The hijab debate: 'I don't want to be judged on my looks'
The President of France caused a furore last week when he described the head covering worn by Muslim women as 'a sign of subservience'. But is the issue as simple as Nicolas Sarkozy thinks? Here 10 British women explain to Andrew Johnson why – to varying degrees – they choose to cover up
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christopher cox
'It brought me much closer to my God. There are different levels of covering up in Islam; the more you can do the closer you are to God'
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Saleha Islam
45, from London. Head of the NSPCC's Asian Child Protection Helpline. Wears the hijab – usually a headscarf to cover the hair and shoulders – and Western clothes
"I started wearing hijab properly about 15 years ago. I've worked in social work for over 20 years and have worked with all types of people and I've learnt what's oppression and what isn't. I'm not an oppressed woman. I head a large service in the NSPCC; I'm one of the few women trustees of a mosque. Wearing the hijab is just saying 'I'm a Muslim'. It's part of my identity. I like looking smart, I like looking good. But it's modest. I'm not going to say there aren't any problems in Muslim families. I lead the Asian Child Protection Helpline in the UK and we suffer the same sorts of issues as anybody else. It took a lot of guts for me to wear the hijab. There were few Muslims who were wearing it at the time, so I had a lot of questions from my own community."
Sarah Joseph
38, from London. Editor of Emel, the Muslim lifestyle magazine. Wears the hijab
"I wear straightforward Western clothes with it. It was very much a feminist standpoint for me. It's saying I reject beauty fascism and aspiring to bodily perfection. I was brought up in the fashion industry, where looks were predominant and I didn't want that. I became a Muslim 21 years ago. The hijab is also religious obligation and part of a spiritual journey. You try and wear clothes which are part and parcel of your spiritual life."
Sanja Bilic
33, from York. PhD student. Wears the hijab with Western clothing
"I'm European: I'm from Bosnia, but I'm British. I came to England for a two-week holiday when I was 16 in 1992. The war broke out and we couldn't go home. It was a very traumatic time. When I first put on the scarf, it was commented on for about five minutes as if I'd changed my hair. I wouldn't wear the niqab as I don't believe it is justifiable for me, but I'm not going to condone it or condemn it."
Abeer Pharaon
40, from Nottingham. University researcher. Wears the hijab and jilbab, a long, loose-fitting gown
"Islam thinks that we need to regulate the relationship between men and women, for society to prosper. A man shouldn't look at any woman in the street. He should lower his gaze. Covering the body helps men, and protects society from relationships outside marriage. If you expose the body of a beautiful woman in the street, a man may go home and see his wife is not as beautiful, so go and have a relationship. And, in the same way, women should not look at men."
Ruhana Ali
23, from Luton. Wears the burqa, which covers the entire body
"I chose to wear it to because I want to practise my faith. It was a choice in terms of identity, for me to be a Muslim, and I'm proud to wear it. I thought about it for a couple of years before I put it on. I was worried about how I'd be treated. Your hair is what makes you feel beautiful, but when you do it you are proud to cover up your beauty and be modest in accordance with the Islamic faith."
Marriam Ghaffar
21, from Nottingham. Student. Wears the hijab and jilbab
"I've worn the hijab since I was 18, and then, through my university experience, I felt more comfortable with my image as a Muslim and I felt the need to wear the jilbab as well. It was a slow transition: it wasn't imposed on me from a young age. Society does to an extent play a role, but it was my own decision, without pressure, for my own personal development. I wasn't rebelling against anything either. I was happier as a person, and it was a mark of devotion to give to my religion."
Aicha Manakoua
31, from London. Wears the hijab and jilbab
"I was brought up a Catholic and was very active. My mother cried. She said: 'Why do you have to show people you're Muslim?' It was difficult for them because they didn't see the step-by-step change. I've never felt I can't communicate with people because they have a piece of cloth over their face. If you look back at the Catholic Church, my grandma would wear a scarf over her hair, so I don't see a difference."
