Aurat (word) explained

Aurat is a word which means "woman" in many Asian languages including Arabic, Urdu, Persian, Punjabi, and Sorani Kurdish.[1] [2] [3] It occurs in Azerbaijani as "arvad" and Ottoman Turkish as "avret".[4]

Etymology and socio-cultural construct

The word "aurat" originally comes from the Arabic word "awrah". In Arabic, the words awrah or awrat denote defectiveness, imperfection, blemish, weakness, genitalia, loins, private parts, pudendum flaw, defect and fault. According to Nurhan GÜNER avrat/avret in Turkish is borrowed from Arabic and is not related to Old Turkic uragut.[5] The word is used in the Quran to denote "privacy", "vulnerability" and "nakedness" as well.[6] [7] Aharôn Layiš' book on family laws among Druze attributes a quote to al-Tanukhi that says "..Women are all nakedness (awrat) and all nakedness should be covered"[8] Moshe Piamenta, in his book "Islam in Everyday Arabic Speech", notes that in the language of the Bedouin, synecdochic usage of word 'awrat' denotes 'woman'.[9] In the Kurdish language, the word 'Aurat' for women is spelled as 'avarat' where as in (Ottoman) Turkish it is spelled as 'Avret'.[10]

Before entering South Asia, it was used in the Persian language in Iran to mean 'woman'. In Mohammad Moin's Persian dictionary, awrah has two different meanings: "nakedness" and "young woman". But subsequently, Iranians started avoiding the word "aurat" for 'women', due to its meaning of "nakedness". In (Ottoman) Turkish, the word 'avret' was used more for common married or adult women, whereas the word "hatun" was used for more respected women. In Ottoman times any unmarried adolescent girl was called "kiz" and her silence was assumed as consent for marriage purposes. Kiz were freer and less controlled, but once married and considered avret their mobility and sexuality came under drastic social control, so that they would not engage in adultery, in order to preserve male right of lineage and patriarchal honor. According to Heidi Stein avrat / avret, meaning woman (Arab.“‘aurat, privy parts”), is among 78 early (9th to11th centuries) Arabic cultural words that found their way into everyday Turkish language during a first Arabic linguistic import stage through Persian language.[11] [12] In Turkish since the twentieth century, use of word avret has been limited to intimate body parts. According to Pashayeva Gunel Bakhsheyish kizi and Musayeva Ilaha Ilham kizi (2019) The word ovrat in Arabic means a married woman, who has a husband; wife– avrat in Turkish language, avrad in Gagauz language, arvad in Azerbaijani.[13] Kizi (2019) says sufix "عار" [ʻār] meaning shame (also: disgrace, dishonor, dishonour) too might have come from Arabic. The alternate etymological origin for 'arvad' may be arva (tare) meaning tearing of daughter's relationship from parents while getting married and its root may be from Mongolian language lexems abra-arba-arva the root ab-av means magic, conjuring in Mongolian language.

Etymology

See main article: awrah.

The word Erva first appears in the Hebrew Bible in Leviticus 18:6.[14] The verse reads as follows, with the word erva being translated to nakedness.

None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness. I am the .[15]

The term has since been used in the Talmud as both a blanket term for all prohibited sexual acts and to describe parts of a female considered to be immodest and sexually provocative, including a woman's hair, thighs, and singing voice. The term continues to be used in many other sources of Jewish law and is still used in modern Hebrew today to mean either prohibited sexual acts or sexual organs.

In Arabic, the term 'awrah or 'awrat (Arabic: عورة) derives from the root ‘a-w-r which means "defectiveness", "imperfection", "blemish" or "weakness". However, the most common English translation is "nakedness".[16]

In Persian and Kurdish as well as Urdu, the word 'awrat (Persian: {{nq|عورت) derived from the Arabic 'awrah, has been used widely to mean "woman". Consulting Mohammad Moin's dictionary of Persian, 'awrah has two meanings:

  1. Nakedness
  2. Young woman[17]

The meaning in other derivatives ranges from "blind in one eye" to "false or artificial", among others.[18] Traditionally, the word 'awrat, alongside the word za'ifeh (which derives from Arabic ḍa'īf (Arabic: ضعيف), meaning weak), has been associated with femininity and women who live under the protection of a man. In modern-day Iran, using 'awrah or za'ifah to refer to women is uncommon and is considered sexist language. Instead, the word "zan" is used. In Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the word za'if is still used in Tajik and its subdialects.

