Hijab and Struggles of Pleasing Society

[guillaumeb]

From the article:

The religion of Islam was always a part of our upbringing. From religion classes on the weekends to Arabic classes after school four days a week; our culture and faith were an integral aspect of our upbringing. Modesty and ethics were not just about clothing, but about your faith, self-respect, and the way you communicate with and care for others.
My Choice, Alone
I have been wearing hijab (head scarf) since 1986. It has been a blessed 32 years. I wouldn’t have it any other way. The choice to wear hijab was mine, and mine alone.

To read more:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/hijabihandshaker/2018/05/hijab-and-struggles-of-pleasing-society/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Muslim&utm_content=49

[msongs]

1. one notices men do not wear one nt

[guillaumeb]

2. And..........? eom

[trotsky]

8. Why don't they? n/t

[Act_of_Reparation]

16. I'll field that one.

It's because the hijab is irredeemably misogynistic. It was conceived of as a means to keep women from tempting men with their wiles (i.e., their faces), and despite efforts to whitewash this or otherwise rehabilitate the hijab's image, proponents cannot get away from using sexual morality to justify it's continued use. As long as that remains the case, they are not only casting shade at women who do not cover up, but also at women who, you know, enjoy recreational sex as much as the next human being.

As odd as that might seem to some.

[Major Nikon]

3. Funny how that works

[Voltaire2]

5. Yes some women choose to be veiled.

Others are beaten into submission. Islamic culture is deeply misogynistic.

[Major Nikon]

9. Coerced/forced modesty for women isn't unique to Islam, it's just easier to recognize

Meanwhile right here in the good ol' USA, women are forced to become human incubators and routinely slut shamed for other reasons than for not covering their hair.

[Voltaire2]

17. Yes we are misogynistic too, but the differences are stark.

The legal status of women in most Islamic countries is that of a minor. Typically they are in the custody of their husband or the male head of their family.

Sharia law of varying degrees of misogynistic hideousy is either the basis of or co-equal status with the legal system in many Islamic countries, and frequently that means that religious leaders are the judges in the system.

People apologizing for this crap, or what-abouting some sort of equivalence with non-Islamic democracies should do some more research and not fall victim to the tendency on the left to gloss over the problems with Islam in a misguided effort to counteract real islamaphobia.

[guillaumeb]

15. "Tis a gift to be simple,

but this response is simplistic. And not a gift. Your reply is classic Islamophobia disguised as an observation.

[Voltaire2]

18. Oh bullshit.

[guillaumeb]

19. Not a word that I would have chosen to describe your response. eom

[MineralMan]

6. If someone voluntarily chooses a mode of religious expression, it's fine.

If someone is coerced into a mode of religious expression, it's not fine.

What religion? Any religion. Religion is a choice. Being born into a society is not a choice. Too often, people are coerced into religious belief, either subtly or directly. The choice not to be religious should always be available.

[guillaumeb]

20. Agreed.

And the author so chose.

[trotsky]

7. As Muslim women, we actually ask you not to wear the hijab in the name of interfaith solidarity

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/12/21/as-muslim-women-we-actually-ask-you-not-to-wear-the-hijab-in-the-name-of-interfaith-solidarity/

...For us, as mainstream Muslim women, born in Egypt and India, the spectacle at the mosque was a painful reminder of the well-financed effort by conservative Muslims to dominate modern Muslim societies. This modern-day movement spreads an ideology of political Islam, called “Islamism,” enlisting well-intentioned interfaith do-gooders and the media into promoting the idea that “hijab” is a virtual “sixth pillar” of Islam, after the traditional “five pillars” of the shahada (or proclamation of faith), prayer, fasting, charity and pilgrimage.

We reject this interpretation that the “hijab” is merely a symbol of modesty and dignity adopted by faithful female followers of Islam.

...To us, the “hijab”is a symbol of an interpretation of Islam we reject that believes that women are a sexual distraction to men, who are weak, and thus must not be tempted by the sight of our hair. We don’t buy it. This ideology promotes a social attitude that absolves men of sexually harassing women and puts the onus on the victim to protect herself by covering up.

...Do not wear a headscarf in “solidarity” with the ideology that most silences us, equating our bodies with “honor.” Stand with us instead with moral courage against the ideology of Islamism that demands we cover our hair.

[Major Nikon]

10. The idea of the "original sin" isn't unique to Islam

Women are viewed as tools of the devil which must be forced or coerced into modesty or they will corrupt men. It wasn't that long ago when women in the US had to cover themselves almost entirely.

[trotsky]

11. Some modern Christian sects still require it.

[Major Nikon]

12. It's not a coincidence that the most secular countries have done away with modesty laws

Consider that in the US, a woman at almost every public beach in the US will be arrested for going topless while no man will anywhere.

[MineralMan]

14. True enough. I encounter Mennonites here in the Twin Cities

now and again. Very modest attire on women in that group, for sure.

[Act_of_Reparation]

13. Bullshit.

If the hijab is so fucking great, why aren't men wearing it?