
Eighteen year aged Canadian Muslimah Sumayyah Hussein explains. (Followed by discussion points regarding young people.)
I am sitting in my first-period class impatiently waiting for the particular teacher to avoid babbling regarding monomials along with polynomials. Whenever the bell rings, a girl approaches, her face forming a question mark. She wonders if it's okay ought to any "personal" question...
"Why do Muslim ladies wear the particular hijab?"
It's not the first time this has happened along with the idea is definitely undoubtedly an issue that demands to be addressed.
One of the major misconceptions regarding the particular hijab (covering of the body except the face as well as hands) is definitely which young girls are forced to wear this by his or her adults or maybe by male family members members.
Sumayya Syed, 16, says that will whatever couples or even men would like have nothing to perform using the item. Within simple fact, she astounds individuals who ask by saying that will every woman should have this form of liberation.
Syed maintains that will while the woman is actually covered, men cannot judge her by her look but they are forced to evaluate her by her character, character, as well as morals. "I tell them that the actual hijab is usually not any responsibility, it's the right given to me by my Creator that knows us best. It's the benefit to me, therefore why not? It's one thing each woman should strive to get plus should desire."
The actual young woman admits to being surprised which several people wonder if she wears the actual hijab everywhere (in your house, when asleep, within the particular shower). The particular truth is usually that will Muslim females only cover themselves in front of men who are not direct relatives (brothers, fathers, as well as uncles) to prevent indecent acts or thoughts.
Another young woman who wears the actual hijab, Zeinab Moallim, 18, maintains that a number of people assume that all Muslims who wear the traditional dress are immigrants who don't know English as well as perceive them as "weirdos".
"I remember within my class while I answer questions, a few students examine me for example I'm types of dumb plus I can't answer (them)," she says. "So generally I answer, merely to let them know I could do things."
All of the young girls interviewed agreed which the advantages of donning the particular hijab are many. As outlined by Rema Zawi, 16, "You feel modest...as well as you feel similar to you're covered up. You have more self-respect. A person have more self-assurance within yourself that will anyone don't must care about (how) a person look."
Syed emphasizes which the major plus is usually which people in fact evaluate her on who she is usually as well as not on her attractiveness or simply clothing. "It keeps me protected coming from the trend industry. The hijab liberates most people from the particular media, brainwashing most people into, Purchase this, pay for that, you're supposed to look just like this," she says. "It allows me to get who I am. I don't have to worry concerning being famous because of choosing things that will are 'cool'."
Hana Tariq, 15, who merely recently began wearing the actual hijab, agrees together with Syed's view and says which the hijab lets most people know who your own real friends are.
"People who are friends along with everyone because of the particular way an individual look aren't real friends. Together with individuals who judge a person by your persona are true friends, simply because people can certainly modify looks although they do not essentially alter personalities."
The particular young females said the actual hijab offers them along with a good identity. It doesn't need to tell people they've been Muslims. The item shows.
On the other hand, there are actually drawbacks. Mariam Hussein, 18, was inside a retail store minding her own business, while a good old woman came as much as her and also proclaimed loudly, "Go time for your country!" The idea was a difficult situation since the young woman considers Canada her home.
Responses to the particular hijab vary widely. Zawi is actually one particular of the particular very few Muslim girls in her school who wears the particular traditional Muslim garb. She says several students treat her differently by looking at her within strange ways as well as vandalizing her property. Nonetheless, she as well finds that will additional students have questions regarding her regarding the hijab.
"I get that will it's as a result hard for the theifs to ask simply because they're absolutely shy, so I confront them. I tell them, In case an individual want to find out anything, just simply talk to me." A single young woman's first year at Silverthorn Collegiate was more than ever difficult. A counsellor was looking at her English marks coming from previous report cards, along with said she discovered them "impressive". Nevertheless then she reached a comment that will hurt. "Well, it's obvious most people don't need ESL," she said.
The counsellor done the particular assumption that will since the particular young woman wore the hijab, she had only emigrated as well as needed to take English as being a Second Language. Syed, who attends any school with any fairly large Muslim population, says the actual people she knows treat her using dignity together with the particular comments she becomes coming from friends and classmates are generally not disrespectful.
"Most people inside my life respect me with my hijab: they do not swear around me, they do not crack bad jokes," she says.