In Turkish, avrat is an often derogatory term for 'woman' or 'wife'.

Spelling and pronunciation variations

!Languages!English spelling!Meaning (Fill applicable out of: 'awrah (intimate parts)/ Woman/ Wife!In native script !Communities, regions and countries of usage !Additional note(s)

Arabicawrat, awrath, avrat'awrahعورةArab World
Early New Persian

* Beginning 8th century AD ||||||-|Classical Persian

  • Beginning 10th century AD

||||||-|Dari language||||||-|Persian|Aurat, Awrat|Nakedness / Young Woman[19] |عورت[20] |عورت زبان فارسی|For Young Woman, the word "Dukhtar" or "Dukht" is used, and for Nakedness, the word "Berahneh" or "Oryan" is used|-|Ottoman Turkish|avrât|women|عورات|||-|Turkish|avrat|Woman / Wife |avrat|Turkey, Northern Cyprus|Dated; sometimes used humorously|-|Azerbaijani and South Azerbaijani|arvad|Woman / Wife See Aurats|arvad|Azerbaijan, Georgia, Daghestan, Iran||-|Sorani Kurdish|Afrat|Woman / Wife See Aurats|ئافرەت|Iraqi Kurdistan|Another word for woman is Zhin (ژن)|-|Indonesian, Malay|Aurat|'awrah See Intimate parts in Islam|عورة|Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore||-|Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi|Aurat|Woman / Wife See Aurats|औरत / عورت (Hindi-Urdu)
ਔਰਤ / عورت (Punjabi)|India, Pakistan||-|Bengali|Aorat, Aorot|Woman, wife|আওরাত, আওরত|Bengali Muslims|Differentiate with আওরাহ (aorah) meaning intimate parts|-|}

Traditional South Asian normative around the word Aurat

Rudrani Gupta writes Patriarchy provides many definitions for euphemism 'achi aurat' (good woman) to be sacrificial, shy, silent and sanskari (trained in traditional etiquette of obedience and politeness)[21] Snobra Rizwan (2019) in her study on normative in Pakistan's lower middle class highlights following linguistic euphemism.[22]

  • aurat ko baparda hona chahiye .
  • Islami libas acha lagta hai.
  • Sharam aurat ki zeenat hoti hai .

A study analyzed a sample of 588 Punjabi proverbs specifically dealing with gender representation, collected from the dictionary "Saadey Akhaan (Our Proverbs)" by Shahbaz (2004). The findings showed that a substantial number of Punjabi proverbs in the sample targeted female characters in a negative way, while proverbs targeting males and mothers were more positive. This highlights that Punjabi proverbs reinforce patriarchal values and contribute to the perpetuation of gender biases in Punjabi society.[23]

Controversies

Writing for The Nation, Mona Hassan objected to using the word due to its etymology, saying South Asian men equate women to honor and shame, connecting ultimate reference to woman's breasts and vagina and attempt to control the same as part of their honor. Islamic interpretations and practices widely differ in what parts of women's bodies constitute the intimate, with liberal interpretations limiting to best possible, while conservative interpretations can even include a woman's voice and social existence.[24] The latter process of thinking leads to a culture of female seclusion from public life and subjugation and violation of their human rights.[25] [26] [27]

According to Anjali Bagwe, in South Asia, women are distinguished as "Aurat Jat" (women's caste) in an internalized patriarchal sense which presumes women can not be equal to men and tend to be inferior.[28] According to Rajaa Moini the word azad' holds a unique significance in the Urdu language, which inspires reverence, pride, but in the context of women, downright hostility and revulsion.In Pakistan while an azad mulk, a free country, can be cause of celebration and revelry, where as an azad aurat, or a free woman, is faces accusations of cultural degradation, considered like an active threat to the nation at the best, and a justification for brutal violence against her at worst.[29] Those women who attempt any course other than misogynist patriarchal expectations are labeled stereotyped as 'Napak Aurat' (impious woman) and discriminated against.[30] [31] [32]

