Diamond Sharp
Every morning, seventeen-year-old Malikat Rufai carefully covers her
hair with a veil. Having decided that wearing the traditional hijab, a
Muslim head covering, was not for her, she instead devoutly wraps her
head with elegant scarves, thereby altering the hijab to fit her
personal style.
Her head wrap has become an extension of her personality, a
reflection of her religion and culture. "The respect that is commanded
by the hijab and the dignity and grace that exudes from it is
liberating."
The veil or hijab is in many ways symbolic of the Muslim feminist
movement. The term hijab is the Arabic equivalent to "cover" or "veil"
and has become synonymous with the head covering that Muslim women wear.
As a Muslim woman, Malikat regards her choice to wear the hijab as
one garnering much respect. This view is not shared by everyone. Some
interpret her headscarf as a sign of oppression. As Islamic feminism
gains worldwide attention, the debate over the hijab has become
forefront.
Islamic feminism promotes the equality of all Muslims regardless of
gender. Islamic feminists advocate for women's rights, gender equality
and social justice rooted in an Islamic framework. However, Islamic
feminism also incorporates non-Muslim ideas, recognizing that Islamic
feminists are a part of a worldwide feminist movement. Advocates aim to
highlight the teachings of equality in the Quran and encourage a
critique of the traditional patriarchal interpretation of the religion
of Islam.
This growing feminist movement in the Muslim world is credited to the
closing educational gap between men and women in Muslim countries. Now
more than ever, women are reclaiming their own faith based on an
equality understanding of Islam. And more often than not, Muslim
feminists dote the hijab.
In recent years, the hijab has become the catalyst for even more
dispute with Islamic terrorism at the forefront of news media. France
banned religious headwear in school. Belgium and some German states
proposed bans against religious headwear and in Italy, a teacher was
forbidden to wear her veil over concerns that it would "scare the
children." In England, a young girl lost the legal battle to wear her
hijab and burqa to school. And in the U.S. wearers of the veil and other
traditional clothing have fallen victim to discrimination.
The legal banning of the hijab in France and the proposed banning in
other countries angered Malikat. "I believe this [the banning] is the
most disgusting breach of religious freedom I have witnessed. Islam is
not so much a religion as a lifestyle, and to deny a Muslim woman her
right to live her life in the manner that she has chosen for herself
should be illegal."
The veil exists as a dichotomy. In countries such as Afghanistan and
Saudi Arabia, women are forced to wear it against their will and suffer
physical violence, cultural exclusion, and even death if they do not
adhere to the laws.
Women in Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia must follow strictly
enforced dress codes; the hijab is mandatory. In other countries,
wearing the hijab is not required and is only encouraged and worn at
will.
Juxtaposed to women who suffer violence and the oppression are those
who cover their hair freely for their own religious and cultural
beliefs. Some women use the hijab as their own form of independence
against a society that increasingly displays the female body as a sexual
object.
Whether or not to become a hijabi (a woman who wears the veil) is
often a personal choice that a young American Muslim woman makes for
herself.
Nafia Khan, nineteen, decided to wear the veil after entering
college. "I felt it was my time. I had researched before doing it but
the final step was to believe that God was going take care of the rest."
Her eighteen-year-old sister Marium has not decided to wear the veil
because "Right now, I do not feel that I have fully comprehended the
responsibility and understanding that comes along with wearing the veil.
Islam is not just a religion, but a way of life. I feel as though I do
not have to wear a veil to prove my religion, values and beliefs."
The common stereotype is that Muslim women are forced to cover
themselves, and although that is true sometimes, the sentiment does not
apply to the entire Muslim population. "Islam is a religion that cannot
be forced on anyone, especially because so much is based on intention.
If it was not your intention to become hijabi of your own freewill
there is no purpose of doing so, because the hijab is first and foremost
in the heart," Malikat affirmed.
The resurgence of veil wearing, especially by young women who do not
live in majority Muslim countries, has been credited to a backlash
against a Western society that demoralizes women and demotes them to
sexual objects.
Wearing the hijab has become some Muslim women's way of liberation
from the commercialization of beauty that consumes our nation and others
like it. The criticism against the hijab confuses many. "I feel as
though that when we live in a world that has made walking outside in
clothing so revealing and flashy okay, why is it a crime to want to
cover ourselves up?" asked Marium.
Still, many Muslim and non-Muslim feminists are adamantly against
women wearing the hijab. They view the hijab as a product of the
patriarchal nature of Islam, which teaches that all Muslims, male and
female, must present themselves modestly. The fact that only women must
wear the veil in order to be considered modest is sexist. "Why are men
not forced to wear anything?" feminists commonly ask.
But to Muslim feminists, sameness among the sexes is not the goal; equality is.
"Many women find that the equality they seek in feminism does not
mean sameness. For them, it is no bother that Muslim women are urged to
cover their hair, and that Muslim men are merely encouraged to grow
beards and required to cover themselves from the navel to the knee. For
them, equality lies in the eyes of God. They are equal believers and
equal participants in the faith of Islam with different responsibilities
due to their gender-oriented social roles. This is Muslim feminism,"
responds twenty-two-year-old Usra Ghazi.
The lack of knowledge about another culture is often the root of
prejudice and judgment. "I think many people think of wearing the veil
as oppressive because they are ignorant of the real meaning of what it
signifies. Although our actions speak out for our beliefs and values,
the wearing of the veil goes another step forward by showing them. I
think that people have not truly understood the meaning behind the
veil," Marium remarked.
Dialogue between Muslim and non-Muslims is the only way to end misconception.
As Malikat Rufai embarks for her freshman year at Spelman College,
she is unsure if she will continue to wear the veil. "I think my hijab
has empowered me because it is an external shield for the beliefs I
carry within me. I have become a stronger person as a result of my
wearing it, and definitely more in touch with who I am as a person."
But because she began wearing it at such a young age and was
influenced by her parents to do so, she wants to make sure that the
decision to wear the hijab is completely hers.
"I am now toying with the decision to forego wearing my hijab when I
transition to college in a few weeks. This decision is not because I
feel the hijab is negative; it's actually quite the opposite. I want to
be absolutely certain that when I wear my hijab it is for me, and not
for anyone else, so I think I'll test myself by not wearing it for a
while, but it will always be my intention to come back."
Source: http://www.youngchicagoauthors.org/girlspeak/features_bridging_the_disconnect_unveiling_the_hijab_and_islamic_feminism_by_diamond_sharp.htm
