That's My Hijab!
I probably do not fit into the preconceived notion of a
"rebel".
I have no visible tattoos and minimal piercing.
I do not possess a leather jacket. In fact, when most
people look at me, their first thought usually is something
along the lines of "oppressed female."
The brave individuals who have mustered the
courage to ask me about the way I dress usually have
questions like: "Do your parents make you wear that?" or
"Don't you find that really unfair?"
A while back, a couple of girls in Montreal
were kicked out of school for dressing like I do. It seems
strange that a little piece of cloth would make for such
controversy. Perhaps the fear is that I am harbouring an Uzi
underneath it. You never can tell with those Muslim
fundamentalists.
Of course, the issue at hand is more than a
mere piece of cloth. I am a Muslim woman who, like millions of
other Muslim women across the globe, chooses to wear the
hijab. There are many different ways to wear it, but in
essence, what we do is cover our entire bodies except for our hands
and faces.
If you're the kind of person who has watched a
lot of popular movies, you'd probably think of harem girls and
belly-dancers, women who are kept in seclusion except for the
private pleasure of their male masters. In the true Islamic
faith, nothing could be further from the truth. And the concept of
the hijab, contrary to popular opinion, is actually one of the
most fundamental aspects of female empowerment.
When I cover myself, I make it virtually
impossible for people to judge me according to the way I look. I
cannot be categorised because of my attractiveness or lack thereof.
Compare this to life in today's
society: We are constantly sizing one another up on the basis of
our clothing, jewellery, hair and makeup. What kind of depth can
there be in a world like this?
Yes, I have a body, a physical manifestation
upon this Earth. But it is the vessel of an intelligent mind and a
strong spirit. It is not for the beholder to leer at or to use in
advertisements to sell everything
from beer to cars. Because of the superficiality of the
world in which we live, external appearances are so stressed that
the value of the individual counts foralmost
nothing.
It is a myth that women in today's society are
liberated. What kind of freedom can there be when a woman
cannot walk down the street without every aspect of her physical
self being "checked out''?
When I wear the hijab I feel safe from all of
this. I can rest assured that no one is looking at me and
making assumptions about my character from the length of my
skirt. There is a barrier between me and those who would
exploit me. I am first and foremost a human being, equal to any
man, and not vulnerable because of my sexuality.
One of the saddest truths of our time is the
question of the beauty myth and female self-image. Reading
popular teenage magazines, you can instantly find out what kind of
body image is "in'' or "out.'' And if you have the
"wrong" body type, well, then, you're just going to have to change
it, aren't you? After all, there is no way that you can be
overweight and still be beautiful.
Look at any advertisement. Is a woman being used
to sell the product? How old is she?, How attractive is she?, What
is she wearing?, More often than not, that woman will be no older
than her early 20s, taller, slimmer and more attractive than
average, dressed in skimpy clothing.
Why do we allow ourselves to be manipulated like
this?, Whether the '90s woman wishes to believe it or not, she
is being forced into a mould. She is being coerced into
selling herself, into compromising herself. This is why we
have 13-year-old girls sticking their fingers down their throats
andoverweight adolescents hanging themselves.
When people ask me if I feel oppressed, I can
honestly say no. I made this decision out of my own free
will. I like the fact that I am taking control of the way other
people perceive me. I enjoy the fact that I don't
give anyone anything to look at and that I have released
myself from the bondage of the swinging pendulum of the
fashion industry and other institutions that exploit
females.
My body is my own business. Nobody can tell me
how I should look or whether or not I am beautiful. I know
that there is more to me than that. I am also able to say
no comfortably when people ask me if I feel as though my sexuality
is being repressed. I have taken control of my sexuality.
I am thankful, I will never have to suffer the
fate of trying to lose/gain weight or trying to find the exact
lipstick shade that will go with my skin colour. I have made
choices about what my priorities are and these are not among
them.
So next time you see me, don't look at me
sympathetically. I am not under duress or a male-worshipping
female captive from those barbarous Arabic deserts. I've been
liberated.
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