Encylopedia of Body Adornment.pdf - Print My Tattoo

164 ISLAM
back to Pakistan told the courts that since he was a convert to Christianity, his
tattoos would mark him as a non-Muslim, which could put his life in danger.
Using henna to decorate the hands and feet is very popular among Muslim
women. Women typically paint the designs on freehand or use inexpensive stencils.
Arabic designs include larger patterns and are more abstract than Indian designs.
North African designs are simple and include geometric shapes as well as
abstract symbols. In the Muslim world, henna is mostly associated with special
occasions such as betrothals, weddings, childbirths, naming ceremonies, circumcisions,
and the like. Henna is also worn to celebrate the end of Ramadan.
For the most part, however, body adornment in much of the Muslim world
is generally achieved through jewelry, which can be decorative, can serve as a
woman’s dowry and wealth, and can serve as amulets to ward off evil.
Both circumcision and female genital mutilation are also associated with Islam,
and reflect social and religious values.
Circumcision, or the removal of the foreskin of the penis, is performed as an
initiation ritual for adolescent boys around the world, and predates Islam. Muslims,
however, practice circumcision as well, although not as an intiation ritual
and typically during infancy, although sometimes later. While not mandated by
Islam, it is seen as a requirement for marriage and for Muslim converts. Some
Muslim cultures do follow more traditional tribal practices, in that their boys
are circumcised during or before adolescence as part of a rite of passage, followed
by a major celebration. In other Muslim societies, however, especially in urban
contexts, infants are circumcised in the hospital with no celebration or ritual
at all.
Female genital mutilation, usually known by its proponents as female circumcision,
refers to the partial or full removal of the clitoris, and may or may not
include the removal of the labia minora and the sewing together of the labia majora.
These practices are found throughout the Muslim world. It is most prominent
in East and North Africa, as well as in some parts of the Arabian peninsula, and
is also found in a handful of locations in the Middle East, as well as in Indonesia
and Malaysia. Finally, female genital mutilation is now being seen in parts
of Europe and the United States where Muslims from these countries have immigrated.
Female genital mutilation is performed in order to control female sexuality,
which is seen as dangerous in Islam, and to ensure the purity and fidelity of daughters
and wives. It is commonly performed on girls between the ages of 4 and 8, and
results in the elimination of a woman’s sexual pleasure, and for many, in scarring,
infection, and pain as well.
See also: Circumcision; Female Genital Mutilation; Henna
Further Reading: Field, H. “Body Marking in Southwestern Asia,” Papers of the Peabody
Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Vol. XLV, No. 1, published
by the Peabody Museum, Cambridge, MA, 1958; Searight, S. “The Use and Function of
Tattooing on Moroccan Women.” New Haven, CT: Human Relations Area Files, Inc.,
1984.