When you see me in wrapped up in my cheetah print scarf what do you see? Do you see oppression? Do you see liberation?
How about I show you what I want you to see?
The day that I decided to wear my scarf, was the day I accepted I was a feminist. Now you must be asking yourself "How could that be?" or "Isn't the hijab the universal symbol of oppression?"
Wikipedia defines Feminism as:
...a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment.
I am of South Asian decent; I came to Canada at the age of seven. Before coming to Canada, though I may have been young I was still able to understand and feel the intense struggle of women in a country that didn't allow women to flourish to their full potential. I understood that my move to Canada would be towards freedom and independence. I took my freedom very seriously. I made sure I did what boys did in school. I fought with my family to have equal freedom and rights as the male counterparts in my family. I won some battles, but lost a lot too. I was sheltered, and made to believe that there was some things men could do that a woman just couldn't. I tried to defy that with every fibre of my being. Because I believed women could do everything and it was men who were limited.
As I became a teenager, I struggled with trying to fit in, because though I was a little feminist at heart, I was still a girl. I had the desire to be pretty, a desire to be liked for my looks. I tried very hard for many years, but I always wondered why girls had to wear less clothing to be attractive while men looked their finest in a three piece suit.
My journey as a feminist eventually took me to explore my faith. Negative media helped me look for answers for the Muslim woman dilemma. Was a simple piece of cloth a symbol of oppression? I found that women were mistreated all over the world, scarf or no scarf. I did a lot of research and found that the veil in Islam was encouraged to elevate women to a symbol of respect. I was fascinated by that, because I found as a teen, self-respect was something a lot of girls struggled with. Being raised around a lot of boys and having mostly male friends I recognized that I didn't want to be objectified as sexual object.
So at 16, I began my journey to covering my body. I was afraid of what people would think. But I realized, the world would judged me no matter what I did, so I better do what I feel is right. And I felt very strongly about what I believed in. I believed, a man should respect me for my mind. I believed that inner beauty should be showcased because outer beauty would fade.
Women's bodies are used as a canvas for advertising. The machine that is marketing and the men behind it use their creative paintbrush to objectify and sexualize women. I chose to take back the paintbrush. The irony is that one of my favourite ads was by Dove, I loved their "Evolution of Beauty" video.
Contrary to what most people think, I had to fight my family to wear hijab. They were completely against it. I still get asked if I really need to wear it. Do I waver and question my commitment sometimes? Yes I do. Just as a person who may question their commitment to their marriage. You can call it long-term buyer's remorse -- just kidding. But seriously sometimes it's hard, but majority of the time I am extremely comfortable with my decision to wear the hijab.
My feminism still remains while I wear the hijab, because for me it was the greatest symbol of choice. The expression "she wears the pants in the house," was changed by my husband to, "She wears the hijab in the house." In our home hijab is a symbol of power and respect. My 16-year-old feminist self would be proud of me for sticking to my guns. She would be proud for never giving in to peer pressure, media pressure, and social pressure. My body is my own; I can do to it whatever I please.
To get a better understanding of hijab, I leave you with the words of Naomi Wolf, a feminist;
"It is not that Islam suppresses sexuality, but that it embodies a strongly developed sense of its appropriate channeling"
Amber - @amberzcorner
Originally posted on www.fatekeep.com
Follow Amber Rehman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/amberzcorner
In my opinion, instead of talking on behalf of all women in hijab, you should only think about the majority, because the truth is that majority of women do love being in their hijab and are comfortable wearing it.
www.pancakeslaps.com
Rather hypocritical in my mind.
Because the fact is that most hijabis in the West, if they were honest with themselves, would say that in fact, the reason for wearing the hijab is to stand out...as a Muslim, and as someone who rejects aspects of the society in which they live.
If we were honest, then we could have an honest discussion about the positives and negatives of conspicuously wearing your religion on your proverbial sleeve. That's the discussion they had in France, and to be honest, whether you agree with the results or not, at least the discussion was honest.
Kahlil Gibran
Your clothes conceal much of your beauty, yet they hide not the unbeautiful.
And though you seek in garments the freedom of privacy you may find in them a harness and a chain.
Would that you could meet the sun and the wind with more of your skin and less of your raiment,
For the breath of life is in the sunlight and the hand of life is in the wind.
Some of you say,"It is the north wind who has woven the clothes we wear."
And I say, Ay, it was the north wind,
But shame was his loom, and the softening of the sinews was his thread.
And when his work was done he laughed in the forest.
Forget not that modesty is for a shield against the eye of the unclean.
And when the unclean shall be no more, what were modesty but a fetter and a fouling of the mind?
And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
Ah, yes and Kahlil. If you're using that quote to make a point here, it's not coming across for me and now I'm in doubt as to whether you even know the context of that piece.
However, as a marker of the rejection of sexualization (of hair in this case), it is no different than a bikini. It still says that your hair is a sexual object and by covering it, you highlight its sexuality. Moreover, some men have great (and sexy) hair too. They don't cover their hair. So, the wearing of the hijab plays into and reinforces the societal inequality that you are trying to reject. It says: a woman's hair is a naturally sexual thing so it must be covered up. It also says that men can't control their sexual urges and woman must be the guardians of men's sexual appetites. Finally, the fact that only women have to cover up sends a message that women have no sexuality and that only men do. So, in a sense, the message behind the hijab reinforces the backwards notion that society can ignore the fact that women have sexualities and sexual urges too. It reinforces the historically inaccurate view that sexuality and sex is the domain of men and that women are only its objects. All things being equal, if the hijab was only a symbol of channeling one's sexual persona to the private realm of a marriage bedroom, then men should have to wear one as well.
Anyway, just something to think about.
Religion is a very personal issue, but if it can be expressed in a way that does not inhibit day-to-day life then there is no problem with it. However, I believe there is a limit to what should be openly expressed.