Bibliography

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  • Rahman . Tariq . Language, Religion and Politics: Urdu in Pakistan and North India . Revue des mondes musulmans et de la Méditerranée . 28 November 2008 . 124 . 93–112 . 10.4000/remmm.6019 . free .
  • Chapter 2 Familiar and Foreign: Identity in Iranian Film and Literature. United States, AU Press, 2015. over coming gender Goldin Farideh
  • Rezaei-Toroghi . Mehran . The politics of un-truth and the assemblage of sexuality: Revisiting the Foucauldian methodology in studying sexuality in post-revolutionary Iran . Sexuality, Gender & Policy . May 2020 . 3 . 1 . 36–69 . 10.1002/sgp2.12010 . 212983241 .
  • Lewis, Geoffrey. The Turkish Language Reform: A Catastrophic Success. United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 2002.
  • Güner . Nurhan . Kadınla İlgili Eski Türkçe Bir Kelime: Uragut . Journal of Turkish Studies . 2013 . 8 . 9 . 2659–2669 . 10.7827/turkishstudies.5592 . free .
  • Haeri . Shahla . Sacred Canopy: Love and Sex under the Veil . Iranian Studies . February 2009 . 42 . 1 . 113–126 . 10.1080/00210860802593965 . 162260045 .
  • Vignato . Silvia . Sensual subjects in an Islamic epistemological arena: Negotiating the borders of aurat in Aceh . La Ricerca Folklorica . 2014 . 69 . 67–81 . 43897027 .
  • Brown . George William . The Possibility of a Connection between Mitanni and the Dravidian Languages . Journal of the American Oriental Society . 1930 . 50 . 273–305 . 593090 . 10.2307/593090 .
  • Aggarwal . Neil Krishan . Intersubjectivity, Transference, and the Cultural Third . Contemporary Psychoanalysis . April 2011 . 47 . 2 . 204–223 . 10.1080/00107530.2011.10746451 . 144872888 .
  • Abbas . Nuzhat . Conversing to/with Shame: Translation and Gender in the Urdu Ghazal . Annual of Urdu Studies . 1999 . 14 . 1793/12097 . free .
  • Stein, H. (2006). Palatal-velar vocalism of Arabic-Persian loanwords in 16th-century Ottoman Turkish. Turkic-Iranian Contact Areas: Historical and Linguistic Aspects P.151 to 153
  • Construction and Reaffirmation of Social Gender Stereotypes through the Use of Language The Case of Hindi; Page 13; Eastwards/Westwards: Which Direction for Gender Studies in the 21st Century?. United Kingdom, Cambridge Scholars, 2007.
  • . Pilanci . Hulya . Anadolu agizlarinda kadin icin kullanilan sozler uzerine bir inceleme . Kadin/Woman 2000 . 1 December 2002 . 3 . 2 . 71–83 .
  • Book: Csató . Éva Ágnes . Isaksson . Bo . Jahani . Carina . Linguistic Convergence and Areal Diffusion: Case Studies from Iranian, Semitic and Turkic . 2005 . Psychology Press . 978-0-415-30804-5 . 247 .
  • Sexuality in Muslim Contexts: Restrictions and Resistance. United Kingdom, Zed Books, 2012.
  • Shahidian, Hammed. Women in Iran: Gender politics in the Islamic republic. United Kingdom, Greenwood Press, 2002.
  • Platts, John Thompson. A Grammar of the Hindustani Or Urdu Language. United Kingdom, W.H. Allen, 1874.

