Hijab - To Wear or Not to Wear the Hijab
Source: Common Ground News Service
Why a woman wears the headscarf is her personal decision. It is important that those looking at the headscarf from outside the tradition keep an open mind – open enough to let the true reasons and motivations of Muslim women in, say Hafsa Kanjwal and Khadijeh Zarafshar.
Washington, DC - We are American Muslim women, who strongly identify with our faith. We are Georgetown University seniors who remain active and involved with the American Muslim community. One of us wears a headscarf, known in Arabic as the hijab. The other does not. Yet the right to wear the headscarf – without censure, condemnation or patronising pity – is a right we both defend.
The notion of the sexually exotic but tragically repressed Muslim woman has resided within the Western consciousness since the West first interacted with the Muslim world. In an article which appeared in Islamica Magazine, Mohja Kahf, a professor at the University of Arkansas links this hackneyed character to the “era of Romantic literature, and the Byronic plot of a white man saving a harem girl, [which] continued to thrive in the heyday of European colonialism, feeding a white Christian supremacist hero complex.”
In modern times, the veil has become an emotionally charged symbol of the struggle between tradition and modernity, between Islam and the West. It has arguably served as a partial political justification for certain policies spearheaded by the United States to “liberate Muslim women” in Afghanistan or Iraq. We, as American Muslim women, simply by living our dual identity, demand a re-evaluation of this externally imposed dichotomy. As Americans, it is not our place to speak on behalf of the women of other nations. What we can do is share our experiences and insights into what hijab means to us, here in the United States.
Muslim women are not a monolithic entity. One might think that this sentence is stating the obvious, yet we often encounter peers and professors alike who fail to understand that the broad, abstract concepts they encounter in academia do not take the same invariable form when actualised in the lives of real people. It is only to be expected, then, that the reasons and motivations behind wearing the headscarf, and the form it takes, are not uniform. Many assume that a covered woman is a repressed woman, forced by some male authority figure to dress a certain way. In reality, it is this profoundly prejudiced projection of ignorance onto our beliefs that is constraining, insulting, and, in a twisted, hypocritical gesture of concern, serves only to undermine our autonomy and intelligence.
It is important here to clarify that wearing the hijab is not a pillar of Islam. It is directly related to the notion of modesty, which is an essential virtue that Muslims, men and women, are enjoined upon to embody. We say this not to devalue it, but simply to point out that the breadth of Islamic teachings and practices extend far beyond a piece of cloth. Yet we wish to address the hijab specifically because it is so deeply misunderstood by many and is representative of general misconceptions of Islam.
If you ask Muslim women why they do or do not wear the hijab, you will come across no simple answer. Perhaps the most prevalent reason offered for wearing the headscarf is one of sincere conviction – women believe it is obligatory according to the teachings of Islam, and reference the Qur’anic verse in which women are instructed “not to display their charms [in public] beyond what may be apparent thereof; hence, let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms” (Qur’an, 24:31).
Some women wear a headscarf because they want to visibly express their Muslim identity. Other women may wear the hijab as protection, because according to her conceptualisation, she does not have to reveal her body to strange men. And for others, the hijab serves as a personal, constant reminder to remain true to the values that Islam espouses.
Standing out in a society that places such emphasis on physical attractiveness is not easy, and is often uncomfortable. The women who do decide to cover their hair – in direct contradiction of the values and standards of the mainstream society to which we belong – require conviction, strength of will, and a deep, personal understanding of its significance.
For those who chose not to wear the hijab, the reasoning also differs. Some Muslim women interpret the aforementioned Qur’anic verse differently; they believe that although the principles of modesty are mentioned and extolled upon in the Qu’ran, donning the headscarf is more of a cultural interpretation or continuation rather than a requirement. Others may feel that although it is important, it does not reflect their personal level of spirituality or religious practice.
There is a somewhat prevalent perception that women who wear the headscarf must abide by a certain standard of behaviour; this view oftentimes deters women from covering their hair. Others believe that the values the headscarf espouses can be manifested in other ways. While wearing the headscarf may have been important in the past, today – especially in the United States – a veiled woman will garner more attention, rather than less attention, which goes contrary to the headscarf allowing women to engage in society without being judged for her personal appearance.
At the end of the day, why a woman wears the headscarf is her personal decision. It is important that those looking at the headscarf from outside the tradition keep an open mind – open enough to let the true reasons and motivations of Muslim women in. To do anything less is a profound injustice.
Hafsa Kanjwal and Khadijeh Zarafshar are both seniors at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service and can be accessed at GCNews.
