledge and make sure they're profound before even speaking out a single word 2. Think they are smart and end up becoming a complete disaster out of utter Bluntness

If you really really wanna know the true concept behind Hijab do read Syed Abul Aala Maududi's book "Pardah" It is originally in urdu language. But I guess there are English or other translations It is a master piece

You dont wear hijab . Its a sin but ok . Its ultimately your desicion. But please dont justify it and misguide others by misintetpretating the Quranic verses

Writing this, I am a young Christian teenager who seeks to know more about other religions out of a sense of curiosity. I am not a Muslim, but the religion does fascinate me. I will not seek to ascertain the veracity of Ms. Ali's claims, but I will share what I know to be true about Islam today. I truly don't want to start a flaming contest, but please, if anyone has any opposing viewpoints to mine, I would like a CIVIL DISCUSSION, and not a chain of hatemail. I think that it is fair to say that when most people think of Islam today, the first association that comes to mind is that of extremism. Terrorism. ISIS. 9/11. And for good cause, too-Islam, of all major religions, has earned itself the worst reputation in terms of terrorism. Given all that ISIS has done in the past year, it's hardly surprising. Of course, the logical follow-up to this observation is that this extremist mindset is followed only by a small percentage of the Islamic faith. Accordingly, whenever you see a veiled woman or a man wearing a thobe in public, one should not think, "Muslim, therefore terrorist" and give them a fifty-foot berth. That, in turn, is stereotyping at best, prejudiced bigotry at worst, and dead wrong no matter how you slice it. Modern Islam is filled with a plethora of ideals that modern Enlightenment thinking finds wrong, offensive. Most of these concern women and female children, as was addressed in this video. I do not know what the Q'ran states about these individuals and their expectations, but I feel that there are two points that most people can agree on: first, that Islamic women are not treated with the respect that they are owed as human beings, and secondly, that women are more than the possessions and trophies that they are sometimes regarded as. Take this as you will, but I personally feel that women deserve much more than modern Islam gives to them. When I see what the typical view of Islam has become, I feel grieved. From taking AP World History last year, I know well how Islam has shaped the world-for better or for worse. It has a beautiful, illustrious history, and the reputation it has now does not do it credit. Like Ms. Ali states here, Islam is so much more-should be known for so much more-than it is right now. Accordingly, I'd like to challenge people to look beyond the obvious flaws it has on the surface and to look at its heart, which is beautiful.

Can't love this enough. I can't stand seeing blind followers of ignorance. Learn your religion, don't inherit it - Ali (7th century)

She talking of her own not a single word clearly matches with the quran the hijab means covering being a speaker doesn't mean that you can say wrong about a religion or it's religious teachings when you actually havent read about them so please stop misleading people for so called fame

1)Quran has totally 6236 Verses The 62th Surah is Al Jumma & 36th Surah is Yaseen Both has to recite in Friday Easiest way to remember too 2) Prophet Mohammad When telling or hearing the Nabi Name We muslims has to compulsorily say Salallahu Alayhi Wasalam which is shortly describes as SAW The English Meaning - Peace Be Upon Him Correct me If I'm Wrong Because Im answerable in the Day Of Judgement In Sha Allah

Sheez! This is one brave lady! There are almost a million fundamentalists in Islam and way too many probably watched this video, and I’m sure they are not thinking about sending her a thank you note.

Men corrupt Gods love and mercy and mistranslate HIS words to justify their gain. This woman spoke well.

It says hijab for believing women. If you don't wear it you are not believing period.

I think her outfit should be standard for most Muslim women 😃

i want to be able to present like this in my class...

I'm scared how the world is going down by progression of time

Why is it that muslims living in muslim countries are fighting to remove the hijab and muslims living in christian countries cant put them on quick enough. Its all very devious but fully expected

Thank you very much, I try to learn since many years, and I like what you Say and the way you Say it 👏👏

the way this woman speaks calms me for some reason.