Director’s note: The hijab, the headscarf worn by many Muslim women, is the source of much misunderstanding of Islam by people of other faiths. In this collective piece, three of our writers from Gaza explain why they wear the hijab, and three say why they do not (or don’t want to). All of them said they enjoyed the friendly debate!
Love wearing the hijab!
The word hijab is derived from the verb yahjeb, which means to cover up something. A hijab is anything used to cover the head except for the face. As a Muslim girl, it’s a part of my religion to wear it. As a Gazan girl, it’s also a bit odd not to wear it. It has become an element of my identity and integral to my personality. It’s actually a source of inner peace in a world of superficiality, where a people are judged according to their looks or style no matter what is inside their hearts.
I also have found that the hijab can look chic. I can cover my hair with a flowery scarf in the summer and a classic color in the fall, without bothering to style my hair every day! And guess what? It’s also healthy, because the hijab protects my hair from humidity and dirt. However, I have a lot of non-hijabi friends and that has nothing to do with my respect of them.
What is the first thing you think of when you see a Muslim woman wearing a headscarf?
Women around the world find themselves wondering why Muslim women cover their heads with what’s called a “hijab.” Does it reflect a loss of freedom or a loss of identity—something forced on them by men? However, in the vast majority of cases, wearing a hijab is a part of women’s own belief system—not compulsory, but the conscious choice of a believing woman. Here are five reasons why women wear the hijab:
First, it’s a reflection of religious devotion: Islam recommends and asks all Muslim women to wear the hijab. This is rather difficult for many Westerners to understand, since obedience is often associated with victimhood or oppression. Yet it is a chosen kind of surrender in which Muslim women submit to Almighty God, obeying all of his commands. This is quite fundamental to us and, while it might be rather incomprehensible to some, it makes sense to most Muslim women. There are some Muslim women who decide not to wear the hijab, and that’s okay too.
And say to believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except what is apparent thereof – Surah Noor, verse 31.
Second, the hijab represents modesty and purity. Along with the long coat, or jilbab, we wear, it helps assure we are not thought of as sexual objects.
O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) over their bodies (when outdoors). That is most convenient that they should be known and not molested. – Qur’an 33:59.
We feel in a way cleaner and clearer when we are not fully exposed to the sight of the world.
Third, the hijab is a matter of beauty and honor for Muslim women. Wearing the hijab bestows on us a sense of dignity, beauty and grace—commanding more respect from men, we believe.
Fourth, nowadays the hijab also is a protest against negative stereotyping in the media. It is, to us, a mark of strength and confidence. In this sense, it is a feminist statement.
A hijab isn’t actually so strange; after all, around the world many women wear make-up, get tattoos and don particular clothing like from business suits with high heels or the black clothing of goths (which I find to be equally weird). That’s their choice, and this is ours.
I believe the hijab symbolizes purity, piety and chastity, as well as a value system. The stereotypical image of the hijab spread among non-Muslims is that it’s anti-women’s rights, restricting women's freedom and depriving us of our rights. However, throughout history, the more humans develop, the more they cover their bodies.
Consider Adam and Eve, early Native Americans, tribes living in South Africa, etc. Now compare them with what businesspeople and officials wearing suits (and with shorts prohibited). Of course, our identity is not only about clothes, but also about our thoughts, values and behaviors.
Maybe women wearing the hijab appear less free than those who don't, but I don't feel that way when I wear it. To me, women wearing a hijab [as well as a long dress or coat] are freer than others, since we control who has the right to look at our bodies and those who don’t. We are not statues for everyone to look at. Wearing a hijab protects women, giving us an elevated position from which to be respected and appreciated.
Prefer not to wear it
Wearing a hijab in my country is a tradition, more than an actual requirement of religion. A lot of my friends wear a hijab only because their family wants them to or because they don’t want to be harassed. As a girl living in Gaza without a hijab, I feel very different. Sometimes I am the only girl among 50 who is not wearing one. However, I believe I owe my strong personality to the fact that I have not allowed anyone to pressure me into wearing the hijab. When anyone asks me why I don’t wear it, I say I don’t feel comfortable in it; I feel restrained.
