A Woman’s Right to Choose
Written by Katie on April 5, 2007 – 4:14 pm - Welcome, if you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed or subscribe to our email newsletter. Thanks for visiting!
A week ago, as part of a two-week long Islam Awareness Celebration, female Marquette students were invited to participate in “Hijab-for-a-Day” by donning the traditional Muslim women’s covering and taking the time to “account for new experiences.” While very few people appeared to be taking part on Friday, one participant gave very positive feedback in Tuesday’s Marquette Tribune.
I personally did not to participate. Nonetheless, this portion of Islam Awareness Celebration was not a vain effort. I, for one, became acutely aware of my ability to choose whether or not I wanted to wear a hijab.
Which brings me to yesterday’s release of Leading Seaman Faye Turney from her position as a hostage to the Iranian government.
Even through the whirlwind of controversy surrounding the 13-day crisis, it’s been difficult to ignore the constant image of Leading Seaman Turney dressed in a hijab. As a British citizen, Turney has earned her way to a position of authority in the Royal Navy. Float a blurry line of international borders, however, and she earns herself mandatory participation in the hijab-for-two-weeks experience.
We’d do well to let this bit of exposure of this system serve as a reminder of what is really going on in some countries in the Middle East. It’s easy to forget some Muslim women are still forced inside the hijab until you see the same thing happen to a woman who only two weeks earlier wore a military uniform. Ironically, it is often the same crowd who so vigorously proclaims their support and defense of the rights of American women that cries out at “acts of intrusion” that have led to the liberation of women from the mandatory hijab (or even burqa) in countries such as Afghanistan.
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Posted in Beyond the Facade, Brave New World |
April 6th, 2007 at 8:00 am
Liberated Moslem women? Isn’t that something like ‘peaceful warriors’ or ‘dry water’?
April 6th, 2007 at 8:13 am
Good post Katie! This will become an issue here like it has in the UK eventually if Islam continues to grow… as I already had to work in a situation where all the women dressed like that. Felt different…
April 6th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
It is called respect. Why is this so difficult to understand. Plus the hijab is not required.
April 6th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
In which country is the hijab not required? Syria? Saudia Arabia? Iran?
April 6th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Actually Katie is wrong on one point. The hijab was not required in Afghanistan: the BURKHA was required in Afghanistan - the full bodied black dress/cape. Even worse.
April 6th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
I can only think of two where it is required (and it really is not anymore), and then there ware 3-4 more where it is not against the law but if you do not wear it a woman will get a lot of pressure.
April 6th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
John, I’m not even sure you’re worth responding. If you can’t even accept the fact that the hijab is forced upon women in some countries with criminal penalties for not wearing as such, it’s hard to take you seriously.
April 7th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Countries where the hijab is not required: 1) Oman, 2) Kenya (over 1 million Muslims), 3) Tanzania…this is off the top of my head, I haven’t done any research on it, but I would venture to guess Malaysia, Indonesia as well. Probably in Syria it’s not sanctioned by law, maybe by social circumstance, but your talking apples and oranges there. Iraq, too - not sure but it probably wasn’t required by law under Saddam, considering he was a Baathist, and I don’t think it’s required by law now. Anyone know about Iran? I doubt it’s legally required there; if so, I doubt it’s uniformly enforced.
April 7th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Hijab is in fact required/enforced by law in Iran; that was the point of the post.
http://www.ncr-iran.org/content/view/1356/71/
April 7th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
The website you posted is alleged by the state department to be a political front for a terrorist organization.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Council_of_Resistance_of_Iran
Which is kind of telling if you read through the ridiculous press release you posted the link for.
April 8th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Please tell me Brian, which countries have a law that require the hijab to be worn. I will give you a hint, Iran no longer has such a law.
April 9th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
The hijab is required in Iran and in Saudi Arabia (from what I could find on the internet) and even where the law is not on the books noncompliance is still a problem that is legally ignored.
“Citizens fear criticism or even violence if they flout hijab. Critics say that women who refuse to conform have in some cases been the victims of honor killings carried out by angry family members”
John is wrong about it being an issue of respect. Respect is voluntary not coerced. Until the laws in the various countries will prosecute people who coerce women into compliance it is oppression. Our moral stances on the equality of women are empty words if we don’t believe it applies to all women everywhere.
April 10th, 2007 at 8:02 am
Ahhh… the internet. Well it must be true then.
April 10th, 2007 at 8:19 am
I only trust people from Ivy League schools. It is safer that way.
April 10th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
About views or women’s universal equality……is that crickets I hear behind John’s deafening silence?
April 11th, 2007 at 7:13 am
Wearing or not wearing the hijab has about as much to do with “women’s universal equality” as wearing or not wearing a hat does with men. I just love it when people make assumptions and criticize another culture when they do not understand it. I also find it funny that this site has all of a sudden became an advocate for women’s rights. I am guessing this is more an opportunity to criticize muslims than being an advocate for women.
April 23rd, 2007 at 8:12 pm
[...] a post earlier this month, there was a discussion on forcing women to adhere to hijab. Some debate arose as to whether or not [...]