By Dr. Nour Akhras
Stereotypes. We all have them no matter how enlightened we convince ourselves that we are. I, myself, am guilty of them. I am also hyper-aware of stereotypes because I know I shatter them. I am a hijab–wearing woman living in a post-9/11 United States. I graduated in the top ten percent of my class from one of the most rigorous universities in the country and became a subspecialized physician. Every day my existence pushes back against the notion that women who wear hijab are oppressed, uneducated or backwards.
Lately, I think a lot about why governments of some countries are adamantly trying to prevent women from wearing hijab, enacting laws against wearing it in public, whether while working or at leisure. I went to a liberal arts university that drove me to become a critical thinker. So please indulge me. What kind of strength does it take to stand against torrential waves of culture trying to convince women that physical beauty is everything. Women are bombarded with commercials from the beauty industry. Women’s images are used to sell everything from cars to colas. And the notion of physicality has only been enhanced a million-fold in the age of social media, specifically Instagram and TikTok. Human beings have been conditioned to curate content and to curate the “best” content, we need the Instagrammable look.
The notion of hijab contradicts the idea that a woman’s worth is her physical beauty. I am not saying that is why Muslim women wear hijab. Nor am I pretending that I represent the opinion of all hijab-wearing women. I wear hijab because I believe that is what God asked me to do. I believe in an Omnipotent God who created all human beings, all living creatures and everything else. I believe in God’s Infinite Wisdom and that God is the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Logic dictates that if I believe all these things about God and I believe God asked me to wear hijab, then I will wear it.
However, doing what is logical does not mean it is easy. It’s not easy to face discrimination or to have to prove yourself with every single encounter. To prove that yes, I speak English. Yes, I am a doctor. Yes, I am qualified for this job. And it’s certainly not easy when the President of your country posts a video of a Muslim congresswoman who covers her hair intertwined with images of 9/11 and the words “We will never forget,” thereby painting a target on women like me. Nevertheless, we persist. Every morning, before I leave for work, as I put my hijab on, I am reminded that God is so much greater than all of it. God is larger than my worries. God has given me more than any other entity. My ability to breathe, to see, to walk, to think, to love, to see beauty, to experience kindness. It all comes from God. God would never hurt me. God wants what is best for me. God loves me and has more mercy toward me than I could ever experience toward my own four children – that fact alone necessitates that I would devote my whole being to what has been asked of me.
Have I ever thought about what if my religion is wrong in this arena? Of course. What critical thinker does not closely examine alternatives and contradictions? I work for a Catholic institution. Not once have I seen a statue or image of the Virgin Mary without her hair covered. I know Jewish women also cover their hair. It is not a coincidence that even until today some Christian women will still cover their heads when they enter church. And mind you, in Islam, it is not just women who cover their heads. Men are strongly recommended to cover their heads also.
As millions of women across the globe make the same decision daily, it is easy to see why governments may feel threatened. It is not easy to govern critical thinkers who derive incredible mental strength from a faith founded in love of an Infinite Source. For some governments to pose as enlightened and liberal, yet turn around and try to govern how women dress in public seems a little archaic and hypocritical to say the least. Yet here it is, the year 2023 and this is where we are.
How about we let people choose? How about we respect, not just tolerate, religious differences? How about we ask people about their choices and educate ourselves instead of assuming from our vantage points? How about we recognize that we have stereotypes and vow to try to abandon them, choosing to be open-minded with every human being we encounter? Because, stereotypes… we all have them.
About the Author:
Dr. Nour Akhras is a board-certified pediatric infectious diseases physician who has been working at a free-standing Women and Children’s Hospital in the suburbs of Chicago for the last decade. She holds a BA in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Chicago and received her medical degree from Rush Medical College. She has traveled internationally, serving victims of war on multiple medical missions. Dr. Akhras has advocated for the rights of refugees by authoring op-eds in newspapers like USA Today and the Chicago Sun-Times and through speaking engagements including presenting at Washington DC’s National Press Club on the effects the violence of the Syrian war has had on the lives of Syrian women. She is the author of an upcoming memoir titled Just One: A Journey of Perseverance and Conviction expected to be published in the Spring of 2023. She lives with her husband and four children and enjoys swimming, biking and watching her kids on their various basketball teams.
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