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American Morning

Role of Hair and Head Coverings in Islamic World

Aired November 20, 2001 - 07:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back at about 15 minutes before the hour. One of the most visible signs of Taliban rule has been the strict dress code imposed on Afghans. For the past five years men have been required to grow beards and women to wear head-to-toe coverings called burkas. Many beards have now been shaved, but burkas are still the norm for many women.

For a better understanding of the role of hair and head coverings in the Islamic world, we turn now to "New York Times" reporter Elaine Sciolino. Her most recent book is "Persian Mirror", a book about Iran. She joins me from Washington this morning. Thank you for joining us, appreciate your time this morning.

ELAINE SCIOLINO, NEW YORK TIMES: Thank you for having me Paula.

ZAHN: There has been some debate about exactly what the Koran says about facial hair for men. Can you try to clear that up for us this morning and the various interpretations we've all been exposed to.

SCIOLINO: There's nothing in the Koran that says that a man has to have a beard or doesn't need to shave, but the prophet Mohammed did wear a beard as did the prophet Moses and Jesus and so it traditionally became a sign of piety to - in Islam to grow a beard.

ZAHN: So there is no specific verse that ...

SCIOLINO: No specific verse.

ZAHN: ... relates to facial hair.

SCIOLINO: No, but there are various sort of traditional traditions and various Islamic sayings that indicate that it is better to have a beard than to not have a beard. And even very religious Muslims who wouldn't necessarily want a beard will often not shave completely, but just clip their facial hair.

ZAHN: So under Taliban rule, though, the men were required to wear beards at least four inches long. Where did that come from?

SCIOLINO: Well there's a somewhat spirit saying that says that a beard should be long, but in Islam usually a long beard is only something that a very devout learned person or an elderly person has the right to wear. So in a way it was a distortion or a perversion of Islam. But I have to say it has a lot to do not just with design or fashion or even with religion, but with power. The Taliban required men to dress in a certain way and women to dress in a certain way because it gave them power over these - their population.

ZAHN: Yes let's talk about women for a moment and we have a couple of pictures to reinforce what we're talking about. We have seen so much about the burka and surprisingly enough a number of women now in free Kabul haven't even removed the burkas. Tell us about the importance of this, particularly in the Taliban under Taliban rule.

SCIOLINO: Again, it was a way to coherce women and putting women in a veil where even their faces were covered is a - is a sort of class thing as much as it is a religious thing because, for example, Afghan women who work the fields don't have to cover their faces. They don't - some of them don't even wear veils or head coverings because they've got to do their work

Female nomads in Afghanistan don't have to wear burkas because how in the world could you move your sheep if you had this - you know if you couldn't even see. So it - no punt intended, but the veil is a multi layered object that has to do with religion, class, power.

ZAHN: And interestingly enough, a lot of women who now have the option to either remove the burkas or the veils have not. Do you understand why that is?

SCIOLINO: Well some women truly believe in being veiled and you know I'm much more familiar with Iran where I've spent a lot of time. You know if you suddenly changed the rule in Iran and allowed every woman to go uncovered, there would still be a lot of women, maybe even the majority of women who would choose to cover their head. I mean much like in Orthodox Judaism where the women will not show their natural hair, but put on a wig.

ZAHN: In your estimation, we talk so much about some of the misconceptions surrounding the Koran and what it really says - in your estimation, what has been the biggest perversion of the Koran by the Taliban?

SCIOLINO: Well I'm not going to touch that one with a 10-foot pole because I'm not a Koranist expert, but certainly the biggest perversion of Afghan life has been the - putting women back into the houses. You know women in Afghanistan have been the teachers and the doctors and the hospital workers and the social workers and to basically closet them into - in their houses is a perversion of what Afghan society has been and Afghan society was much more advanced than a country like Afghan - like Saudi Arabia or Kuwait when it came to women and you know, if indeed, this whole campaign led by the United States to liberate women in Afghanistan takes hold, it will - it will help their country develop a civil society.

ZAHN: Elaine Sciolino, thank you for your time this morning, appreciate your sharing some of what was in your piece over the weekend under the title "Fear" as a battlefield for the soul. It's a fascinating piece and thanks for sharing some of those insights with us this morning. SCIOLINO: Thanks.

ZAHN: Happy holidays.

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