Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Muslim women today are struggling to deal with the stereotypes and misconceptions associated with the role of women in Islam
The place of muslim woman in a society short essay
The status of women in Muslim society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In addition, Muslim women wear Hijab/ Veils because they are a part of some Muslim women’s identity. Muslim women want to practice their religion and show the public that they belong to Islam. Any woman who wears Hijab/Veils can be easily considered that she is Muslim. Muslim women do not want to change themselves because of globalization. They assert that women have their freedom to wear what is comfortable for them. Muslim women argue that Western women in Western cultures wear clothes that show their identity. For example, a nun, in Western Cultures, covers herself from head to toe. No one can attack her because she wants to show her identity as a religious woman. It is the same when Muslim women ware their Hijab/Veils. It is not wrong …show more content…
One woman who started wearing hijab in college said, "I lived in a co-ed dorm and it was really the first time I had to deal with unwanted attention from guys. I guess that was the first time I really understood why it was necessary to wear a scarf, because as soon as I did, all the idiots left me alone"(Ali, 518). Muslim Women who wearing Hijab/Veils are protected by their Hijab, so no one can hurt them. This young woman clarifies “[I started wearing hijab] because I began to realize that what people think is nowhere compared to Allah (subhanawatallah), and so, how could I blatantly disobey an order because of 'standing out'? Also, I was very active in playing outside, and so I realized that while it would be harder with hijab, it's probably better than not having it at all. Basically, I realized how what was preventing me from doing so was directly linked only to this world, and the insignificance of this world was just so obvious” (Ali, …show more content…
According to them, Hijab/ Veils are inappropriate for themselves. It is their freedom to not wear Hijab/Veils. Some Muslim women think that Hijab/Veils do not give them freedom. They also, think Hijab/Veils are an old style of their grandmothers, so they do not have to wear it. Some Muslim women are liberals, and they are against some their religion legislation. Other Muslim women do not think that Hijab/Veils are not obligation for all Muslim Women. For example, when a young woman starts to wear Hijab her parents do not support her because her parents think that Hijab/Veils are inappropriate. Ali says, “A twenty-two year old Pakistani law student said that her "parents were very unsupportive and had an extremely hard time coping"(520). Her parents think that they are a modern family, and she supposed to take off her Hijab. This is can prove that some Muslim men do not force their wives, daughters, sisters, and mothers to wear Hijab/Veils. These Muslim men encourage Muslim women to be liberal and support the idea of taking off Hijab. Muslim women, who could themselves liberal, are not against women who wear Hijab/Veils, but they think that it is their freedom to wear
Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving by Lila Abu-Lughod describes Western feminist beliefs on Muslim women and their burqa/veil and how focusing on these misconceptions are doing far more harm than good. This causes Western feminists reduce the culture and beliefs of Muslim women down to a single piece of clothing. The burqa is a type of veil worn by Muslim women for a number of reasons such as proprietary and signaling their relationship with God. The burqa is often seen a symbol of suppression amongst the Western world and it was expected for women to throw it off in a show of independence once liberated from the Taliban. The saving of Muslim women is often used to justify the “War on Terrorism” as exemplified in Laura Bush 's 2001 speech. The belief that Muslim women needed saving existed before the “War on Terrorism” as seen when Marnia Lazreg wrote about a skit where two Afghan girls talked about the beauty of the free Christian France.
The hijab, while not always popular, has seem to be customary for most women to wear in the Islam world for good or for bad. Prior to the 21st century the hijab was not very popular and was looked as a rarity, but now most women adopted this clothing choice for a multitude of reasons. Many women choose to wear it because they feel god instructed women to wear it, to highlight modesty, to show faith in god, or to show Muslim identity. There are many reasons women wear the hijab, even if the veil is forced upon them because of family members; However, the sight of the veil concerns many women activists whose main priority is to insure equality for all women. Many women activists don’t like the veil to be forced upon women and the idea
Now more than ever the Muslim faith is being put into the spotlight. America continues attempts at banning 7 Muslim majority countries from entering the country. With all this negative publicity, there has been an increase in hate crimes towards Muslim people. It is often hard to tell a person’s faith just by their appearance. However, women who practice Islam are required to wear veils which cover their hair. By wearing the veil these women are susceptible to hate crimes since they can be identified as practicing Muslims. Additionally, in the Western society the women who wear the veil are often seen as oppressed. Homa Hoodfara, a professor at Concordia University, discusses the Western Societies’ views on veiled Muslim women in her article The Veil in their Minds and On Our Heads: The Persistence of Colonial Images of Muslim Women. In this article Homa discusses the negative interpretation that the Western society has on the veil. She also explains how these negative views contribute to prejudice views and the discrimination of veiled women. Lastly, Homa tries to explain how veiled Muslim women and women in general living in the Western society both suffer from female oppression.
Fatemeh Fakhraie’s essay “Scarfing it Down,” explains how Muslim women suffer because of what they wear. Fakhraie blogs about Muslim women in her website she explains; “Seeing ourselves portrayed in the media in ways that are one-dimensional and misleading." Several people judge Muslim's by their appearance because they assume they're a bad person. The author of this essay wants the reader to know that Muslim women wearing a hijab are not a threat to the world.
