I found this article on the BBC rather amusing. A young Muslim girl called Tamanna Rahman living in Britain explains how wearing the hijab (the towel thingie around the head) is a liberating experience. And after you read this you might want want to. Firstly, Tamanna cites the weather and how most heat loss occurs through the head. That’s where the hijab jumps in to action!
The headscarf is able to reduce that significantly – and in such a country as Britain where the weather is invariably cold and windy, not to mention wet, this is a great blessing, for which headscarf wearers all over the country are eternally grateful to a most foresighted God.
Good point I thought to myself until I remembered that the Muslims historically come from very warm climates. But I guess God knew they would end up in Britain.
She goes on to say how the hijab helps her maintain a modest appearance, as to not attract the wrong man. She feels that women who put tons of makeup on and wear slutty clothes attract bad types of guys. And with that said I agree with her to an extent. But when I see a woman wearing a hijab I assume that a) she’s Muslim and b) she would make a good obedient wife. Once again, don’t bother with hate mail. But seriously, I find it hard to respect a woman who doesn’t express herself in her own way. Wearing a hijab is like wearing a uniform. There’s no room for self expression. Thus the reason for wearing them in the first place. Obviously one can express themselves in other ways, but expressing oneself visually is natural. We all look different and have something to offer.
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It would be interesting to see how did this evolve. I am pretty sure the Jewish faith used them first (and called them something else, I am sure). The Christian faith (the original one I guess, not todays version) used them during service, and the Islam adopted them all year long.
As for the heat… It goes 2-ways you know… It doesn’t protect the heat, it protects you from changing temperatures for any reason. But still, an interesting thing.
The best one I heard was that God doesn’t want to see hair. But apparently only of women. Why again?
Islam did picked the hijab thing from christianity. Let me give an explanation to the reasons behind hijab. During the early years of islam , women were “owned” by men. (i.e they are more like their property, just like sheep if you like). Since they are their property, they don’t want others to pleasure from looking at them because they own this previlage. So they cover up the women from head to toe. All this talk about women self expression is just rubbish.
Do you know that Quran (the muslim’s holy book) does not mention hijab. Women still do it because apparently they want to be precieved as property.
From a muslim…
Interesting points. Yes, God did know about climate change and that it would come in useful in all geographic locations. In hot places it acts like a sunhat, and in cold places it keeps the rain off us.
Seriously though about the uniform thing. I doubt if you looked about the hijab wearing world you’d find women who dressed exactly the same (Places like Afghanistan and UAE are different as these are state controlled with no Islamic justification). Neither the intention nor the product of hijab causes uniformity – either of opinions or appearance. As I point out in my article, because the appearance is less important, what comes out of our minds gains precendence.
Way to defend you misogynistic oppressors! You expect me to believe that Islamic women are somehow hypersensitive to Sun and rain? If these pieces of cloth are so great then why is it that I only see Islamic women wearing them? I think it has to do with the Islamic male insecurity about their women. They need to keep their women covered up as much as possible because any flash of skin, and glimpse of femininity could result in a sudden outbreak of rape and wild fornication. And now, hundreds of years later, you come with some lame excuse about the sun and rain. Nice try. The Islamic women that I admire are the ones that rebel against antiquated Islamic patriarchal traditions. The ones driving cars in Saudi at the risk of being arrested and the ones expressing independent ideas about the ability of women to be leaders; those are the ones who should be writing articles.
Firstly i have been wearing the hijab for only a year as i decided to for my own self expressions. I want to hold my head high with pride to be a part of this wonderfull religion which if any of you actually know anything about would not sound so uneducated.I am not in a uniform but tend to wear silks and other beautifull colours of modest clothing which compliment my face and femenity without having to rely on my long legs and breasts to express my self as i did for 13 years of my life. It was not self expression then it was following fashion trends that are set out every season by increadibly wealthy fashion houses and then we like sheep thought we will wear it too so we can look likke the models and celebs in the magasines. What a waste of time and money i think to myself now as i wear what i consider nice and not need magasines to tell me. I now dont get gawked at by men nor do i hear rude and disgusting comments when i pass by i rather be ignored by that type. And as for gentlemen they still treat me with respect. The only problem i seem to have is when i encounter uneducated people who like some of you quote to know about islam asking stupid questions and making horrible comments due to being brain washed by the media. As a muslim woman married to a western man who also sees the beauty of islam wish people who are curiouse to find out about it by readind books not listening to bullshit (excuse my french)So i have been on both sides of the fence and am happy to be free from vanity and obssession to look how we are told to. I much rather be modesst as god wills and i still am baffeled why us covering our hair is weard compared to the peirced faces and drag queens and all the weird things in todays society.And also it has nothing to do with muslim men opressing us many of us are in countries where we can do whatever we like and choose to do this. READ FACTS STOP THE CRAP ONLY IDIOTS AGREE WITH SOME OF THE CRAP YOU SAY.
God bless you sister, you got it right.
Nice speech Happy To Be A Muslim Woman, but I think you missed the point a little. We are not shocked that you wear a hijab. Like you said, people pierce their bodies and do all kinds of strange things. What many people don’t understand, myself included, is why do you feel that you HAVE to wear the hijab or other coverings?
When we see stories about Muslim women demanding not to take their headscarf off for a drivers license picture, we see that as irrational and unwilling to adapt to your surroundings and rules.
And I see your point about women, especially in America, who use their body to garner attention. They wear trashy clothes to make up for their lack of a personality or low self-esteem. I agree with you on this. It is an extreme ideal.
But, when a women like you or any other Muslim has such a strong desire to wear the hijab under any circumstance, I see that just as extreme but on the other side of the spectrum.
Whether you display your body to the world, or bury it under clothing, it’s the same level of weirdness for lack of a better word.
There is nothing wrong with a woman wearing a short skirt at a nightclub once and a while. And there’s nothing wrong with wearing a hijab or other cover to be modest once and awhile. But to let those matters dictate your every day is ridiculous.
If you would like to contact me for further discussion I would greatly appreciate it.
gasmonso
simple-terms…
that is asking a Muslim woman to take a “wish-washy” approach to what she believes in.
hijab = identity
unwillingness to accept it = lack of diversity
lack of diversity = closed mindedness
being a Muslimah and showing it externally via the physically of the hijab (on the exterior) is a Muslim woman’s identity to her fellow peers on Earth.
most Muslimah’s are strong in what they believe in and how they like to express themselves.
it is selfish to attempt to strip that away or belittle this by removing the ability of full-expression thereof*
*something which doesn’t harm anyone.
I really think people need to get over it.
Muslim women wear the hijab.
All-too-many love it and do not want to take it of.
Esp for a measly DMV photo – since when is a women’s hair (which could be dyed and styled countless times) matter when it comes to an ID Photo?? Come on now…
peace.
‘via the physicality*’
‘do not want to take it off*’
(sorry, it’s late…there’s probably more – but hey, its just a blog :P)
The article is merely stating an advantage of wearing a scarf. there are more significant reasons to why muslim women wear the headscarf!!!
GO GET SOME EDUCATION !!
no u
Educate us, explain why an all powerful, all knowing god who cannot be hurt or insulted by mere humans would give a care about whether a woman wears a head scarf or not.
Oh, that’s right! he created women to test men, and because men often fail that test, women need to cover up lest the men are unable to control themselves. God and men really need to treat women better.
Brian:
so why don’t women walk around naked then?
covering the hair…..breasts….private parts….what’s the difference?
why is the covering of the former so offensive, while the covering of the latter is viewed as “common decency”??
Do women wear the hijab and be modest for themselves Or for men?
Why should women give a hoot about men?
If we lived in a utopian society with all women, there would be no shame, and no reason to cover up.
I think being independant is showing men/people that we dont care what they think of our bodies.
I think people who wear a headscarf need to ask themselves.
‘am i wearing it for me?, or am i wearing it to be modest for men?’
Anyway..what have men ever done for us?
thats my opinion anyway.
from a femenist
@feminazi
“what have men ever done for us?”
one was crucial in your own conception… get a life.
I could never understand where is the shame in naked body? In that matter, in the whole body at all… Why are people so ashamed of their body? Is it because something wrong with your body, or do you have a nasty scar? Or is it just me being naturist cannot comprehend the shame concept?
Hijabs really are a symbol of oppression. I spent time in a muslim country, and if you don’t wear one you are treated like a whore. In some countries like Iran, they are debating whether to impose harsher punishments onto women who wear “gauzy” hijabs at the beach in the hot, hot summer. If it wasn’t oppression, you wouldn’t receive punishment not only for not wearing one, but, just for wearing one that’s not “thick” enough. This is from the same type of culture that shoots women dead for leaving their homes unescorted by a man, and that stones to death women who are 8-9 months pregnant for adultery.
However, in the more liberal muslim countries, the scarves to come in a variety of colors, cuts and materials and can be folded in a variety of ways for different looks that many women feel shows their diversity. It’s wierd, but, after wearing one for several months and coming back to the united states it did feel really funny not wearing one. Also, I wore a traditiional Jalabi or robe while overseas and it took awhile before i felt comfortable exposing like my arms or legs. I didn’t wear any of these things for religious reasons, I just wore them so the men wouldn’t harrass me. They are very agressive and think that women who don’t dress conservatively in that traditional style are whores who will fuck anybody and they really really bother you all the time if you don’t cover up.
FUCK THE RELIGIOUS MALE DOMINATED CULTURES. THEY ARE THE ONES THAT ARE SO FUCKED UP AND WAR LIKE AND TRY TO SOLVE EVERTHING WITH VIOLENCE.
Wow.. What a great topic!.. i’m definately coming back for more
Its illegal to go out nude in the UK. so you must wear something. Covering yourself be you man or woman allows your audience to judge your intelect and emotions. ALL cultures are vain whether east or west, all cultures put so much empathasis on their version of beuty and evryone has to match up to the standard and if you dont your segmented into different categories. FEMALE DRESS SENSE IN THE WEST COMES FROM WHAT IS MOST DISIARABLE TO MEN. its win win for both genders. Men obsessed with beuty and women craving for attention. Its shit. Next time just ignore pretty girls wether they at work, friends or on the street.
By the way islam teaches modesty for both man and woman. Both have to wear loose clothing and not show anay flesh, however men are allowed to show benethe the the knees and above the naval even though its frowned upon.
if you dont believe me about how womens fashion is designed for men to be attracted then check out the high st in the summer or a friday night. 99%men will be wearing shirts or t shirts and jeans or track suits. maybe a hat and shades, possiblly jumpers on a friday. maybe shorts up to the knees.
and the women cleavage bareing blouses and shirts, tight string tops exposing their backs and their boobies. Tight jeans or fitted jeans. Definately skirts and dresses. HOT PANTS MMM. and loads of face paint.
WHAT, DONT MEN IN THE WEST GET HOT IN THE SUMMER? is it just the women?
What a load of bollocks Rayman.
Go to a beach in an islamic country (as I have) and the men are in shorts, no shirt and the women are still in their hijabs on the sand. WHAT, DONT ISLAMIC WOMEN GET HOT IN THE SUMMER? Is it just the men?
How about letting people CHOOSE what THEY feel comfortable wearing themselves (because NOT ALL western women wear revealing clothes, just because SOME might OCCASIONALLY) instead of having some stupid religion say that Women must cover themselves up from the easily tempted poor man?!
“allowed” this and “allowed” that – fuck that. what are you all children who cant think for yourselves? Freedom of choice and thought is something Muslims will never understand, sadly.
Jayman-
Men are attracted to women physically automatically (unless they’re gay, I guess) – I’m not a guy so I can’t say from a man’s point of view but that’s what my hubby says. ;)
What they’re doing in Iran is not good – they shouldn’t be forcing anyone to cover – this is coming from a Muslim’s viewpoint. The men shouldn’t be harassing women who don’t cover.
You’re right, people need to choose … in Islam your intent is the most important thing when you’re doing something. Unfortunately too many Arab countries are messed up, with culture mixed in with the religion.
Hijab is important, but not the most important thing.
As far as going to a beach in an Islamic country … there should be a separate/private beach for the women so they can relax, swim, etc. They have some in Turkey like that.
~Aynur
I agree that most religions are male dominated, however women should be able to make the choice. if a women prefers to wear it in outside countries thats their choice, who are we to tell them what to wear? COme to think of it…i personally wonder why men dont wear that thing? why is it just poor women wearing the hijab day in and day out? Maybe the women too want to protect their husbands and do not want their hair visible to the world?
