To (Hija)Be or Not to Be: Perspectives of a Muslim Feminist//Betool Ridha, M.A.

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There is a long-standing perception, specifically perpetuated among Western discourses, that Muslim women are oppressed and a key symbol of their oppression is the Hijab. As a Muslim woman myself, who chooses to wear and observe the Hijab, this perception is a deeply personal one. The Hijab is a very complex construct, complicated even further by the assumptions and misconceptions seen in the modern, Western, secular world today. One common misconception that is frequently used in arguments against Islam is that the Hijab is a tool of oppression used by the religion to silence and dominate women. In order to fully understand the meaning and significance of the Hijab, one must examine the construct in both religious and cultural contexts. While the term “Hijab” today is often conflated with the headscarf that Muslim women wear, it actually encompasses many different aspects and behaviors of both Muslim women and men. The Hijab, most simply put, is an expression of modesty. While this can be expressed for women through the wearing of a headscarf, the Hijab encompasses many different aspects of human behavior. The Hijab is a requirement placed onto men in the Quran as well as women. Rather than oppress humans, the Hijab functions to liberate both men and women from the confines of their appearance and allow themselves to be regarded as spiritual beings rather than sexual beings. In being regarded as spiritual beings, Muslim women are seen as equal to men in Islam. While this is the true form of the Hijab in Islam and the intention is to liberate, rather than oppress, that is not always the case in Muslim countries in the modern world today.

Many societies enforce strict gender roles, which specifically prohibit women from entering the public sphere. Such prohibitions include women’s right to an education, right to work, and even to drive. The Hijab is used as a mechanism through which to enforce such oppression. However, this oppression is not of ideological origin but rather economic. The liberation of women is not economically smart, in fact, it is much more costly to provide women with education, jobs, and child care than it is to confine them to the domestic sphere and charge them with reproduction and child-rearing. Without an understanding of such implications, it is fairly easy to make generalizations about the Hijab and project them onto all Muslim women and the religion of Islam. Feminist theorists Chandra Talpade Mohanty and Saba Mahmood argue against this trend, especially in Western, secular, feminism to generalize and overlook the nuances that work to shape how the Hijab is used and expressed around the world. Neglecting to take a transnational approach and view to the Hijab is deeply problematic, as is evidenced by Western feminists assertions that Muslim women are victims of oppression and need to be saved from Islam.  The perpetuation of the Hijab as oppressive is symbolic of the white feminist movement that neglects to account for the intersectional identities of marginalized women and promotes a white colonialist view under the guise of liberation. Muslim women are not meek, subordinate creatures that need to be saved. We are strong, capable, independent women, and our liberation lies within our choice to wear the Hijab.

Written By: Betool Ridha, M.A.

References

Ahmed, Leila. Women and gender in Islam historical roots of a modern debate. University of Pennsylvania Pr., 2011.

Mahmood, Saba. “Feminist Theory, Embodiment, and the Docile Agent: Some Reflections on the Egyptian Islamic Revival.” Cultural Anthropology, vol. 16, no. 2, 2001, pp. 202–236., doi:10.1525/can.2001.16.2.202.

Mohanty, Chandra Talpade. “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses” from Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism. Indiana University Press, 1991.

The Holy Qur'an. Trans. by Yusuf A. Ali, Woodsworth Classics, 2000.