Professor Leila Ahmed, active Islamic feminist, in her article “Reinventing the veil” published in the Financial Times assumes that there is a connection between “advancement” and veiling, which means that unveiled women are advanced and vice versa. In addition, she supports that it led to increasing rate of violence. She questions why women wear veil, that is considered as “symbol of patriarchy and women’s oppression”. However, research changed her position towards wearing veil. Firstly, she states that wearing veil was essential for women, because it could be beneficial and influence to how people treat women, in terms of job, marriage and free movement in public. Secondly, her assumption was explained while interviewing women, who stated
While she views wearing the Hijab as a choice for
In “I Just Want to Be Me”, by Pamela K. Taylor, she wanted to get across that a hijab is just a scrap of cloth, although usually stands for and symbolize much more than what is really is. She starts off by pointing out that although she is this accomplished woman, with a career and family, she is looked at as oppressed because she wears a hijab (218). After 9/11 some Americans viewed women who wear hijabs as uneducated, and the hijab has become associated with violence, and extremist Islam (219). The hijab has become a symbol and usually when they need a woman to speak for Muslims it is usually one wearing a hijab (221). From the Muslim community the hijab gets a good and bad reaction on one hand, some Muslims see women who wear hijabs as very
There are many different views towards Muslim choice of clothing especially wearing the veil. “I wear it believing it is necessary, but someone else can be wearing it believing that she is doing something extra” said Hamna Ahmed. One of the many reasons a Muslim can be wearing the veil are their own personal decisions too. Hamna has been wearing it for seven years now, despite her mother and three of her four sisters staying uncovered. Socially this causes an issue with the meaning of the veil and conflict with other groups. With many different consumptions of religion, what it means, what is considered to be practicing and what is not can lead to negative misunderstandings. Ultimately the decisions are up to the individuals although; there is likely to be misinterpretation between the meaningfulness of religion to family and society. On an even bigger scale of things this could also impact society and it...
Hijab is a choice that some women or girls make for their own security, for more privacy, or because it makes them feel comfortable and confident about themselves. It should be a choice though, and as it is not proven to us that it is obligatory, countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan should remove their laws that insist every girl puts the veil on. Freedom of choice should be given in these countries. It is not required in Islam so it shouldn’t be forced on anyone anywhere. In addition to this, Islam’s beauty is it’s freedom, the choice it provides you with, let it not be ruined.
299). The study consisted of having in-depth personal interviews to share their experiences of being a Muslim American woman (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 300). Veiling to these women was a way of freedom while also having a Muslim identity (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 301). It was also a source of behavior control, to not be sexually objectified, a way of commanding respect from others and even a source of checking their own behavior (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 301). One of the women interviewed said, veiling to her was a way to feel connected to other Muslim woman who veil (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 302). Veiling can be a way to feel connected to your religion and God as well as being connected to those who practice the same faith, it can be considered an act of membership. Many of the women interviewed noted they have been removed from planes, been treated unfairly, and have had strangers shout at them all for just being Muslim and being more visibly recognized from veiling (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 303). This is an example of how media can affect the general population. When the media only shows radicals and compares all Muslims to being terrorist or dangerous they are actually putting Muslim people at risk of being assaulted in public. Muslim woman in particular are more at risk for being assaulted as they are more identifiable. So while veiling can be a source of empowerment and freedom for women it is a double-edged sword because it also puts them at further risk of being
The principles of Islam are the same in every country but the culture of the Muslim religion and the cohesion of wearing a hijab varies from one country to another. In the Arab nations, women are overshadowed by male society and may have to cover up due to compulsion of their predominant men whereas, in the United States, it is freedom of choice and not coercion which expresses their religiosity,
To begin with, the hijab is uncomfortable and impractical in today's modern society. The hijab causes more problems than it solves. Many people either are scared of someone wearing it or they hate the person wearing it. It is very difficult to
While people in the west think that women in Islam are oppressed, they do not know that Islam liberated women from oppression. There are many people who have opinions about the religion of Islam, but mostly about the women who follow it. Westerners have this idea that women in Islam are disrespected, mistreated and oppressed. In actuality, these allegations are incorrect. Women in Islam have rights and are not oppressed. The veil is widely misunderstood and many do not know what it represents. In many ways, men and women are equal as much as they are not; and this is in every religion.
It could be inferred that women wear the burqa and veil willingly because of their geographical location. However, when Muslim women are withdrawn from the Middle East, and are placed within other countries such as France, they become a minority group, which attracts attention because of their uncommon customs.
In the Islamic faith, Muslim women are required to dress modestly by God. In the Qur’an, God speaks directly to all Muslim women and says “...guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment (The Qur’an 24:31)”. Muslim women have to wear a hijab, or a head covering, when they are in public places and when they are around men who are not close relatives. In fact, countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar have a mandatory dress code enforced. Muslim women in these countries have to wear a hijab and an abaya, or a full-length, loose fitting garment on top of their clothes. Although God requires Muslim women to dress modestly and Saudi Arabia and Qatar have a dress code, it is entirely their choice on what they would like to wear.