Are Muslim women encouraging opppression of women by CHOOSING to wear the hijab in western terms?

Question

Westerners and even some Easterners feel that the hijab is oppressive towards women, and MANY Muslim women choose to wear it, so in the Western sense, aren't Muslim women themselves choosing to oppress women as the hijab has been seen by the west as oppressive for women? From this standpoint, aren't Muslim women CHOOSING to oppresss females from the western standpoint? Also, do they have rightsto complain of being dominated and abused by men later on when theyinitially CHOSE to be subjugated themselves?

Answer 1

I know that Westerners usually perceive all Muslim women who wear hijab

(please note that not all Muslim women wear hijab) only in terms of extremely

narrow, demeaning stereotypes. You should attempt to consider the possibility

that your favourite stereotypes of Muslim women who wear hijab might not always

be true. You might even attempt to perceive that wearing hijab does not make a

Muslim woman necessarily less interesting or thoughtful as an individual person.



Here's an article, 'Hijab-wearing women rock!', by Remona Aly, a British Muslim

woman who chose (at age 18) to wear hijab and who loves hard rock music:



http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/14/why-muslim-women-like-hard-rock



'The call of rebellion, the claim for independence: there is an affinity between rock

music and those like me ... women secure in both their faith and music taste.'

--Remona Aly (14 February 2010)



Here's an article, 'Election candidate in headscarf causes uproar in France', about

the prejudices against Ilham Moussaid, a French Muslim woman, who describes

herself as 'feminist, secular, and veiled', who's a candidate for political office:



http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/10/french-election-headscarf-candidate



Should a young Muslim woman who's a French citizen be allowed to participate

in French politics if she chooses to wear a headscarf? Evidently, many people

in France would like to discourage her, if not stop her completely, from exercising

her 'democratic right' to participate in politics just because she wears a headscarf.

Why do so many people find a headscarf so threatening that they cannot perceive

and appreciate at all that there's an independent, thoughtful woman who wears it?



"Try as I might to explain that I am not oppressed (by Islam) and that it shows,

there's still a lack of understanding (in France)."

--Ilham Moussaid



Ilham Moussaid says that she's a secular feminist (who's pro-choice on abortion)

who supports equality, respect, and tolerance among all people, but many people

apparently would not respect or trust her unless she removes her headscarf.



"It is with great sadness that I watch ... my life reduced to a headscarf. It is with

great sadness that I hear that my personal beliefs are a danger to others while I

advocate friendship, respect, tolerance, solidarity, and equality for all human beings."

--Ilham Moussaid



To be realistic, when most Westerners today, men and women, feminist or anti-feminist, notice a Muslim woman who's wearing a headscarf, they tend to assume that it must completely define her identity as a woman and they perceive her only as an extremely narrow demeaning stereotype, not as an individual human being.

Answer 2

I think youre missing an important thing here. "Westerners and even some Easterners FEEL that the hijab is oppressive towards women." You never mentioned anything about the Muslim women's point of view.



Women that wear hijab do not think as you say "Westerners" do, because in Islam, hijab is not at all a sign of oppression. For Muslim women, hijab is a gift from God. In Islam, the female body is considered sacred, and women are to be respected. They cover because they believe that their body is not a commodity, and not an object to be gaped at. Its so a man will judge a woman by her actions and her mind, and not on how attractive she is.



Like many Muslim women, I was born and raised in America. I started wearing hijab on my own, and without my father, brother or any relative telling me to. Some women, however, only wear hijab because its part of their culture, but you cant tell whats in people's hearts.



This "western standpoint" you talk about is very nebulous. Many, many Muslims live in the west, and I dont think all Americans and Europeans have one single view on Muslims and hijab. PLease understand, to most Muslims wearing hijab is not oppression, and the media seriously distorts things. Feel free to email with questions- Peace!

Answer 3

When I accepted Islam, more than 20 years ago, I didn't know about hijab, and very few women were wearing it where I was living, in Buffalo, NY. When people told me about it, I knew had to do it. If Allah ordered it for me, it was because it was good for me. Allah, Who knows everything, past, present, and future, knows what is best for us, better than we can possibly know ourselves. So I started to wear it, and I felt weird. After a few days, I gathered my courage and went around to all the places I usually went: the supermarket,. the clinic. the post office, etc., and let everybody get a look at me. The only person who even reacted was my doc, an American Jew, who asked if I had joined some kind of group. I explained, and she asked what ti meant to her. I told her about pork, alcohol, and modesty, and she wrote it in my chart. End of discussion. My mom was upset by it at first, but saw after a while that it was positive. Now she introduces me thus: " This is my daughter, Anne. She dresses this way because she is Muslim. I'm glad she's Muslim. It has been very good for her." Hijab is a super dawah opportunity!

