Muslim Females in US, Canada & France Reveal How the Hijab Is a Source of Pride and Empowerment
The hijab has often been seen in Western countries as a symbol of oppression and a way to deprive Muslim females of their right to make autonomous decisions about their own bodies. However, the opinion of Muslim women about wearing the hijab is completely different. Many believe that wearing the hijab is an opportunity to embrace their right of choosing the religion and the value system that suits them, and other Hijabi females consider that they are free to choose the appropriate and convenient dress and style fitting their desired external appearance. From another side, the New York Times article revealed that Coronavirus covering practices have become standard for many people, helping to destigmatize Hijab wearing custom.
The New York Times article written by Alia Khan the founder and chairwoman of the Islamic Fashion and Design Council stressed that: “Now that covering for protection has become standard practice for many people, I believe it highlights the benefits that Islamic fashion has always offered. Moreover, it helped to destigmatize and eliminate false judgment of us who wear it.”
Ms. Hajiba Jonahi, a Therapist at the Humanistic Counseling Center Cleveland Ohio in the US told Al-Estiklal: “By Wearing hijab, I proudly identify with the Muslim faith. Hijab for me is also a way of demonstrating submission to Allah. Hijab for me is part of my faith and it is a way of life.”
She added: “When I wear the hijab, I feel that I am liberated from society’s expectations of how to dress and how to look and how to present to myself. It is also telling the world that my femininity is not available for public consumption because I believe that women’s dress should not determine how others treat, judge, or respect her.”
Hijab: Mark of Empowerment
Ms. Sara Azzakhmam alumni of the Canadian Quebec University said to Al-Estiklal: “At the university or at the work environment, I used to remember as a Hijabi Muslim that it was my role to show my academic, scientific, work, and humanitarian competence to face the widespread stereotype of Hijab as a symbol of oppression and many other misconceptions. For me, the Hijab is the outcome of a long spiritual journey, it is a source of energy and fulfillment.”
Ms. Azzakhmam added: “I had always kept in mind that I must not underestimate my identity and myself even when meeting people who may disregard me or may say something inappropriate or even hurtful. Wearing my Hijab, I had always tried to be in the forefront, whether in doing presentations or participating in activities and of course I was earning the respect of everyone. Hijab has been a driving force for me to succeed and to preserve my identity as a Muslim at the same time.”
Ms. Azzakhmam stressed that: “I experienced hatred behaviors in some situations, but the incidents were really few. I either ignored the assault or I faced the offense with a kind word. Personally, I was able to feel well-integrated and to establish deep relationships with many people who are completely different from me. As a hijabi, I am not better than anyone else but also, I am not less than anyone else. We are all human, we all have our own beliefs and convictions, and we have to live with respect. I worked with my hijab in various jobs in Canada, and I did not find any problems during job interviews or while performing my duties.”
Azzakhmam concluded: “Veiled, attached to my religion, I trust that I must be elegant, confident, and kind to give a nice impression about my value system.”
Hijab: Pride in the Face of Islamophobia
Many Muslim women in the United States wear the hijab as a way of asserting their pride in the face of Islamophobia.
Nazma Khan, who immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh at age 11, faced years of being ashamed of her identity and her Hijab.
Yet, on Feb. 1, 2013, she started World Hijab Day – a day for both Muslim and non-Muslim women to experience wearing a headscarf.
Nazma pointed out: “As a scholar of Muslim immigrants, I have also long argued for women’s right to religious expression in their clothing choices. The hijab is not simply about religion – women wear it for a variety of reasons that can change, depending on the time and social context.”
From her part. Ms. Sara asserted that: “I worked in direct marketing of bank cards, sometimes went to suggest the sale of cards in big companies, there were people who expressed their appreciation of my clothes, my style and my Hijab. Of course, there were people who looked at me contemptuously in the first place, but I always took the initiative for icebreaking. I believe that we have always to stay calm, confident, and positive against hate speech and Islamophobia. Furthermore, our dress should not define who we are.”
Tough Journey in France
Ms. Jihan Alaoui Moroccan IT engineer, who worked for a famous IT company in France, told Al-Estiklal: “When I traveled to work in France, I was fascinated by the values of freedom, brotherhood and equality that are being promoted, and I imagined that the French are open to other cultures and accept the other, no matter how different they are, as long as the “other” is sincere and dedicated to perfecting her work. But I found out I was wrong.”
She added: “The veil is a symbol of submission, a conviction deeply rooted in the mind of many French. My success as an engineer in my academic and professional career and my travel from Morocco to France in order to gain professional experiences could not erase the “Oppressed” stereotype. In their view, the headscarf is a manifestation of submission and of the lack of freedom.”
She continued: “I decided to return from France because I felt that I was in a country that does not respect the freedom of the individual and does not respect the female’s freedom of wearing whatever she wants.”
The IT engineer asserted “Wearing Hijab, in my opinion, is a manifestation of courage and indicates the strength of the Female’s character, and empowers her to face the stereotyped image shaped by the media in the minds of the French about the headscarf as a symbol of the female’s submission to men and forced obedience to her community’s norms. It is a symbol of courage and self-confidence.”
Identity & Integration
Sheikh Mohammed member of the administration team in the Hague Mosque in the Netherlands told Al-Estiklal: “Today, Muslim youth in Europe show a remarkable reluctance to assimilate into the European society’s values that contradict with the Islamic ones. The Young Muslim generation, typically girls, are sticking to the principles of Islam, they are even more committed to the Islamic values, including Hijab than the generation of their parents.”
He pointed out: “At the same time, they are well-integrated into the European society, respecting national constants, actively involved in national struggles while adopting proudly their Islamic cultural identity.”
