Talk
about weird. Some Muslim women, at different stages of their lives and at
different times after their decision to wear hijab, struggle with it. Not
necessarily with the belief that it IS obligatory—although some Muslim women
may have a problem with that—but with different factors: come summer, if you
aren’t careful with the material of your hijab, it’s not exactly the most
comfortable thing to wear. And then there’s the dealing with the fact that
people sometimes treat you differently—yes, even in Muslim countries. But the
real killer is all the ranting, the debate, the articles, the speeches, on and
on and on about hijab. What’s amazing is that usually those talking about it
the most are those who don’t even wear it.
Hard-line
feminists who have decided that women wearing hijab are oppressed have taken it
on themselves to make Muslim women take that “hijab thing” off—how else
are women going to be respected if they don’t take off their clothes? And then
the politico-commentators who have tried again and again to convince everyone
and anyone who reads opinion pages of newspapers that hijab is actually a
“political statement” which “those Islamists” use to push their agenda,
or whatever. And of course let’s not forget the secularists, to whom hijab is
a “religious symbol”, which apparently threatens to tear the delicate fabric
of society. There are the Muslim men, of course. Some of them talk on an on and
on about hijab and how important it is until you start thinking that it’s the
ONLY thing that’s important. Or, on the other side of the spectrum, there are
those amazing fatwas that tell Muslim women living in some Western countries
that “It’s ok to take it off” if they feel they will become targets of
hate crimes, as if the world wasn’t confusing enough. Now get this: despite
all of this fuss, what’s really annoying/amazing/weird is that Muslim women
are STILL wearing that “hijab thing”!
So
what is it about hijab? Why are Muslim women still wearing it? How can a piece
of cloth attract so much attention? Isn’t it hot under there?
Discourse
on hijab is often accompanied by a list of dos and don’ts that women are
supposed to follow. But is it all about rules and restrictions? Some Muslims
claim that hijab is not obligatory. Is there a real debate within Islam
regarding this issue? Understand the nature of hijab and the philosophy behind
it by reading:
