The Hijab

In this week's blog post, I thought I would discuss something that's important to feminism, but is also pretty relevant with President Trump's recent travel bans: the hijab.  Before I delve into this post, though, what exactly is a hijab?  Many people use the word "hijab" to refer to any head covering worn by Muslim women.  However, the hijab is only one type of head covering in Islam.

Photo credit to Eastern Mennonite University

As pictured above, there are several types of head coverings, including the niqab, khimar and chador.  In my experience, the hijab is the head covering most seen in the United States, but the niqab and burka are the types of head coverings that are typically associated with oppressive Middle Eastern countries.  Some countries, such as Iran, require women to wear a head covering.  Some countries, such as Belgium and Tunisia, have actually banned wearing head coverings altogether.  Other countries, such as used to have a ban but have since lifted or loosened it.  These countries include Turkey, where teachers and government workers are allowed to wear head scarves, but military, police and judicial personnel must still refrain from wearing them. [source]

There are a variety of reasons women cover their heads.  Some believe that God told women to wear a head covering to fulfill His word, and it shows their devotion to God.  Some other women wear them to express their religious identity and connect themselves with Islam.  Others still use them to show a connection to their Middle Eastern cultural identity.  This statement is often made to show solidarity (politically or culturally) with their native countries and to challenge typical Western prejudices against the Arab-speaking world. [source]

There are plenty of women who choose not to cover their heads.  Some women believe that the part of the Qu'ran that instructs women to cover their heads is simply an interpretation of the scriptures, and it is not required.  Some others believe that head coverings have wrongly become the main focus of Islam, and choose to focus on their relationship with God rather than what they should be wearing. [source]

As many of you probably know, one of the most fundamental ideas of feminism is that a woman should be able to wear whatever she wants and still be treated with respect.  However, this is not limited to revealing clothes in clubs or at parties.  This also applies to women who choose to cover themselves for whatever reason.

An article from The Daily Californian opinion blog does an excellent job of succinctly explaining the oppressive myth surrounding the hijab: "...there is nothing inherently liberating or oppressive about the hijab, just like there is nothing inherently liberating about going naked.  The liberation lies in the choice."  This is exactly the thing so many people don't understand or are misinformed about when it comes to the hijab.  It is not inherently religious, and as long as wearing it is a choice, caliming that the hijab is oppressive is a misinformed statement, and just plain wrong.

Photo credit to US Message Board

The article goes on to mention how wearing head coverings is not a solely Islamic practice, but other religions, such as Judaism and Christianity, also mention head coverings and have some form of them within their religion, but these people are not seen as oppressed like Muslim women are.  And, it's worth noting that both Judaism and Christianity came before Islam.

Photo credit to Cloudmind

Lamyaa Alshehri, a senior at West York Area High School, speaks about her experience with the hijab in America.

"My hijab has become a part of my identity, but I did not always consider it to be so. When I first started wearing the hijab, I was in seventh grade. It was my choice. At the time, I did not know the significance of it and the meaning behind it. I wore it because I grew up around muslim women, who inspired me. They were strong and independent women. They were doctors, lawyers, artists, and engineers. They all wore the hijab and that encouraged me to do so. I felt very proud of it, at first. I was ignorant to the type of reactions I would have from people that were close to me. I lost many of my close friends and that had a huge impact on me considering I was still in middle school; but it also opened my eyes to the impact of preconceived ideas. Through all the backlash I faced for making that decision, the thought of taking the hijab off wasn’t something I considered.

Lamyaa Alshehri

Five years later, I have now grown into my hijab. I feel myself grow up to be more and more like the women I looked up to. They carried our family’s name and brought honor to it. They were feminists in their actions and thoughts. They treated patients, published books, built houses, and created paintings. They did all this with a hijab on their head. I never grew up thinking I was any less than a man. Islam has raised the status of women and encouraged many muslim women. I am as capable with a hijab, as I am without it. I, as a woman, am the one who is capable, not what I am wearing."

So, what do you think?  Do you think the hijab is oppressive, or that it is a personal choice that is not oppressive in and of itself?  How do you feel about the countries that have requirements for head coverings?  How do you feel about countries that have restrictions against head coverings?