Why Do Muslim Women Wear The Hijab?

Growing up in the Muslim community women have always been encouraged to wear the hijab, as it is a symbol of modesty and a visual representation of the religion Islam. Despite that many Muslim women have no difficulty in wearing the hijab, others have a much harder time choosing whether they are ready to represent their religion through the choices they make. The hijab has been a consistent tradition throughout the history of Islam, and has been a part of Muslim women's lives for thousands of years. Since the hijab is an important duty to achieve within the lives of Muslim women, I have always been taught that wearing the hijab was my choice, and was never something that had been forced upon me. This had given me a significant amount of time

Wearing the hijab strengthened my bond with the Muslim community, and provided me with a sense of identity. Acquiring the knowledge, morals, and values with others who were trying to achieve the same thing that I was, is what keeps the Muslim community living in solidarity. I believe that wearing the hijab contributes to the functioning of the Muslim community, due to the fact that one’s journey towards wearing the hijab may inspire others to have their own choices towards whatever they feel is right at the most appropriate time in their life. The support that occurs during the transition within wearing the hijab also leads to a stronger group coherence. My decision to wear the hijab has given me the significant role in representing my religion for what it truly is. I believe that I had the responsibility of being a better role model for young girls, as well as to alter the definition of Islam as to what it has been labelled to be. I would like to demonstrate to the world what the true meaning of Islam is, through being a good citizen as well as showing society that we are not much different than they

Society’s view on Islam has always been very different from the values that we have instilled in our day to day lives, however it has caused our norm to be abnormal to the people we associate with on a daily basis. Women who wear the hijab find it very difficult to fit into society, as there is a fabricated perception on what Islam is. Considering that I was born and raised in Canada, I would have never acknowledged the fact that I would be looked at differently for something I chose to do for God. I began to feel excluded from the Canadian culture, as others began to look at me as if I was not Canadian at all. Despite the fact that many people have been accustomed to sharing their community with other cultures and religions, there are many who convinced themselves that Muslims are the stereotypes of what others make us to be. For instance, Gatineau had previously attempted to ban any religious garments including the hijab from the workplace, which created conflict between various kinds of religions and cultures. Although this occurrence created a lot of tension within certain social institutions, it has also brought together the Muslim community with many other social groups, in which they stood up for the rights they believed we