See also

References

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Notes and References

  1. Book: Zilfi, Madeline C.. Women in the Ottoman Empire: Middle Eastern Women in the Early Modern Era. 1997. BRILL. 978-90-04-10804-2. en. 8 June 2020. 11 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200611214549/https://books.google.com/books?id=_OOguGQQbmgC&lpg=PA183&ots=OXZR6l9qda&dq=%22Avret%22%20in%20Ottoman%20turkish&pg=PA186#v=onepage&q=%22Avret%22%20in%20Ottoman%20turkish&f=false. live.
  2. Book: Ermers, Robert J.. Arabic Grammars of Turkic: The Arabic Linguistic Model Applied to Foreign Languages & Translation of ʼAbū Ḥayyān Al-ʼAndalusī's Kitāb Al-ʼidrāk Li-lisān Al-ʼAtrāk. 1999. BRILL. 978-90-04-11306-0. en. 19 May 2020. 10 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200610011114/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=6PVS2WpIi-MC&lpg=PA137&dq=Arabic%20awrat&pg=PA137#v=onepage&q=awrat&f=false. live.
  3. Web site: 12 June 2015. The Awrah (naked) truth. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200524014639/https://nation.com.pk/12-Jun-2015/the-awrah-naked-truth. 24 May 2020. 11 May 2020. The Nation.
  4. Book: Nfa, Dr Farideh Heyat. Azeri Women in Transition: Women in Soviet and Post-Soviet Azerbaijan. 2014-03-05. Routledge. 978-1-136-87170-2. en. 20 May 2020. 10 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200610011123/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=kp0AAwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA145&dq=arvad%20azerbaijani&pg=PA145#v=onepage&q=arvad%20azerbaijani&f=false. live.
  5. Güner . Nurhan . Kadınla İlgili Eski Türkçe Bir Kelime: Uragut . Journal of Turkish Studies . 2013 . 8 . 9 . 2659–2669 . 10.7827/turkishstudies.5592 . free .
  6. Book: Zoepf, Katherine . Excellent Daughters: The Secret Lives of Young Women Who Are Transforming the Arab World . 2016-01-12 . Penguin . 978-0-698-41147-0 . en . 20 May 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200610011147/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=iddhCAAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&dq=The%20Secret%20Lives%20of%20Young%20Women%20Who%20Are%20Transforming%20the%20Arab%20World%20By%20Katherine%20Zoepf&pg=PT34#v=onepage&q=awrah&f=true . 10 June 2020 . live.
  7. Idriss . Mohammad Mazher . 20 Feb 2017 . Key agent and survivor recommendations forintervention in honour-based violence in the UK . live . International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice . https://web.archive.org/web/20200610011115/https://careandsupport.ncha.org.uk/assets/_managed/cms/files/HWCS/MM%20IDRISS%20INTERNATIONAL%20JOURNAL%20OF%20COMPARATIVE%20AND%20APPLIED%20CRIMINAL%20JUSTICE.pdf . 10 June 2020 . 20 May 2020 . Routledge.
  8. Book: Layiš, Aharôn . Marriage, Divorce, and Succession in the Druze Family: A Study Based on Decisions of Druze Arbitrators and Religious Courts in Israel and the Golan Heights . 1982 . BRILL . 978-90-04-06412-6 . en . 19 May 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200610011114/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=egO_eoxqj3gC&lpg=PA21&dq=%22awrat%22%20%22nakedness%22&pg=PA21#v=onepage&q=%22awrat%22%20%22nakedness%22&f=false . 10 June 2020 . live.
  9. Book: Piamenta, Moshe . Islam in Everyday Arabic Speech . 1979 . BRILL . 978-90-04-05967-2 . en . 19 May 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200610011113/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=CZr2RfGB5NcC&lpg=PA99&dq=Arabic%20awrat&pg=PA112#v=onepage&q=Arabic%20awrat&f=false . 10 June 2020 . live.
  10. Book: Zilfi, Madeline C. . Women in the Ottoman Empire: Middle Eastern Women in the Early Modern Era . 1997 . BRILL . 978-90-04-10804-2 . en . 19 May 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200610011112/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=_OOguGQQbmgC&lpg=PA183&ots=OXYZae5si6&dq=define%20%22avrat%22&pg=PA183#v=onepage&q=define%20%22avrat%22&f=true . 10 June 2020 . live.
  11. Book: Stein, Heidi . Palatal-velar vocalism of Arabic-Persian loanwords in 16th-century Ottoman Turkish . 2006 . Turkic-Iranian contact areas : historical and linguistic aspects . Harrassowitz . Ed. Lars Johanson, Christiane Bulut . 3-447-05276-7 . Wiesbaden . 151–153 . 71336298.
  12. The Phonetics and Phonology of Arabic Loanwords in Turkish: residual effects of gutturals . University of York . 2016-11-09 . phd . en . Shadiya . Al-Hashmi.