Haneefa Sarwar
27, from London. Wears the hijab and jilbab
"Before 7/7 everything was fine. After that I was walking down Baker Street [in London]. A few people started walking behind me and I could hear people saying there might be a bomb. On the Tube, especially in white areas, I do get stared at. In the evening I try not to go out, because that's when people will be abusive."
Ayesha Ayub
20, from Manchester. Part-time teacher. Wears the niqab, which leaves only the eyes exposed
"I started wearing it when I was 18. It brought me much closer to my God. There are different levels of covering up in Islam; the more you can do the closer you are to God. I feel much more empowered wearing the veil. When I'm speaking to people, especially of the opposite sex, they're not looking at me, or judging me by the clothes I'm wearing, but speaking to me."
Na'imi B Robert
32. Editor of Sisters magazine. Wears the niqab
"I wasn't always Muslim. But seeing the hijab on a visit to Egypt 10 years ago opened my eyes. I asked one woman why she wore it and she said: 'I want to be judged for what I do, not what I look like', so that got me thinking. I never wanted [the niqab] to cut me off from society. So if I wore it, I would speak to my neighbours and make sure they could see me smiling at them."
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Comments
The media mixes up the text and pictures. I think they are talking about the niqab but using the word hijab (when they mean niqab).
The most honoured woman in Islam (by God) is Mary (mother of prophet Jesus) and she wore hijab and this is what Muslim women are required to wear. The niqab is not required as some Muslim women seem to think.
Strange how this idea doesn't seem to appeal to Muslim men.
I wouldn't want to ban anyone from wearing what they like and I have absolutely no problem with any kind of modest dress that leaves the face exposed. But face to face contact is so fundamental to our culture, that I would want to actively discourage clothing that obscures the face. If I have dealings with a public servant for example I think that I should have an absolute right to see his or her face. Obscuring of the face has security implications, I don't for example see why the taxpayer should pay for extra facilities at passport control just to indulge someone's religious extremism.
Nobody should be forced to wear a particular style of dress by a husband or family member, it should always be a free and informed personal choice.
Lack of Vitamin D causes Rickets a victorian disease long thought to be extinct. It is caused by covering up so that sunlight cannot reach the skin. Wearing the burqua is tantamount to self harm. Except that women are forced to wear them by a particularly virulent woman-hating strain of Islam. So it is really a form of abuse of women
The Burqua is not Islamic per se it is exported by Saudi cultural sensitivities via petro dollars. The muslim cultural center in Oxford has long campaigned against it arguing that it brings Islam into disrepute. As is well known the Prophet Mohammed asks his followers both men and women to dress modestly but does not stipulate exact modes of clothing.
The veiling of women was not traditional in Islam it was taken from the Byzantine Empire and as pointed out by the Oxford centre has no basis in the Koran.
We have to look at our relationship with Islam and ask whether we are prepared for that to be dominated by Islam, whether we visit Muslim countries or Muslims are resident in non-Muslim countries. Or whether Muslims to effectively engage with the rest of the world need to consider all parties, not just themselves.
What utter tripe. This is exactly the type of thinking which makes overtly religious people so irritating, with their holier-than-thou attitude and constant condescension.
Women in many Islamic countries have always dressed modestly, often covering their heads while going out, but it's never been a major issue. The institutionalisation of the hijab and the niqab is a relatively recently phenomenon (except in Saudia Arabia), gaining adherents in the past fifteen, twenty years. The message implied by the above statement is that if you don't dress like us, then you're not Muslim enough and are going to earn the wrath of God. It's some sort of weird counter-cultural trend.
It has always struck me that the hijab and the niqab are more tools for projecting piety than anything else. Sure, Islam encourages people to do good, but always be discreet about it. The Wahhabi strain of Islam, which has unfortunately gained a lot of influence in the Muslim world, places ritualism above actual spirituality and it's pretty sad that this is what most people believe to be the true face of Islam, when it is anything but.