One caveat: I’m obligated to wear a hijab to my university because it is a required “uniform” at the Islamic University of Gaza. I hate university due to the fact that I can’t wear whatever I want. I hate that someone can control my lifestyle and what I wear.
I know that a hijab doesn’t restrict a girl from doing anything; she still can do whatever she wants. But when it comes to me, I can’t wear it. It makes me feel totally restricted in everything I do, even when breathing.
Growing up in a society that persecutes women who do not wear the hijab, and uses religion as an excuse to justify this behavior, makes me sick. The hijab has never been a measure of how good you are or how strong your relationship with God is. It should be choice made by a woman herself.
What I have observed in my community and in my experience, is that a lot of girls have been led to believe that they are the weakest link in their society because of their gender, so they have to obey the rules and traditions imposed on them—one of which is the hijab. I think this and other ideas that have been injected into young girls’ minds have long-term effects on their productivity and mental and physical health, even if it is not immediately visible. Such cultural scare tactics, dictating the way women should dress and behave, make it hard for women to stand up for their beliefs and choices. It works the opposite way in some Western countries that have banned the hijab or stigmatize women who choose to wear it, even though the concept of the hijab emerged before Islam. Women living in such an environment have to stand up as well for what they believe.
I have endured lots of obstacles and hardships, and my decision regarding whether to wear the hijab is one of them. My family is kind and supportive of whatever decision I make. At first, I decided to go out with no hijab, and as a result I faced lots of pressure from my society. It was harsh, but I kept fighting for what I believed in. Then I reached the point when I felt I had to put it on for my safety. I am truly thankful for the experience, however, because it shaped me as a person. I would not be who I am today if I had not attempted to be independent. The experience also empowered and inspired me to help other young girls.
No one has the right to deprive anyone of the freedom of choice, as long as it doesn’t interfere with others.
When I was 17, I wore the headscarf for a month or so. It was my own decision. Was I fully convinced or aware of what I was doing? No; I was not yet informed about the associated religious teachings and convictions. I suppose the age of 17 is the time when you crave to fit in, and since everyone was doing it, I thought, why not give it a try?
Soon after that, I couldn’t stand looking at myself in the mirror when I was wearing the headscarf. It was just not me. I didn’t like the way I looked. Also, it was awkward to cover my hair in front of every man I know—for example, my uncle, who raised me since I was a little girl; he is like a father to me. It just made no sense. After a while, I took it off.
During university, my feelings and perspectives toward the hijab developed even more. Today, I am simply against the headscarf. What bothers me the most is that we all are supposed to look the same. This idea freaks me out because people are naturally different. Clothes, I believe, are a form of self-expression and should reflect a bit of who you are as a person, a unique being. I remember looking at girls at the university; all of them dress the same way, making me feel the place is “dead.” Diversity is life, real life.
My best friend has worn the headscarf since the age of 14 and couldn’t take it off because in the neighborhood where she lives it is unacceptable for a woman to go bareheaded. But my friend wished to feel the wind in her hair. We also complained about the many thick layers of clothes we are forced to wear on a hot summer day. Summer is a nightmare here. In addition, the mentality of “covering women” distances us from our own bodies. I see that in girls who are shy in the street; they walk hiding themselves as if something is wrong with them. How do you expect such women to be active in society or to speak up for themselves?
Some say the hijab is a kind of protection for women. Others argue that the hijab demonstrates modesty. But I can wear a hijab and still be arrogant and dress fancy. I also can wear the hijab and get harassed. By demanding that women cover their bodies, society implicitly hyper-sexualizes them. And for girls who think they have chosen to wear the hijab, remember this: “It’s not a free choice unless you’re free to choose otherwise.”
Published December 28, 2016
