The hijab, or headscarf, is a traditional Muslim garment worn by women exceeding adolescence. The word hijab translates to the Arabic word for ‘cover’. The fabric constitutes a veil that conceals portions of the head and chest areas. There are various interpretations of when and where the hijab should be worn. The hijab is a reflection of Islamic culture and therefore it is worn by young women and women all over the globe - not only in the Middle East. Globalization is defined by Manfred Steger as social progressions that “appear to transform our present social condition of conventional nationality into one of globality” (Steger, 9). The practice of women wearing hijab all over the world illustrates the extent of the power of globalization. …show more content…
However, before analyzing these reflections, it is important to have an overall understanding of the hijab and its history.
An Assyrian text from 13 B.C. contains the first reference to veiling. The pre-Islamic veil had a primary purpose of distinguishing between respectable and unrespectable women. Prostitutes and slaves were prohibited from wearing a veil, signifying to men that they were “fair game” (Nayebzadah, 2010). These guidelines were rigorously implemented, and there were intense punishments for women who disobeyed. Similar tradition was present in Syrian, Byzantine, and some Jewish societies. Although the hijab is only mentioned indirectly a few times in the Qur’an, the Islamic holy book makes many references to modesty as a
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A fundamental aspect of culture is religion. As stated by Amin Maalouf, “society shapes religion, and religion in its turn shapes society” (Maalouf, 67). Observing a specific religion not only reinforces collective values, but also provides structure and order. There is much to be learned about a people from their religion. The fundamental values of Islam are comprised of a submission to Allah, the one and only God, and a submission to The Commandments. It is important to note that “this submission should come from within, from sound belief in and conviction to Allah” and also “from love, trust, and affection” (The Islamic Bulletin, 2009). The prophet Muhammad is Allah’s messenger. Muhammad received the word of Allah, known as the revelation, and recorded it in the Qur’an. The hijab represents the Qur’anic ideal of modesty. Women traditionally are expected to cover themselves and be in the presence of a chaperone at all times when in public. This practice is attributed to Islamic belief that women can be taken advantage of easily and stems from fears for women’s sanctity and honor. However, the veil brings about a cultural separation between “female appearance in the public domain and the meanings of hijab to women who adopt the veil” (Ahmed, 142). The woman herself who wears the veil represents the “women’s culture inside the
The article “My Body Is My Own Business” by Naheed Mustafa is about an Islamic women’s principle that putting on her usual headscarf, or Hijab, actually empowers her as a female, contrary to the popular principle that the hijab represents male oppressiveness. She ex...
For some women wearing a veil is not something that is forced on them but rather a choice of their own. Martha Nussbaum and Maysan Haydar are both authors that try to explain their reasoning that veiling isn't an oppressive tool used against women. Martha Nussbaum's article “Veiled Threats”, is a political and philosophical take on why banning the burqa is a violation of human rights. On the other hand Maysan Haydar’s article “Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering”, is a more humorous and personal take on why veiling shouldn't be as judged or stereotyped. Though Nussbaum and Haydar have equal goals this essay is being used to understand the main argument, claims and whether or not each article has any weaknesses.