A number of people could think which the more any woman covers, the less freedom she has. Nonetheless, according to Muslim tradition, this is definitely really the particular opposite. The actual less she wears, the more she is usually degraded as well as the particular more she is put in the actual type of fire of male criticism.
Syed is usually astonished at the actual behaviour of a number of women who claim to would like "freedom". She can't understand how going topless, to get case, represents equality. "People have to understand that will we (males together with females) usually are not equal in body image nonetheless we should be equal within rights, in justice. Taking off your own shirt will not cause anyone adequate to a man; it'll come up with everyone lower. Why? Simply because the woman's body is actually produced differently."
Amani Elkassabany, 30, who is definitely not presently using the actual hijab, has a unique view. She applauds those that wear the hijab (specifically people that wear the item intended for God as well as with excellent intentions), nonetheless feels that this is not important to wear the hijab to gain respect.
"Just due to the fact any woman covers, doesn't mean she is actually automatically entitled to respect, and also has already proven the particular worth of her mind. Respect must be earned regardless of one's appearance and also this is definitely not earned as a result of a dress code alone."
Elkassabany sees advantages to using the
hijab or tudung, but thinks which possessing internal modesty is definitely more necessary than external modesty. "This external covering is actually really only the reflection of an inner commitment to dedicate oneself to the worship of the Creator," she comments.
She is also concerned about the actual restraints putting on the hijab implies, restraints that will are exclusive to women. "Both men as well as girls are needed to dedicate themselves to God, yet this is actually only women who are expected to demonstrate this dedication outwardly in the particular type of hijab," she says. "This expectation on the particular part of [women] is actually what I get hard to take."
Whether the actual hijab constrains and also liberates women is actually an ongoing debate. Nevertheless, statistics reveal that in Western society, females and also men are perceived really differently.
A single study, done at the University of California, identified that media photographs emphasize the faces of men nevertheless the particular bodies of ladies. Within the average picture of the woman, less when compared with half the particular photo (45%) was devoted to the woman's face. In the actual pictures of men, almost two-thirds (65%) of the photograph featured the actual man's face.
The actual exact same article reports the actual results of a good experiment conducted with the number of 40 male together with 40 female college students. These students were told that any study of freehand drawing styles was under way together with were assigned to draw either the man or even any woman, capturing "the character of the real person." The idea was observed which the particular men drawn had quite distinct features, with close attention paid to facial particulars. Then again, the actual images drawn of the actual women were being mainly of the actual body, with the actual faces vague as well as also featureless.
Perhaps, as women de-emphasize his or her bodies, this severe imbalance shall be at least in some measure rectified. Meanwhile, Islam provides any method to the problem - one which dignifies and honours all ladies.
Discussion Points for young people
1. Is actually it okay might questions regarding the actual customs of another culture? Why might that be a frightening thing to do?
2. Why do a number of Muslim females choose to wear the actual hijab? Why do a few choose not to?
3. How is usually the actual hijab a form of liberation regarding the particular ladies who choose to wear it? How is definitely it a way of constraint?
4. How does the particular hijab supply a woman along with an identity? Why might any Muslim woman would like her religious beliefs showing up-front?
5. What does the need for the particular hijab suggest about the actual Muslim view of men? Why has its goal been misunderstood?
6. Syed says that people evaluate her on the particular basis of who she is definitely after she wears her hijab, not on her natural beauty and also her clothing. Although, she furthermore says, which people at times assume that she is actually stupid, or perhaps doesn't speak English well, determined by her options of dress. Does the particular hijab free a young woman coming from one particular form of oppression and then put her inside the particular path of another?
7. Within an individual's opinion, does the particular hijab successfully address the particular problem of the over-emphasising of women's bodies which Hussein describes inside her article? Is definitely the woman's voice stronger if perhaps her body is definitely veiled?
8. Does the actual legal right to visit topless empower women or perhaps degrade them?
According to Hussein, the particular wearing of the particular hijab, a good ancient tradition, directly addresses any modern day concern, women's liberation. Perform some digging into your own cultural background. Are there just about any ancient rituals, customs, traditions or even beliefs which could be accustomed to solve modern dilemmas? Exactly what are they? Exactly what issues carry out they solve? Could anyone apply these solutions, no matter what exactly race, creed or even colour?
Source: equalitytoday.org
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