posted
In America, the hijab is not an obstacle for Muslim girls
By Sahar Kassaimah First Published: February 12, 2007
“Here in Dearborn, MI, with such a big Muslim population I feel very comfortable practicing my religion. Also I am very proud of who I am,” said Safa
WASHINGTON: For many Muslim girls in the United States, the hijab is not an obstacle, but rather a source of strength, pride and a tool to spread correct information about much-stereotyped Islam.
"I’ve been wearing my hijab for more than five years; since I was a fifth grader, and I believe nothing has changed between me and my friends or classmates after I covered my hair," Huda Rabia, a Californian high school student, said.
"In the beginning they were all curious to know what this scarf is and why I am wearing it. They had tens of questions but after I answered all of them, they never asked me about it again."
During the few recent years, a debate has been raging in the West about Muslim women's right to wear hijab in public.
Describing it as a religious symbol and not an obligatory dress code as Muslims believe, France triggered the controversy in 2004 by adopting a bill banning the hair veil in state schools.
Shortly afterwards, other European countries, chiefly Germany, followed the French lead.
But in the United States, it is a different story.
"I do what most people my age do," said Salsabil Alwazzi, an 18-year-old and a freshman at Oklahoma City Community College. "I hang out with friends, watch movies and go out to restaurants."
"I spend a lot of time with my friends we go for dinners and throw parties for each other," added Mariam Khalid, a 16-year old and an 11th grader at El Camino Real Senior High.
"We do what almost every teenage girl in America does, shopping and movies. I also go out with my family and family friends," she added.
Nabilah Safa, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Michigan-Dearborn also wears a hijab and feels good about herself.
"Here in Dearborn, MI, with such a big Muslim population I feel very comfortable practicing my religion. Also I am very proud of who I am," she said.
There are between six to seven million Muslims in the United States, making up less than three percent of the country's 300-million population.
For many among hijab-donned Muslim girls, wearing a hijab is a responsibility that requires them to check their actions.
"Muslim girls wearing hijab are immediately recognized anywhere they go, without the need for us to say ‘I am Muslim.’ The hijab speaks for us, and I believe this helps to serve as a check on our actions, because anything we do is not just reflective on us, but on Islam as well," said Nour Habib, a 17-year-old and a freshman at Oklahoma State University.
Even for younger Muslim girls, wearing hijab at public middle schools enhances their self-confidence and makes them feel distinguished among their peers.
"I feel that I am special between all the people I hang out with because I have enough courage to do that," said Alia Maghawri, a 12-year-old and a sixth grader at Las Colinas Middle School.
"I am also proud because I am different from all my Muslim friends. They are too shy to wear the hijab," added Maghawri.
For Maghawri, her hijab brings her more respect among her friends.
"My friends started to like me more because they know I have the courage to stand in front of the whole school and do something different," said Maghawri proudly.
Most of the hijab-donned girls agree that they did not feel isolated by their attire.
"Sometimes I feel different, but never isolated or left out,” said Safa.
Sarah Habib, a 15-year-old and a tenth grader, agrees with Safa.
"Different: yes. But never isolated or left out," she said.
"Of course I feel different, because I am. But there is no reason for me to feel isolated or left out. There are things I stay away from, as a Muslim. But it is not because I am excluded; it is because I choose to stay away," Habib added.
Rabia wonders why a Muslim girl should feel isolated for wearing her hijab.
"I was Huda Rabia before wearing my hijab and I am still the same Huda Rabia after wearing it. The only change is that I covered my hair with this scarf. So why should my friends refuse or distance themselves from me because of my scarf?" asked Rabia surprisingly.
"I have a different belief system than most here in the US. However I was born and raised here so why should I feel any different?" added Alwazzi.
Habib believes that it is one’s actions that could isolate him/her from others.
"I believe that isolation is a choice. And if you do not choose to be isolated, then you won’t be. And the question is, left out from what? Again, it is a matter of choice. You choose whether or not to join in something, and in this way, I don’t think it’s being left out."
She said wearing hijab or being a Muslims is more like "staying out."
"There is nothing wrong with staying out of things that you feel are wrong. This is actually proof that you are 'above the influence.' By not letting someone pressure you into doing something, you are showing strength of character," she said.
The girls derive their strength from strong family bonds and Muslim advocacy groups to face challenges that they might go through.
"Of course when you see other teenagers going to parties and hanging out you feel left out. But I think it is very important to have a strong family background that you know you can always go back to," said Khalid.
"I am very thankful that in my community we have youth group for Muslim teenagers at the local Masjid.
"We have events and girls only parties so that we don’t feel left out in today’s society. For example, in the summer we go camping, and during the winter’s we have snow day. During the month we have activities like going bowling and game’s night, but we also have classes on Sunday to learn more about Islam," she said.
"I think it’s a perfect balance. Even though I know I am different, I don’t feel; left out or isolated because of this youth group and my family," Khalid said.
The girls also use their hijabs to spread correct information about much-stereotyped Islam.
"In High School, many people are very ignorant about Islam but they are also very curious," said Khalid.
"A lot of people come and ask me why I wear a scarf and I explain to them that the hair is the symbol of sensuality and beauty, and that I try to hide that. They are astounded when they discover that wearing the hijab was my choice. I also have a few classmates who are Muslim but not very religious, and they ask me questions to learn about their religion," she added.
"I believe people are getting used to seeing Muslims all around them," said Habib.
"The Muslim community is growing, and non-Muslims are growing more accustomed to them. This does not prevent the stares I receive, but I am accustomed to these as well. Not all non-Muslims look at me in the same way. I think it all depends on the level of knowledge they have about Islam."
For Sarah, people differ in their reactions, but she agrees that Muslims should be approachable to encourage others learning about Islam.
"Of course people react in different ways. I get stares all the time, some showing interest, some curiosity, some admiration/respect, and some, unfortunately, fear," Sarah told IOL.
"I try to look as approachable as possible, giving people a chance to ask what they want."
Ala Gebarin, 17, also takes into stride stares and remarks she might come across.
"I am aware that my hijab can be intimidating, but it is only a layer of clothing," said Gebarin, a 12th grade student at Oak Forest High School.
"Once people get to know me, and how I act, their views change and really non-Muslims are very open and kind. They are often more curious than ignorant; as they are often portrayed."
posted
I totally agree with that in areas with significant Muslim populations.
For a Muslim girl/woman out in the middle of nowhere, she still probably encounters some problems.
Posts: 8794 | From: 01-20-09 The End of an Error | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
When I was in baltimore, my hijab posed no problems for finding work, but here in the good ole south! LOL I cant get in the front door!
Posts: 478 | From: USA | Registered: Feb 2006
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CINCINNATI (Reuters) - Tala Ali, 25, has seen the good and the bad of being a Muslim in heartland America. People have leaned out car windows to scream at her: "Terrorist go home." But strangers curious about her headscarf have also approached her apologetically to ask about Islam.
"I love it, actually, when people ask me questions," said the pink-scarved Ali, who came to the United States with her Jordanian father and Palestinian mother when she was five.
"Out here, I'm the only Muslim some people may meet," said Ali, waiting for friends after Friday prayers at a Cincinnati mosque. "I always keep in mind that I'm an ambassador of Islam."
For Ali and other Muslims who live far from America's immigrant-rich big cities, everyday life is a test of tolerance and outreach to fellow Americans who view Islam with suspicion five years after the September 11 attacks and amid bleak and bloody wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The negative perception gets bigger by the day, despite all we do," said Inayat Malik, a doctor and board member of the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati.
The center hosts 5,000 visitors a year -- from churches, schools and the simply curious. Tour coordinator Shakila Ahmad is too embarrassed to share the worst things said to her as a tour guide, but insists there are no "bad" questions.
"It's important for people to be able to ask," she said, sitting quietly in the center's empty gymnasium after a tour. Flags of dozens of nations decorate the walls. "We'd rather you ask than have a misconception."
Ahmad, Malik and others sit on inter-faith councils and speak at community forums and strive, year after year, to build bridges within predominately white Christian middle America.
But while they are dedicated to outreach, the uphill battle of educating Americans takes its toll on optimism.
"The deluge of the media coverage with its negative portrayal is overwhelming," said Malik. "I see very little light at the end of the tunnel."