Source: http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=22492&lan=en&sid=1&sp=0
By Hafsa Kanjwal and Khadijeh Zarafshar
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February 15th, 2008 at 12:25 am
As Salaamu ‘alaikum
It is quite correct to state that wearing hijaab is a personal decision. However, a personal decision based upon what?! As Muslims we must make decisions based upon Al Qur’an and As Sunnah. It si clear within Al Qur’an (and many various ahaadiith) that the injunction for women to wear hijaab is obligatory. A personal choice not based upon Al Qur’an and As Sunnah is invalid within Islamic jurisprudence. The person making such a choice (personal decision), not based upon Al Qur’an and As Sunnah, has entered the group known generally as Ahlul Ra’iy - that is those who make interpretations based upon their own personal desires (tafsir bi ‘r-ra’iy - interpreting the Qur’an according to one’s own personal views).
Wa Salaam
February 20th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Salam to my sisters and brothers,
I am a convert as of six years ago. I have always defended the concept of hijaab to the Christain world with this answer. I ask them how is it that the Catholic nunns cover their complete body in the name of God? Most Christains do not know what to say when I make this comparision. There is a verse in the Bible that tells a women to cover her head when she enters the house of God and when she offers the prays. Islam is the only religion that excepts all three of Gods book. The hijaab is always misunderstood in the non-muslim world it is seen as a sign of terrorism most of the time. Such ignorance saddens me. All persons have the God given right to make their own choice of how to follow the rules God has set fourth. It is our duty to educate non muslims and help to dispell the myths of hijaab. The biggest shock is when any Muslim institution or country interferrs with a womens right to wear the hijaab. Linda Shah Mishigan, U.S.
February 26th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Assalamu alaikum,
Wear or not to wear hijab is ones own decision;but remember Reward is based on our decision.As brother Khalid mentioned Hijab is Allah’s command on woman,as a true believer ones earnest desire should be fulfilling His command, to win here & hereafter…
May Allah help all of us to follow his commands
Ameen
February 26th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
HIJAB AND THE WEST - Why are the westerners (or is it the christians)afraid of the hijab? Beats me. Muslims are among the very few who try as much as possible to obey the basic injunctions of their God given religion. The west are not comfortable with that. They want the muslims to behave like them - gross deviaters from the basic tenets of their religion. SAMPLERS:- The Bible explicity enjoins christians to turn the left ear if they are slapped on the right one. Do they do that? NO. On the contrary, they will slap you first. The Bible also explicitly commanded women not to allow their voices to be heard in the church. But these days, women even found churches and are now priests and bishops. I can go on and on. So when the west(christians) see muslim women obey the Quranic injuction not to display their charms in public, they feel uncomfortable and embarrassed as that reminds them of their religious disobedience and waywardness.
The muslims, the world over, should continue to be steadfast in adhering to the Quranic injuctions, no matter the amount of criticisms coming from the christians. Do you notice that such condemnations do not come from other religions such as Judaism, Hinduism, or even African traditional religion practitioners? True, the christians are the most disobedienct of their religion’s basic commandments. They interprete the bible to suit themselves, and they want to sway the muslims to do the same. They cover up this attitude with their bogus argument of freedom of choice, liberty, democracy and human right. They see those wearing the hijab as being oppressed. Do muslim women complain to them. They should realise that there are no absolute freedoms; it does not exist, even in heaven. God created everything - including man - and He set out rules and regulations to guide all that He created (man inclusive). If the christians so much sherish freedom, let them go about the streets, completely naked; why respect the relationships between husband, wifem father, daughter, mother, son, etc.?. Let the christians know that they have since crossed the line of spiritual decency and reason. They should re-trace their steps and embrace the example of the muslim world by continuing to adhere to basic religious injunctions. The muslims do no want to go astray like they have done. Our women will continue to wear the hijab, no matter what..
February 28th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Assalamu Alaikum, #1Khalid, In response to your comment, Well said! You are absolutely right. It is the very command of Allah in the Holy Quran, for women to cover as described. If a person chooses not to wear Hijab, then they are infact breaking one of the commands of Allah directly. Yes, women may choose not wear it, or wear it. It will be the day of judgement, that each of us will face Allah and have to answer for these choices/decisions made. Personally for myself, I choose to wear Hijab for Allah, and I do not want to face Allah on judgement day, with the fact that I could not adhere to even a simple,easy law of Islam such as putting a scarf on my head. It is such a small request, I would feel so ashamed, disappointed in myself. Anyways, decisions and choices will be questioned by Allah on the day of judgement, and so even though we may choose today freely without known consequence, in the end we all will
know how these choices effect each of us and our standing in the hereafter. It is each persons fear of Allah, that will save each of us.
April 8th, 2008 at 1:39 am
masha allah hijab is a jewel for women