Ever pass by Muslim woman in a hijab at the mall or park and think how oppressive and restraining her culture must be? Maysan Haydar, a New York social worker who practices the Muslim tradition of veiling, believes otherwise. In her article, “Veiled Intentions: Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering,” Haydar highlights on her experiences as a Muslim living in an American culture, where showing more skin is the “norm.” Haydar speaks specifically to a crowd who unconsciously makes assumptions about certain Muslim practices, in hopes of sharing the truth behind them. Haydar suggests that, contrary to popular belief, not all Muslim women cover themselves strictly as an “oppressive” religious practice, but that some women, like herself, find
She makes the case that Western feminists have radically misinterpreted the veil. For many Muslim women, the veil acts as a divide between the public and private. The veil may actually liberate women from “the intrusive, commodifying, basely sexualizing Western gaze”. The veil frees women from the oppressive hyper-sexualization of found in Western culture. Reducing the veil to a symbol of oppression disregards the possibility of female agency outside a Western feminist paradigm. The veil has the potential to liberate women in the public space. Projecting our Western notions of sexuality and gender roles denies the possibility of different forms of sexual
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
Clothing is perhaps the simplest form of expression used by people to differentiate themselves from other members of society at both the collective and individual level. Clothing has the ability to simultaneously delineate an individual’s identifying attributes such as gender, profession, religion and ethnicity. Likewise, religious symbols entail wearing particular garments, amongst many other articles, and individuals choosing to wear it to overtly demarcate their religion and faith. Many traditions have distinctive religious symbols, such as Sikhs wearing the turban and Catholic nuns wearing the black veil. In Islam, there are several religious symbols such as the hijab, the burqa and the niqab intended to be worn by Muslim women. In recent
In fact, wearing Hijab was not initiated by Islam; it was familiar in the Judeo-Christian tradition and manuscripts. Yet, Islam is the continuation of the Abrahamitic Messages. Catholic Nuns practice veiling based on several references in both the Old and New Testaments. In fact, the Bible represented the veiling as problematic than what in the Qur’an or the Hadith (the sayings of the prophet Muhammad), because the Judeo-Christian sources indicate that women should be covered because of their inherent inferiority (Corinthian, 11:3-10) http://postcolonialstudies.emory.edu/women-islam-and-hijab/#ixzz2vCPAw6nI. On the contrary, Muslim women proudly cover their h...
Fakhraie launches her essay by explaining how Muslim women struggle every day because of what they wear. In her essay, she talks about a teenage girl that was killed by her father because she refused to wear her hijab. Also, many women that wear a hijab are being banned from sporting events in the United States. A hijab is a “traditional Muslim garment” (Fakhraie 461) that several Muslim women wear every
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
One of Sultana Yusufali’s strongest arguments in “My body is my own business” is her scrutinization of the exploitation of female sexuality. Initially Yusufali writes about the injudicious individuals that assume she is oppressed by her hijab. Thereafter, she describes them as “brave individuals who have mustered the courage to ask me about the way I dress”. Moreover, Yusufali’s word choice is intriguing as she utilizes the word “brave” when laymen hear this word they habitually associate the aforementioned with heroic, valiant and courageous. Consequently, Yusufali ensues to comprise her opinions on the hijab and how it carries a number of negative connotations in western society. Furthermore, Yusufali proceeds to strike on the importance
Women have always been thought of as something that needed to be controlled in Muslim culture. Their bodies are a source of shame that must be covered during prayer and also in the public (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 3). Veiling, done by a hijab or chador, is when women either wear a headscarf to cover themselves or they wear a veil that covers their entire body, excluding her hands and eyes (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 1; Mir-Hosseini 2003: 41; Berger 1998: 93; Smith-Hefner 2007: 390-391; Brenner 1996: 674; El Guindi 1999: 6). Veiling is used as a tool for oppression. By having women veil themselves, it enforces the control by the male run and male dominated society (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 7). Also, the punishment for women appearing without a veil transitioned as the concept of veiling was addressed, transitioning from seventy-four lashes, to being arrested and held between ten days and two months for being “immodest” women and offending public morality, or fined 50,000 to 500,000 rials (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 8). The oppression of veiling is perpetuated through the thought that it is a woman’s religious duty to wear one, condemning foreigners and women in society if they refuse. Although it is a tool for oppression, there was resistance the oppression. In ...
Over the years, many scholars have argued on the interpretation of the Qur’an on the verses that relate to the hijab (veil). A few debates that are not fard (mandatory) and only Sunnah (choice). The majority though won and it was decided that the hijab is mandatory in Islam based on verses in the Qur’an and hadeeths said by the prophet and passed on by others. Misinterpretations can be made, although by the majority at times, and I think they made an incorrect assumption in this matter. Nowhere in the Qur’an is it stated that a woman should cover her hair.
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
Within the Middle East, the largest population of the men and women are Muslim. The Muslim religion suggests that women wear a veil or hijab, which is a head scarf that only exposes a woman’s eyes, accompanied by a burqa which is a full body cloak. The sole purpose of the clothing is to cover a woman’s feminine features from men’s eyes. The Qur’an, an Islamic scripture, supports and slightly obligates the uniform by saying that women are to be conservative, “let them wear their head covering over their bosoms, and not display their ornaments.” (Qur’an).
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.