BOMB THREATS AND HATE MAIL
Karen Dabdoub fights constant brushfires in her work for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Ohio.
In 2005, a Cincinnati mosque was bombed. Fasting Muslim students were criticized in 2006 when they were allowed to avoid the cafeteria during Ramadan. Bomb threats and hate mail trickle in.
"We'll get there. It's not an easy road, but we'll get there," said Dabdoub, a native Cincinnatian who converted to Islam 16 years ago. But she admits things have gotten worse instead of better in recent years.
A 2006 Gallup poll of more than 1,000 Americans showed that 39 percent were in favor of requiring Muslims in the United States, including American citizens, to carry special identification. Roughly a quarter said they would not want Muslims as neighbors.
Dabdoub said her blue eyes and white skin have not spared her the unfriendly stares often aimed at headscarved women in America.
"Once in a while somebody will smile at me, but not as much as they used to," she said.
Cincinnati's 25,000-strong Muslim community is a microcosm of American Islam. According to CAIR, about a third of America's six to seven million Muslims are South Asian, a third African American and a quarter Arab. Still others are European immigrants or Caucasian converts.
Almost everywhere, the community is dedicated to outreach.
In Missouri, Muslim children at the Islamic School of Greater Kansas City are sent out to do community service.
Principal Saba Hamouda said the school's mosque was once vandalized and a Koran smeared with feces, but she believes the more Americans understand Islam, the more they will accept their Muslim neighbors.
Still, students sometimes feel stereotyped and misunderstood outside the comfort of their small school.
"Just because of 9/11 people think we are terrorists," said 15-year-old Sabrim Qadi, taking a break from a morning Islamic studies class.
In the U.S. Southwest, known more for its influx of Hispanic immigrants than its Islamic community, Muslims repeat the outreach approach despite sectarian slights.
Jordanian born Ahmad Al-Shqeirat, imam of the Islamic Community Center of Tempe, a city in the sprawling Phoenix valley where there are some 40,000 to 50,000 Muslims, has felt both welcome and intolerance.
The Islamic Center, with its minaret, sits alongside the First Congregational Church on a quiet Tempe backstreet. Five years ago the two were jointly awarded the Tempe city diversity award for their good neighborliness.
"We exchange visits and talk all the time," Al-Shqeirat said of his neighbors.
But despite his proudly ecumenical outlook, Al-Shqeirat hit the headlines late last year as one of the so-called "Flying Imams," a group of six Muslim clerics who were turfed off a U.S. Airways flight after some passengers and crew became alarmed at their prayers.
Looking back on the incident, Al-Shqeirat says it showed
"overreaction and discrimination" by the airline. But he says it has only redoubled his commitment to outreach.
"If those people had ever been in a mosque and seen Muslims praying, they would have understood," he told Reuters, sitting in the office at his street corner mosque after evening prayers. "Anger will not take us anywhere, what we need is more education."
posted
tigerlilly, I liked that first article, it was lovely to read, i wonder how much is the same in the UK? I started wearing it last week and since then i have had a little asian girl come up to me in tears and ask me to walk her home because she was being bullied, and yesterday a boy in my street keeps staring and laughing, ironically he is the only one who has done this, so far, out of all the kids, and he is the son of a woman i used to know very well. Last night it was hard for me to get it off my mind, however i just think that if this is what is gonna happen, bring it on, because at least inshallah, my son wont grow up that way and we are the lucky ones so i should be laughing inside. It is true that by wearing it you are an ambassador in a sense, i feel it helps me to behave better and remember God in everything i'm doing, but also i'm making a statement that I dont want to be part of what those around me have, their (my old!) way of life. This might annoy people more at first, but how will things ever change if we cant stand up for our beliefs, no one has a right to force me to live how they live or dress how they dress...
Posts: 1017 | From: uk | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
flutter, wearing that crap is an insult to ALL women and is not respected here. If you cannot join western culture perhaps you should leave.
Posts: 904 | From: Texana | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
In the US, we have the "freedom" to practice our religious beliefs- a nice idea in theory, but the reality is that it is not shared or respected by many Americans.