The order to cover in the Koran is very tenuous just like the many religious injunctions from god in the bible are also. Religion is a male construct by and large and women are the recipients of its strictures
Why are non muslim women expected even coerced to cover their heads in Muslim countries when Muslim women are allowed to cover in Western countries, This is our culture, tolerance is always a one way street for Muslims because their prophet was the perfect man and they are perfect by association.
Personally I think the overexposure of western women is often unattractive but it is also a universal human trait that we communicate through our facial expressions
God seems to have overlooked quite a lot of things before his Prophet came along. Very strange for an all seeing all knowing god
First of all wearing a nijab of burka is NOT demanded by the Kor'an. It's something that is dictated in the Hadith, a Kor'an sideletter written more than 200 years after the death of the Profet. It originates thousant of years ago in Afganistan, where a local king/shah/ruler wanted to protect his wives (..) from the curious looks of the (male) population. It has nothing to do with Islam.
Secondly, in a society as ours, you are NOT free to set your own standards above the common standards of the community. For example, it is a personal right to walk naked in the closed enviroment of your own house, but as a society we agreed it is not oke to do so in a public area. It's the same with religion. In the comfort of your own private home you are allowed to do whatever you like (as long as it is in according to the law of the country) but in the public arena you will have to behave accordingly to the principles and rules the society. If you choose not to, you will have to face the consequenses.
Covering your face will eliminate the basics of communication as it is impossible to see ones facial expression and any non-verbal communication will be cloacked. For this reason woman wearing face cloacking veiils will exclude THEMSELVES from society, it's not society excuding them.
I work als a department manager and my company will NOT accept woman that cloack themselves in positions where communication is a important issue. In my opinion a good stand.
Religion is something you manifest in your privat enviroment. Any display or religion (and I mean all religions, not only Islam) in the public enviroment must be banned to maintain the structures of our society.
And if you don't like this, you will have to face the consequences.
First of all wearing a nijab of burka is NOT demanded by the Kor'an. It's something that is dictated in the Hadith, a Kor'an sideletter written more than 200 years after the death of the Profet. It originates thousant of years ago in Afganistan, where a local king/shah/ruler wanted to protect his wives (..) from the curious looks of the (male) population. It has nothing to do with Islam.
Secondly, in a society as ours, you are NOT free to set your own standards above the common standards of the community. For example, it is a personal right to walk naked in the closed enviroment of his/her own house, but as a society we agreed it is not oke to do so in a public area. It's the same with religion. In the comfort of your own private home you are allowed to do whatever you like (as long as it is in according to the law of the country) but in the public arena you will have to behave accordingly to the principles and rules of the society. If you choose not to, you will have to face the consequenses.
Covering your face will eliminate the basics of communication as it is impossible to see ones facial expression and any non-verbal communication will be cloacked. For this reason woman wearing face cloacking veiils will exclude THEMSELVES from society, it's not society excuding them.
I work als a department manager and my company will NOT accept woman that cloack themselves in positions where communication is a important issue. In my opinion a good stand.
Religion is something you manifest in your privat enviroment. Any display or religion (and I mean all religions, not only Islam) in the public enviroment must be banned to maintain the structures of our society.
And if you don't like this, you will have to face the consequences.
Incorrect, Muslim men cannot swin with swimming trunks. There is a dress code for men too, they must, as a minimum, be covered between naval and knees. I know its not the same level of coverage as the women but you would need min of 3/4 trousers to swin - short swimming trunks would not be acceptable.
Why do you think ataturk banned the burqa and fez in Turkey??
Surely you religion should be private between you and your God ? You can still dress modestly, which is what the Koran says, without resorting to medieval dress.
Other customs from medieval times, like bair baiting and urinating in public places have been consigned to history. Time to move on.
