Hijab Discrimination
by Tahmineh Tamim
What is the Hijab?
The hijab refers to head-coverings worn by Muslim women. It is an Islamic concept of modesty and privacy, and is mostly expressed in a Muslim woman’s clothing, including the headscarf, abayas and burqas (full head to toe cloaks). It is an act of worship and devotion to their religious beliefs, one that should be permitted everywhere around the world without fear of discrimination and oppression.
Discrimination faced by women wearing the Hijab
Muslim women have the right to practice their religion, while being treated equally, free from discrimination and prejudice. They have the right to not be discriminated against because of their religion, ethnicity, and gender, just as any other person in the United States, under the first amendment. Even with these legal protections, Muslim women who wear the hijab still face infringements on their rights.
The stereotypical image portrayed by the media entails the idea that women who wear the hijab are oppressed and need to be “freed” from their garments. Contrary to this belief of Muslim women being forced to wear the hijab, in reality, most women are proud to wear the hijab and chose to wear it by their own free will (Tariq-Munir, 2014).
Muslim women have been harassed, fired from jobs, denied access to public places, and prohibited from wearing their hijab. At work, muslim women are denied their right to wear the hijab. At school, they are either prohibited from wearing the headscarf or harassed for doing so. Findings have shown that 69% of Muslim women who wear the hijab reported at least one incident of discrimination compared to 29% of women who did not wear the hijab (ACLU, 2008).
The inaccurate assumptions made about the hijab have led several countries to ban women from wearing the hijab in public. In 2019, Austria placed a ban on headscarves for children up to the age of ten. In the Canadian province Quebec, wearing religious symbols for all public servants in positions of authority is prohibited. Some schools in India have prohibited girls from wearing the hijab to school. France has banned all religious clothing and symbols in schools, and has banned the niqab in public spaces in 2011. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, wearing the hijab is banned in courts and other institutions. Muslim women are prohibited to wear the hijab to work if they are employed un judicial institutions. Russia has banned the hijab in schools. The list goes on and on. (Javaid 2022)
The hands of my hijab movement was the start of Muslim women being able to control their narrative
and tell their stories. The legislations banning the hijab stems from discrimination and stereotypes that are
deeply rooted in society. The hijab ban is a failure of religious equality. Rawdeh Mohamed, the creator of
the hands off my hijab movement, stated that she “wanted [her] oppressors to see [her] face and women
who look like me. They don’t get to hide in their luxurious parliament offices and regulate women’s bodies
without a fight.” The idea of someone being able to control what another person wears on THEIR body, is
absolutely ridiculous. Institutional silencing (deciding whether or not women are allowed to wear the hijab)
and misrecognition (prejudices about Islam) are “cases of unacceptable institutional domination,” that
repeat the cycle of discrimination faced primarily by Muslim women through gendered Islamaphobia
(LaBorde, 2006).
Why this topic is important to me
As a Muslim woman who was raised by a hijabi mother, surrounded by hijabi women my entire life, and have several friends who wear the hijab, this topic is particularly important to me because I have seen first-hand the discrimination that is faced by hijabi women. Moreover, I have seen and read posts from other hijabi women from all around the world who at one point in their lives experienced gendered Islamophobia and hate acts or discrimination against their hijab. My mother, who immigrated to the United States from Afghanistan in 1999, had worn the hijab her entire life. Shortly after moving here, and especially after 9/11, she experienced various instances of discrimination. It was extremely difficult for her to find a job that allowed and supported her religious beliefs. Name calling, people trying to remove her hijab, difficulties in finding work, and other hateful acts is the reason why my mother decided to remove her hijab. It should be a Muslim women’s decision, and hers alone, whether or not to wear the hijab, and that decision was taken from her. After the 2016 presidential election, one of my closest friends was walking to school when someone forcefully removed her hijab from behind her. That was the first time she had experienced a direct act of discrimination, and felt enraged, but more than that, she felt fear. My hijabi friends share how different their experiences are in everyday life that most people don’t experience, such as getting weird stares in public and being treated differently than others.
I think this topic is extremely important to bring awareness to and one that isn’t often talked about. If other people can freely express and practice their religion without discrimination, why can’t Muslim women experience the same? Being supportive and inclusive, without oppression and discrimination, to EVERYONE is the ultimate goal! Taking the step to educate yourself and the people around you is how change begins.
Sources
Discrimination against Muslim women - fact sheet. American Civil Liberties Union. (2010, December 14). Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://www.aclu.org/other/discrimination-against-muslim-women-fact-sheet
Elan, P. (2021, April 25). Model's 'hands off my hijab' post sparks protest over France's proposed ban. The Guardian. Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/apr/25/model-rawdah-mohamed-hands-off-my-hijab-protest-france-ban
Javaid, A. (2022, March 15). List of countries where hijab is banned. Jagranjosh.com. Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/list-of-countries-where-hijab-is-banned-1647354865-1
Laborde, C. (2006). Female autonomy, education and the hijab. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 9(3), 351-377.
Sediqe, N. (2022, March 28). Analysis | Muslim women in Hijab get the brunt of discrimination. I asked them what that's like. The Washington Post. Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/28/hijab-muslim-discrimination-intersectionality/
Tariq-Munir, E. (2014). The dynamics of wearing hijab for Muslim American women in the United States (Doctoral dissertation, Iowa State University).
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