Posts: 820 | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by ARROW99: flutter, wearing that crap is an insult to ALL women and is not respected here. If you cannot join western culture perhaps you should leave.
the only thing insulting here is your attitude. great, another moron who claims to know how all women should choose to represent themselves. What a joke- why dont you just change your words to "if you dont like american, you can just get out". red neck mentality. the west is about freedom of choice, freedom of expression, freedom of religion. dont be such a hypocrite.
flutter, congratulations. may allah swt grant you the many blessings you deserve for trying to please him. You know when you take a small step for him, he comes running to you. Dont worry, you may run into crappy, ignorant people (actually, you probably will), but i think the majority of people will be polite, inquisitive, and respectful of your hijab. i think its the most beautiful garment for a women to wear, i hope ill wear it again some day soon inshallah. When I wore it (and I grew up in a small east texas hick town) i wore hijab, and initially i got alot of crap. some christians just HATED it (Why is she wearing that? she never wore it before) but SO SO SO many more were soooo supportive. i was shocked at how kind people were. so stick to it- if you ever feel down, drop me a line! and best of luck!
Posts: 1967 | From: USA | Registered: Oct 2006
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quote:Originally posted by The Conditioned: The Hijab doesn't bother me at all..
What bothers me is the Niquab!
~Alistair
you know, i always say its the womens right to choose- like im friends with a muslim girl whose parents are from afghanistan, she was born here in the u.s., her sister dresses like a hoochey mama, but she wears the full niqab and abaya. black. and shes going to law school. and im like...hows that going to work? but she really, truly, believes that its what she should be doing, so, more power to her.
but yeah, it kinda bothers me too. a little too much of a clash. my friends mom wears black niqab and abaya and she drives a white corrolla, it looks silly Posts: 1967 | From: USA | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
Awwww, i just saw this guys, thank you so much Hibbah thats really sweet, I will do that.
I'm afraid im not too into niqab either but each to their own...
And who is this Nazi? "flutter, wearing that crap is an insult to ALL women and is not respected here. If you cannot join western culture perhaps you should leave. "
perhaps you would like to tell me how i might join western culture? what should i wear to make you happy? then perhaps you might explain to me why YOU telling me what i should and shouldnt wear is acceptable? who made you fashion police? in fact who made you dictator of the west?
why does what i wear insult all women? i never realised i was so powerful.
Since you are such an authority, perhaps you could share your worldly views with us and why it offends you so??
Posts: 1017 | From: uk | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
Well I where Hijab all the time, and believe, i get much respect from it. Alhumdiallah, me and my daughter proudly wear hijab all the time. In fact, I was covering my hair before I started practing Islam, so this really was never an issue for me.
I think the only women who are insulted, are the ones who are convicted in their own spirit.
Posts: 478 | From: USA | Registered: Feb 2006
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quote:Originally posted by ARROW99: flutter, wearing that crap is an insult to ALL women and is not respected here. If you cannot join western culture perhaps you should leave.
are you a women? Why does a hijab bother you? Are you bother by women who weat clothes that are 10 size to small and look like and elephant trying to free itself from a jammed zipper?
Posts: 478 | From: USA | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
ARROW: Please come back, its getting late and i need to know what i can wear tommorrow??? Posts: 1017 | From: uk | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by ARROW99: flutter, wearing that crap is an insult to ALL women and is not respected here. If you cannot join western culture perhaps you should leave.
are you a women? Why does a hijab bother you? Are you bother by women who weat clothes that are 10 size to small and look like and elephant trying to free itself from a jammed zipper?
bwaahhahaha... horrible!
Posts: 1967 | From: USA | Registered: Oct 2006
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quote: flutter, wearing that crap is an insult to ALL women and is not respected here. If you cannot join western culture perhaps you should leave.
OMG
I just read this.
Sorry but.....Arrow........I can see why not many people like you. Your a racist pig! Posts: 2133 | From: Redneckland | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
I never had problems working in america with hijab (also in the south) and I went to school with girls who covered and they were ok. of course I'm from the city too, smaller towns/cities might be different as Lefty said above, but overall you will have a very easy time mixing into american culture...errr, until you come across ARROW who is still upset because he hasn't been able to color-coordinate his hijab with his abayas Posts: 13440 | Registered: Feb 2006
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