Libinette
Umm Zubayr
Hijab- liberating or oppressive?
How is it that we (muslim women) desire a thing that sooo many consider to be the ultimate symbol of oppression? How could the hijab ever be liberating?
As a woman in this society, one grows to expect certain things: to be judged by one's appearence, to have fashion trends dictates one's style and ideal body shape, to get both welcome and unwelcom attention from men, among other thinigs.
in our society, women are judged by their apparences in a way that men are not. but the covered woman cannot be judjed on her appearence because nothing personal about her can be seen. she has, in effect, taken her looks out of the equation. she does not feel the need to live up to society's changing expectations of women's bodies. nor is she a victim of the various pressures to conform to the latest looks or project a 'cool' image. for example, if you go for a job they can't judge you on anything except for the piece of paper in front of them (your CV) and what you're saying, you know that their decision will not be based on your looks. THAT is liberation!!!
it is natural for men to want to look at women: we are all beautiful, after all!! and many women find it flattering and fun sometimes, but undoubtedly, there are other times when it is unneccessary and bothersome: stares, wolf whistles, catcalls, comments, phone number missiles, advances:angryblue:
sometimes, i watch a guy walk past a girl, and he'll just turn back and look at her legs or her chest and i just think, alhamdoulilah , i woould hate that to happen to me. It doesn't appeal to me, it's not flattering, i can't understand HOW that can make a woman happy!! To me, it's nicer when a Muslim brother passes by me and looks down, to me, that's more respectful than someone whistling at my legs!:astag:
the covered woman is not available for this type of exchange and thanks God!
the pressure on women and girls to look a certan way is IMMENSE and leads to all sorts of disorders such as anorexia, over-eating, excessive dieting, bulimia...
bacause the covered muslim woman is not judged by her physical appearence , she does not define herself by it. as a result, her sense of self isn't wrapped up in her looks. this makes her free from the angst over psysical appearence and everything that goes with it.
perhaps you wonder wheter wearing the jilbab or the niqab is always liberating, wheter there are never any difficulties in being covered from head to toe, everyday in dark fabric? one of the most frequent comments thatone can get is: 'Aren't you hot in that thing?' and one of the hardest things abt wearing hijab is the physical discomfort- most commonly the heat. i remember reading about a sister in hijab who was asked wheter she wasn't hot wearing it, her response was blunt: ' The heat of the Hell Gire is hotter'!! Blunt, harsh maybe, but totally apt. i only wish i had the courage to give that response whenever somebody asked me that question.
and although the heat of Saudi Arabia or other countries where women cover traditionally is much fiercer than anything England can offer, we still find it a little hot sometimes under those layers of black cloth (certainly due to global warming i guess !!:lol:
another thing that makes wearing the hijab difficult is the reaction that one gets from non-muslims. the hijab, jilbab, and especially niqab can provoke virulent responses from the public. it is as if once you start covering, you cease to have a human identity, i know that the niqab is a shock to the system for most people in non- muslim society. We are used to seeing sooo much personal information about people around us, being able to tell their age, physique and attractiveness...niqaab gives none of that information. what does the non-muslim see when he/she sees us in the streets? A rellic of a bygone age? a lingering symbol of oppression in a liberated world? a religious fanatic? a terrorist or a terrrorist's aide? an outsider, immigrant?
i often feel that, as a covered Muslim woman, i have soo many attitudes to confront, so many images to dispel. i know that people are surprised when they hear that we speak english or french, when we express an opinion, when i talk to their child in a friendly way, that i am educated and that i love to travel that basically i don't fit into the common stereotypes that they hold of women like me and my sisters.
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