Answer 4

lol...of course they choose to wear hijab.

They've been taught their whole lives that it's the right thing to do.



You know..like how western men wear pants, and those crazy bushmen in the Kalahari go around with their dingalings waggling about.

Why is that? Oh yeah..the westerners have been taught that covering their dingalings is the appropriate thing to do.

Just as the Islamic women have been taught that hijab is the appropriate thing to do.



Now..as far as this oppression is concerned:

The cloth they cover with is not the most oppressing thing happening to Muslim women.

Their lack of equal education, medical services, right to drive, right to leave their homes without being escorted by a male relative, the right to own property, the right to seek employment, the fact that if they are raped, they get a harsher sentence than the rapist does..yeah..that's where the true oppression comes in, okay?

Answer 5

Women who wear hijabs are blatantly choosing one culture/identity over another, and it's clearly not Western identity. Some people are okay with multiculturalism as long as the immigrant population is minimal and not an eyesore to them, but multiculturalism *does* have long-term effects, even consequences. People can pretend that there are no problems, but sooner or later they will have to take their heads out of the sand.

Answer 6

Now I fully understand Muslim women have the right to choose to wear her hijab.



But do they also have the right to choose NOT to wear it?

Answer 7

Its not the hijab itself, but what it stands for that is oppressive.The hijab is just a piece of fabric. It is oppressive when it becomes mandatory, as in Saudi Arabia. If its a free choice, as in more moderate Muslim countries, then technically it's not oppressive.

Answer 8

Did it ever occur to you, that asking those women to take off the hi jab could be akin to telling an western woman to drop off her clothes of oppression and run around naked ?? Its their culture. They feel shame if they reveal more.



In some cultures the women run around bare chested and the men wear a piece of fabric that does not hide anything really and nobody things anything of it. Well I am going to keep my big boys pants on weather somebody thinks I am being oppressed or not.

Answer 9

First of all, if they considered it oppressive, they wouldn't CHOOSE it.



Secondly, as a non-Muslim who's worn a hijab, I would argue that it's the opposite of oppression: the culture of Islam is one in which the female body is considered private and sacred, not something to be leered at, graded, and judged by society. There's far more respect in that privacy than being a woman in a meat-market of a society.

Answer 10

Yes, they absolutely are. On that topic, France and any other Western country has every right to deny citizenship or emigration to Muslims who degrade women in such a way.

Answer 11

Yep. Feminists will try to act like it's "anti-women" laws in Muslim countries that forces women to dress like this. Then why do Muslim women still wear this in Western countries?



Many Muslim women would be offended if you told them to not wear the hijab or burqa.

Answer 12

I honestly couldn't care less what someone chooses to wear or doesn't wear, I am just sick of religious nuts from every religion ruining everyone else's one chance at life because they have scores to settle with their personal "God(s)" by their side. It's all just one big CRAZY institution, the lot of them.

Answer 13

THE HIJAB AS DAWAH



By Dr. Aisha Hamdan, AlJumuah Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 5, Jumaada-A- Ulaa, 1419h



Most Muslims are familiar with the various reasons that Allah has required women to wear hijab: The hijab reflects modesty, purity and respect; it lessens temptation so that more serious sins will be avoided; it protects women from the harm and molestation of evil men; a woman who wears hijab will be evaluated for her intelligence and skills rather than her appearance.



One important aspect that is often overlooked, however, is that the hijab is a symbol of Muslim identity. A woman who covers her head is making a statement that she is a member of the Muslim community and that she follows a particular code of moral conduct.



Allah says: “O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them. That is more suitable that they will be known (as Muslims and chaste believing women) and not be abused.” [Qur'an, 33:59] “…that they will be known…” In America, where Islam is the fastest growing religion (alhumdullilah), many people are coming to know what this head covering really signifies and to understand the religion that mandates it. The hijab, in effect, is an amazingly powerful tool for dawah; one that Muslims themselves are probably not even aware of. As with any tool, the key for effectiveness is appropriate and knowledgeable use.



