Modesty is More

The hijab worn by Muslim women is just one of the many misconstrued teachings of Islam by non-Muslims. The hijab has multiple meanings as a religious and social symbol; it provides a clear identity marker at a life-course transitional time, and it provides culturally legitimate space for young women who are formulating Muslim-American identities, according to Rhys H. Williams. Although many non-Muslims look at the hijab--also called a headscarf--as a way of oppressing women, they may be surprised to find out that it is quite the opposite. The hijab functions to define Muslim identity, perform a behavior check, resist sexual objectification, afford more respect, preserve intimate relationships, and provide freedom, according to Rachel Anderson Droogsma.

The biggest misconception of the hijab is that Muslim women are forced to wear one either by their fathers or husbands. In fact, women choose to wear the hijab themselves.

“I wear the hijab because it is a command from Allah, not because a man makes me,” 20-year-old Muslim-American Heba Hammami said.

“I cannot force her to wear it, even if I wanted her to, because it’s her choice to either follow the Qur’an or not to,” Heba Hammami’s father, Saba Hammami, said.

Only a portion of the female Muslim population in America wears the hijab or other Islamic dress, and not all religiously observant women feel that it is required, according to Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad.

Dressing modestly when out in public is very important to Muslim women, and wearing the hijab actually makes them feel more secure and empowered, rather than subjugated.

“Wearing the hijab instantly gives a woman more respect, and is a way of saying ‘you have no right to stare at me inappropriately,’” converted Muslim-American Teresa Mallak said.

Muslim women feel that the relationship between a man and wife is extremely sacred, and veiling oneself is a way to preserve the intimacy in their relationship. Showing their beauty to only their husband creates a strong bond and love between the couple.

“It creates something very special between a woman and her husband, because you’re only letting that one man see the most beautiful parts of yourself when you dress modestly around others,” Heba Hammami said.

Many non-Muslims believe that Islam is a sexist religion, where women are treated on a less-than-human level. This is where wrong ideas about the hijab are formulated. Women and men are seen as equal, and it is only a very small minority that practice Islam on an extreme basis that give Muslims a bad wrap. These individuals take parts of the Qur’an and twist them into very literal translations of the Word.

“Men that treat their wives on an unequal level are not true Muslims,” Heba Hammami said.

The hijab is not a way of bringing women down, it is a way of women holding themselves to a higher standard and commanding esteem from men. For more information on the hijab and status of women in Islam, visit www.whyislam.org.

Heba Hammami, Teresa Mallak, Saba Hammami,
and Karla Shannon discuss the misconceptions
of Muslim women and the hijab in Tulsa, Okla.,
on Friday, March 9, 2012.