Wednesday, June 4, 2008

The Choice of Hijab

Behind the Veil
in The Daily of the University of Washington
By Jeremiah Rygus, June 4, 2008

During the last six years, images of Islam have flooded the media — some positive, others negative, but almost all of them misunderstood.

For many Americans, the most common image of Islam is of a veiled woman. Pictures in newspapers or on TV depict everything from a completely covered woman in Afghanistan to the more common headscarf.

These images conjure a myriad of thoughts and emotions for many who have little understanding of what the hijab is and what it means to the women who choose to wear it.

Hijab is an Arabic word that literally means “cover.” More accurately though, the word means, “to veil, shelter or protect.” Here in the West, we refer to the head covering itself as hijab, but in its Islamic context, the word refers to the virtues of modesty, privacy and morality.

“There’s much more to hijab than a piece of cloth,” said Zakiya Qadir, a senior and Near Eastern Studies major. “It’s an entire lifestyle. The way I dress is just a part of being a hijabi.” A “hijabi” is someone who wears the head covering.

If a woman decides to don the hijab, there is more involved than simply placing a scarf on her head.

You may read more of this basic and informative article by clicking on the title link above. Image above is directly linked from the webpage article.



A simple observation by Crossings at blogspot, an English professor working in Palestine, in "Student Daydreams":
Although most women on the streets of Nablus wear the hijab (covering their hair and often neck), my students make it clear that this is a choice, not a requirement as it is, say, in Saudi Arabia. They see the current popularity of head coverings, in Palestine and much of the Muslim world, as symbolic of a general conservative reaction to the influence of Western / American culture and values. (A generation ago Palestinian women did not cover their heads.)

4 comments:

Sammybunny said...

I think that hijab is so beautiful! I would truly love to wear this style but I do not want to generate confusion about my faith as a Christian (as it is so commonly and immediately associated with Islam). I truly commend and find women who wear hijab truly beautiful, modest, and devoted to their faith (in most cases)

Anonymous said...

I have worked in Saudi. The requirement to cover entirely, not just hair, whilst you could be dressed like a hooker underneath is very uncomfortable indeed.

My great aunt had a lot of photos of women taken in the Jordan area c.1925 and they all wore headcoverings but no hijabs, it's interesting how even in religion there is still fashion :-)

LisaM at ThoseHeadcoverings said...

me too. :)

I sometimes think of what I heard from the early Christian elder, Tertullian, when he was instructing the young church on how women should cover their heads, modestly, and wrote something like: "Let the women of Arabia be your judges, for they not only cover their heads, but their faces as well... ". He was saying, "hey, you're trying to see how little you can cover and still be obedient to God - but these women go further than you do!"

I don't believe that Christians should cover mainly for modesty, as the Muslim women (whose religious roots are in Arabia, perhaps), but these women do continue to choose to cover - publicly and beautifully, in the face of the secular world around them. I think that Christian women who have decided not to cover chould maybe look to the Muslima's example of obedience and faithfulness.

Scarf Ace said...

as a muslim who covers her head, i often feel alone and isolated-- i'm pleasantly surprised to learn that there are women of other religions who also wear headscarves and i appreciate how you respect the muslim sisters! i hope to learn more through your blog.