Muslim invaders responsible for veil in India?

Times:

The woman nominated by India’s ruling Congress party to become the country’s first female president was at the centre of a national furore yesterday after she urged Muslims to throw away their veils.

Pratabha Patil appeared relatively uncontroversial when she was put forward by Congress last week for the largely ceremonial but symbolically important post. Seen as a moderate Hindu, the only criticism levelled at the 72-year-old governor of Rajasthan was that she lacked national stature.

By yesterday, however, Mrs Patil’s name was on the lips of Muslim leaders, who accused her of insulting Islam. Outraged by her comment that the veil has been imported to India by Muslim invaders, they are calling on Congress to ditch her and choose a more secular presidential candidate.

The controversy so far seems unlikely to spark the sort of violence between Hindus and Muslims that has so often racked India since it won independence from Britain in 1947. It shows, however, how sensitive such issues remain and it threatens to derail the Congress-led coalition Government’s plans to install its candidate in Rashtrapati Bhawan, the presidential palace in Delhi.

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Historians also criticised Mrs Patil, saying that Indian women started wearing the veil long before the Muslim Mughals invaded in the early 16th century, led by the Timurid prince, Babur. Satish Chandra, in his book Medieval India, said that the practice became widespread in the 13th century.

B. P. Sahu, a historian at Delhi University, said: “People are not historically aware that the veil existed in early Indian society.

“It was a way to show respect to the elders. But the idea that the ‘purdah’ system started as a result of the invasion by the Mughals is one of the stereotypical ideas that have been taken from the works of British historians.”

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Whatever the history it is still a silly custom that is not followed in many Muslim societies. It is just another example of Muslims trying to impose submission on women. Like the requirement to cover the hair, it is a "rule" to protect the perverts from wanton sexual attacks by the "sex rays" emanating from the hair of face of a woman.