It’s been over 20 years since I started wearing the hijab, Alhamdulillah, and I can tell you that the hijab is a highly misunderstood mode of dressing. From my parents to strangers on the streets, I have received loads of questions and comments that reflect a lack of knowledge when it comes to the hijab in particular and Muslim women in general. In this article, I’ll discuss 10 of these misconceptions, InshāAllāh.

1. “Muslim men oppress their women, making them don the hijab by coercion, whereas there’s no hijab for men.”

This is one of the most common misconceptions. While Muslim parents and male figures are responsible for ensuring proper dressing for everyone under their care, they don’t have the power to force it. They only encourage us to observe the proper hijab, but we wear it to obey Allah, not them. For your information, there is a “hijab” for Muslim men too! See Qur’an 24:30. According to authentic narrations, it is recommended to cover the area between men’s navel and knees as a sign of modesty and decency, and the more they cover, the better. Narrated by Bahr ibn Hakeem, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: “I said, ‘O’ Prophet of Allah, with regard to our ‘awrah (nakedness), what must we cover of it and what may we uncover?’ He said, ‘Cover your ‘awrah except for your wife and those whom your right hand possesses.’ I said, O’ Messenger of Allah, what if the people are staying close together?’ He said, ‘If you can make sure that no one sees it, then do not let anyone see it.’” [Hasan; At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah]

2. “Hijabis are not fashionable.”

While the hijab is not a fashion statement and hijabis are not obsessed with fashion trends, we still make a conscious effort to look good. We wear nice dresses under our hijab and use beautiful accessories according to our means. Someone once asked if I wear earrings and necklaces. Haha! I wear them, but they’re not up for public display! 

3. “The hijab is an unnecessary layer of clothing.”

As hijabi women, our dress is incomplete without our hijab. It’s not just a piece of clothing; it’s a lifestyle. We would rather stay in our rooms than go out without our hijabs!

4. “The hijab is meant for married women only.”

That’s not true! The hijab becomes obligatory as soon as a girl attains puberty. To make the transition easier, we sometimes prefer to catch them younger. So you may see a little girl wearing a cute hijab, which is perfectly acceptable! As I mentioned earlier, the hijab is a lifestyle, and we only marry men whose lifestyle aligns with ours. What if a prospective suitor wants to have a look at a lady before marriage? That’s not a problem; we can always arrange a meet-up in the presence of her guardian.

5. “The hijab limits our education and job opportunities”

You may be right to some extent, though. I mean, as hijabis, we can’t be found doing some undignified jobs, like pole dancing. We’re way too classy for that! But we can be found excelling in science, technology, medicine, art, law, education, accounting, and other prestigious fields of human endeavour that have nothing to do with one’s dressing.

6. “Hijabis keep dirty hair.”

Covering the hair does not mean we have a defect to hide. Broken, unkempt, or lice-infested hair? Nah! We honour our hair by keeping it clean and well-managed because we believe it’s a gift from Allah (SWT). Some people even ask if we shower with the hijab on. Of course we don’t. 

7. “The hijab feels uncomfortable during the summer months.”

Thankfully, there’s a thermostat in the brain, known as the hypothalamus, which helps us adapt to temperature changes. If one has been wearing the hijab for a while, the hypothalamus is reset to a higher temperature than the average person. So, we’re good! Then there’s the perk of feeling warmer during the winter. Alhamdulillah!

8. “The hijab is worn indoors too.”

We have a list of male relatives (mahram) who can see us without the hijab. You can find this list in Qur’an 24:31. When we’re among our male relatives and any other females, we can remove our hijabs. At home with our husbands, we might even wear sexy lingerie.

9. “The hijab is just a part of Arab culture.” 

Go check out the history of the Arabs. