‘Not such a bad thing’: Why did feminist Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain say this about the burka?

I have often heard that it is our “obscene system of seclusion” that obstructs our development. When I meet with highly educated sisters face-to-face, they often tell me to give up the “burka.” But what is this thing we call development? Does it dwell only outside the burka? If that is the case, then are we to understand that fishwives, hide-tanners, and corpse-clearers are more developed than us?

Yet it is our belief that there is no excessive conflict between seclusion and development. A high level of education is of course necessary for development. Some say that a high level of education necessarily requires relinquishing purdah and attending a university for FA or BA examinations. This is not such bad reasoning. Why? Is it impossible for there to be a self-governed university and women examiners for us? We can still keep going even if there is no such arrangement and no knowledge that earns a grade.

The system of seclusion is not natural – it is ethical. Animals do not have this rule. As humankind gradually became civilised, it learned many non-natural practices. For instance: it is natural to travel on foot, but mankind has produced various types of wagons, palanquins, and suchlike for...

Read more