When discussing the Ottoman Empire, it is necessary to have at minimum a basic knowledge of Islam. As a “refresher”, we were given a brief overview from Dr. Metcalf. I was comfortable with most of the information in the presentation, but the discussion stemming from the topic of Muslim women and headdresses sparked my interest.
This is a hot subject in America as well as abroad. In recent history, the French government banned the wearing of the Hijab in their public schools, stirring outrage among the local Muslim community. This issue is quite difficult to talk about, because it can be analyzed in both a religious and a cultural sense.
I think when discussing the topic, it is important to realize that there is a big difference between a more restricting headdress, such as a burqa or a niqab, and the more traditional hijab. To me the burqa and niqab are symbols of societies where women are treated as inferior subjects to their male counterparts. In countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, women who are found in public without the proper headdress can be beaten as punishment. There doesn’t seem to be any room for a woman’s personal choice in that matter.
My interest led me to do a little research, and I came upon an interesting article about a 25-year old Egyptian journalist who chose to start wearing a hijab. This is common in Egypt, as most women still wear the hijab in public, but in Western societies, it is a relatively rare occasion to see a woman wearing a hijab. Ultimately, she found the experiences of daily life with a hijab to be quite liberating.
This is where the cultural differences are most important. I believe that her experiences in the West would be quite different from her experiences in the Middle East. Since the 9/11 attacks, there seems to be a certain degree of “Islamophobia” in the United States. Women who may have been inclined to wear the hijab prior to 9/11 are now forced to consider the negative impacts that it may have on their everyday routines.
Ultimately, the choice to wear a hijab is not for us to decide, it is a woman’s choice. Whether she wears the hijab to show her devotion to Islam or simply as a religious statement is her prerogative.
TO NOT WEAR! (lol)
ReplyDeleteThis sure is a hot subject. You of course know my views, but I have to say, what really amazes me is that some WOMEN actually WANT to wear them! We had a girl come to speak in our class when I was in my undergrad, and she defended the idea of cover to the death! She said it was her place, as a Muslim woman to "dress properly for the men around her"... I kind of wanted to shake her and yell... "NOOOO"... lol... but yea, people are people and people will be people. To each their own. :)