  13. Book: kizi . Pashayeva Gunel Bakhsheyish . ETHNOCULTURAL RESEARCH OF BRIDAL, WIFE AND BRIDAL WORDS IN THE TURKISH LANGUAGES . kizi . Musayeva Ilaha Ilham . 2019-01-01 . Gulustan-Black Sea Scientific Journal of Academic Research . 46 ISSUE 03 (APRIL-MAY 2019) . Freesia O. N. L. I. N. E. _ D. A. T. A. B. A. S. E. For International Scientific Journals . 2346-7541 . 1987-6521.
  14. Web site: Leviticus 18 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111201941/https://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0318.htm . 11 November 2020 . 2016-06-22 . www.mechon-mamre.org.
  15. Book: Leviticus . 18:6.
  16. Wehr Arabic-English Dictionary pg 131
  17. Moin Dictionary, 1994
  18. El Guindy, Awrah, page 141
  19. Book: Mohammad Moin. Moin Encyclopedic Dictionary.
  20. Web site: عورت. 2020-12-05. موسسهٔ لغت‌نامهٔ دهخدا و مرکز بین‌المللی آموزش زبان فارسی. fa. 25 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210125142927/https://dehkhoda.ut.ac.ir/fa/dictionary/227826/%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AA. live.
  21. Web site: Gupta. Rudrani. Who Is An Achi Aurat? Dear Society It Is Time To Redefine It. 10 September 2021 . 2021-10-06. en-US.
  22. Rizwan. Snobra. 2015. Religious identity and discourse in Pakistan: a sociolinguistic study. Graz Linguistic Studies. 84 (Herbst 2015). 127–144. unipub.uni-graz.at/gls.
  23. . Khan . Lubna Akhlaq . Raza-e-Mustafa . Ali . Ghulam . Punjabi Proverbs and Gender: Construction of Multiple Identities . NUML Journal of Critical Inquiry . 15 . 1 . June 2017 . 67–90, XI .
  24. Book: Ozyegin, Gul. Gender and Sexuality in Muslim Cultures. 9 March 2016. Routledge. 978-1-317-13050-5. 12 May 2020. 10 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200610011113/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=dN-1CwAAQBAJ&lpg=PT308&ots=YotWc0f24L&dq=Whole%20body%20is%20Aurat&pg=PT304#v=onepage&q=%20Aurat&f=false. live.
  25. Web site: Marching forwards. 1 May 2019. sister-hood magazine. A Fuuse production by Deeyah Khan.. 12 May 2020. 10 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200610014124/https://sister-hood.com/dr-maleeha-aslam/marching-forwards/. live.
  26. Web site: Arabic word for 'nakedness,' 'shame' also means 'woman'. N.B.. Stellar House Publishing. 29 January 2012. 13 May 2020. 31 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200531083209/https://stellarhousepublishing.com/arab-word-for-nakedness-shame-also-means-woman/. live.
  27. Web site: Asking for consent is revolutionary in Pakistan. That is why Aurat March is creating ripples. Shah. Zuneera. 4 February 2020. ThePrint. 13 May 2020. 20 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200520023839/https://theprint.in/opinion/asking-for-consent-is-revolutionary-in-pakistan-that-is-why-aurat-march-is-creating-ripples/358968/. live.
  28. Book: Bagwe, Anjali Narottam. Of Woman Caste: The Experience of Gender in Rural India. 1996. Popular Prakashan. 978-81-85604-04-6. 12 May 2020. 10 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200610011114/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=dk-ttK0rOaYC&pg=PR6&dq=%22Aurat%22+literature&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3ye2ztK3pAhVd4zgGHbO_C8I4HhDoAQgvMAE#v=onepage&q=%22Aurat%22%20literature&f=true. live.
  29. Web site: Moini. Rajaa. 2021-09-07. The questionable 'freedom' digital spaces enable for women. 2021-09-19. The Express Tribune. en.
  30. Book: Needham. Anuradha Dingwaney. The Crisis of Secularism in India. Rajan. Rajeswari Sunder. 18 January 2007. Duke University Press. 978-0-8223-8841-8. 12 May 2020. 10 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200610011113/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=NZktMeq6tzwC&lpg=PA283&dq=%22pak%20aurat%22&pg=PA283#v=onepage&q=%22pak%20aurat%22&f=false. live.
  31. Book: Religion, the Secular, and the Politics of Sexual Difference. 5 November 2013. Columbia University Press. 978-0-231-53604-2. 12 May 2020. 10 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200610011111/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=6b5cAQAAQBAJ&lpg=PA262&dq=%22pak%20aurat%22&pg=PA262#v=onepage&q=%22pak%20aurat%22&f=false. live.
  32. Book: Imam, Ilina Sen & Zeba. Dharm Aur Gender. 1 March 2019. Rajkamal Prakashan. 978-81-267-3019-3. 12 May 2020. 10 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200610011114/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=g4yODwAAQBAJ&lpg=RA3-PT25&dq=napak%20aurat&pg=RA3-PT26#v=onepage&q=napak%20aurat&f=false. live.

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