california commercial auto insurance…
Morristown writhe.saleslady writing …
for me, i dont believe that hijab should be enforced by law, there are not many countries which do this, saudi arabia, yemen ,iran (since the fall of the shaw) Afghanistan only when the Taliban took over and northern sudan,. In most of the other highly populated muslim countries, some women do, some dont. west african muslim populated countries such as mali, guinea, mauritania, senegal, sierra leone,nigeria,chad, most muslim women wear traditional african clothing, not “islamic” clothing or head scarves. in lebanon,syira, algeria, libiya, eqypt, morrocco, indonesia, india, pakistan, bangladesh, iraq, turkey ( which is quite the opposite,you can not wear it in certain public offices, universities ,careers )palestine,etc, again, some women wear it , and some dont, and some do sometimes. if women love to wear hijab, wear it, if they dont want to wear it, then dont. i am muslim, i wear hijab, but i would hate to live in a society wear it was the law or forced.
newayz in da islamic religion women r supoze 2 wer hedscarf especialy if ur a marid women n yes probably coz of pervz n newayz y r u stupid ppl talkin bout da islamic religion bout scarfs itz God’s rule so allow it ppl
Hijab is our choice.
Just like a woman who is beaten and raped by her boyfriend “chooses” to stay with him…
U.K. is a great country where free choice extends to all parts of our life. By wearing hijab etc I feel you are using that ( hard won) right of free choice BUT hardly supporting the oppressed women of the non western islamic world.
Look at some online stores that sell hijab. The wide range of colours, styles of wrapping/folding, embroidery, pins used with them, etc. I see walkng around every day… there’s a great range of expression! It’s not like Catholic Nuns who have Ford’s colour choices: you can have your favourite colour as long as it’s black!
Yeah you can buy edible hijabs too.
hijab, how are yajab.
not badjab. yerselfjab?
hijabba the hut
here jab there jab everywhere a hijab.
it’s all jab all the time at http://jibjab.com
Great post. I really appreciate the information. You have done a good job communicating your message. Keep up the great job.
Just dropping in to say that I’m not Muslim, and I’m not especially religious(although I am happy to be Jewish), but I wear a headscarf every.single.day. I would feel miserable and uncomfortable without it. And no, I’m not ashamed of my body, but it’s MY body. In Islam they talk about how each person’s soul extends beyond the physical bounds of their body, so hijab is there to protect it. Hijab, or as we say in Judaism, tzniut, protects my personal space and I like it.
No man has ever encouraged me to follow modesty. I’m a feminist, and so is my husband- in fact we both hyphenated our names- and this is my choice. I admire muslimahs who take their hijab and make it their own, and wear it proudly- just as I admire folks who fight for women’s right not to wear it in totalitarian states. I will admit that I feel pretty iffy about women wearing the niqab, covering up their entire faces. I believe that facial expressions are crucial to communication, and that the niqab cuts you off. But, on the other hand, I believe more strongly in people’s ability to choose for themselves. Something you folks could work on.
Charlotte, what the fsck did you mean by “Something you folks could work on.”, and who exactly were you referring to?
Are you getting all hoity-toity stucky-uppy on us, you frumpy beotch? Maybe if you blew your toot once in while you wouldn’t need to hold it so high in the air.
What’s wrong?
Youmadbrah, because you want everyone to dress like your hero Richard Dawkins? But we aren’t balding yet.
It’s 2010. Fuck your stupid jesus stories.
Hi, I really love your template. Did you make it yourself?
so, as far as i am concerned, it is only the problem with muslim women wearing hijab. Not once did I hear about anyone complaining about nuns who cover, orthodox christians or jews, and not even mennonite and amish, in which some of their clothing is completley colorless and usually left with no room for self expression. But the hijab that is usually a different variety of colors and styles, along with the traditional garments, is such a symbol of oppression that we should disregard the women who choose it because they deviate from the norm that wants women to show themselves. As a western muslim, i wore hijab before my reversion to faith. Someone who tells me my self expression is in my clothing is right on the idea it is one way to express myself. But what about catholic school uniforms, they don’t express themselves with clothing? No one wants to say something about how cruel that is to students? I figured out that while my clothing in itself will say somethings, I had to realize that if I kept getting absorbed with my apperance on how my hair looked, makeup, the fashion trends or what everyone else was wearing, i would go crazy and be broke. The freedom to choose what to wear should be in place, and I don’t think that women should be punished for doing such things. But don’t just single out the middle east, look around, and there is more than enough judgements being made on clothing closer than you think. Injustice is not only present in one section of faith and the world. I wore hijab to tell the world I choose now what part of my body you have the right to see. That is more than enough freedom for me to stay happy with.
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