The most obvious first step would be for Muslim women to actually wear the hijab. It is a tragic and upsetting phenomenon to see so many Muslims dressing in the manner of the disbelievers (blue jeans, T-shirts, short skirts, even shorts). The Prophet, sallalahu allahe wa salam, said; “Whoever resembles a people is one of them.” (Abu Dawood). This is not only happening in America and other Western countries as people attempt to assimilate and adopt the practices of the prevailing culture, but it is also occurring in Muslim countries at an alarming rate.



A woman who refuses to wear the hijab is disobeying Allah and committing a serious sin, putting worldly pleasures above spiritual attainment, and neglecting her duty to the religion of Islam. Many scholars agree that the only reason a Muslim may live in a non-Muslim country is to conduct dawah and bring people to the true religion. How can a woman perform dawah for Islam when she is not even practicing it herself? To do this would be a form of hypocrisy and it will not be successful.



Once a woman begins to wear hijab she completes a large portion of her responsibility for dawah with very little effort. Each time that she goes to the grocery store, the library, to work, to school, or to any other public place, she is spreading the magnificent message of Islam. This is not only because of the outer hijab that she wears, but more importantly, the modesty of her behavior that accompanies it. When a woman refrains from flirting with men, limits physical contact, and is reserved and respectful, people may become curious and want to learn more about this intriguing faith. It may just sow the seeds of something wonderful.



At the University where I teach (which happens to be a private, Catholic school), women are often interested in my manner of dress and demeanor. Each semester I have at least one student who requests my involvement in a project for another class, usually comparative religions. They are surprised when they learn the rationale for this injunction and the fact that it was part of their religious heritage as well. If I chose not to wear hijab, I would miss these wonderful opportunities to share the beauty, peace and universality of my faith.



When there is the possibility for further discussion with those who are interested, knowledge and understanding of the topic are imperative. A very effective technique is to relate the concept to something that is familiar to the other person. Some examples of questions that could be posed include:



1.“Did you every wonder why Mary, the mother Jesus (alayhes salam) wore clothing very similar to that of Muslims?”

2.“Why do Catholic nuns dress the way they do?”

3.“Did you know that in the Canon laws of the Catholic church today there is a law that requires women to cover their heads in church?”

4.“Have you read in I Corinthians (Bible, 11:3-10) the verses that Paul wrote: ‘Every man who prays of prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And evey woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head – it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman doesn’t cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or shaved off, she should cover her head.”

5.“Did you know that there are some Christian denominations, namely the Amish and the Mennonites, who still require women to wear the head covering?”

6.“Were you aware that is was the custom of Jewish women to go out in public with a head covering and that some denominations still practice this today?”

These discussion points demonstrate the obvious fact that the head cover was not introduced by Islam, but rather that this requirement has been in place for thousands of years. This can also be a cogent segue to more crucial topics such as the fact that Moses, alayhes salam, Jesus, alayhes salam and Muhammad, sallalahu allahe wa salam, were all prophets of the same God and that they each carried the same basic message. Islam corrected the errors that had been introduced into previous revelations by humans and completed the process that was planned by Allah.



We should be proud to be Muslim. We should also be grateful for the gift that Allah has given to each one of us: The perfect truth of Islam that is our key to paradise. All others are being deluded by Satan and following paths to destruction. With our gift comes the responsibility to share the truth with those who are less fortunate. We are all responsible to carry the light of Islam. The hijab is an outward manifestation of this light that burns within, and it can be an effective tool for fulfillment of our obligation. We choose whether to develop this light into a bright, radiant star or let it be extinguished by foolish and selfish desires. May Allah guide each of us to the true path.

Answer 14

I don't think have a choice, because if she chooses not to wear it there's a price to pay. Socially she'll be shunned, she'll even get beaten and jailed. so I don't think she has a choice.

Answer 15

To each his own but don't make me or my family be a part of it.

I wasn't raised that way, I was raised to be tolerant, again, to each his own.

Answer 16

that doesn't make sense to me bu oh well

Answer 17

YES!!! I think they are encouraging oppression!!! And they are cooperating with it. I hate that.

Answer 18

I agree.