People express their personality through their appearance all the time. Broadly speaking, our bodies are our bodies and there's not so much you can do with them but people may still try and express something about themselves through piercings or tattoos though more commonly, their hair. On the same person, what does a Mohawk say different to a military-style buzzcut for instance?
As something that can consciously be chosen, clothing is an even better arena for self expression - the way we dress can speak volumes about who we identify with in society, what we want to say about ourselves etc. Ask yourself if you dress differently to your normal style when you go for a job interview - if the answer is yes it is likely because you are trying to project a particular imagine through your appearance to the prospective employer. Not only that, you are asking to be judged in accordance with that representation.
A woman choosing to wear any form of covering though particularly the more restrictive forms is clearly intending to convey at least something of herself through her dress - namely, her identity as a Muslim. In the article above Ayesha Ayub apparently believes that wearing the niqab brings her closer to God. The talk about 'levels' sounds pretty holier-than-thou but I imagine this is how she wants her fellow Muslims to perceive her - as a devout and pious woman. Marriam Ghaffar calls her dress a 'mark of devotion' so to some extent it would appear that she too wishes to convey something of her Muslim identity through her dress. Saleha Islam and Sarah Joseph are even more explicit in how they use the hijab to make a statement (even if Joseph sees hers more as an 'anti-statement')
I've waffled a bit I know but basically statements along the lines of 'I want to be judged for what I do, not what I look like' are largely self-deceiving. Consciously or not we are always making statements through our dress and to make a statement invites judgement - either in the form of approval from members of the same in-group or disapproval from those outside. Even disapproval goes towards reinforcing an individuals identity as a member of another group apart from those doing the disapproving.
If men are out and about more, then surely it would be logical for them to cover more than the women, who are under the "cover" of their houses. And who says the way men dress is less distracting for women than the other way round?
Women wearing the burqa and niqab is their own choice - do not let the western media have you believe anything different. Of course, a small monority of Muslim women are oppressed and forced to wear the niqab, just as minority of women in any other culture and society. Muslim women dress by choice, why is that so alien for the western to accept. I am a Muslim, I do not wear the hijab (head scarf) but my mother does. My mother divorced my father and bringing up her family. The male influence she has in her life is her father and brothers (all of whose wives do NOT wear the hijab). So, how is my mother being forced to cover up?
As for the issue of security; I have been to airports where I have been searched by a women in private. I dont know any Muslim woman who would not be willing to reveal her face (if she wore the niqab) to airport officials in private. The fact there was a man who dressed in a niqab gone through airport security, is a problem of the security at the airport and not of the whole Muslim community who wear niqab.
Personally I find it offensive. But then, I'm an atheist, so I have no right to complain. Only when you are a follower of a big religion you get your rights not to be offended enshrined in law. "We are with 1 billion so what we think is right is right, even if it's wrong". Religious freedom, OK, but it should be expressed in such a way that other people's religious freedom is also honoured.
Thanks.
Why do you try to change our culture?
I return to my point, if god is all seeing and all knowing why did it take him thousands of years to come up with these rules? and then only inform an uneducated person who could not read and write?. Why were these gems of knowledge not spread to all man/womankind?
Ever considered there may be women who wear the hijab that have been born in this country and hold professional jobs, thus contributing to the state.
Not all public opinion on the matter reflects your opinions. I know many people that accept that muslim women should be allowed to dress as they please, as do women from all or no religion. You need to stop linking a muslim womans dress code to repression and restriction of freedon! This society is made up of people from all walks of life and from all countries. No one in the UK is entirely 'British' - there are influences from the Romans etc. So what exactly does being 'British' mean these days?
By god teaching an illiterate man, showed that it was the word of god. Most illiterate people I know, would not be able to string one sentence eqivelent to that of the quran. So the fact that prophet Muhammed was able to narrate those eloquent words showed the world that it was a divine teaching. Have you read the quran? See the science that has been written within it, that has taken the west years to learn. These 'gems of knowledge' ARE being widespread. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions, so the word is getting out there!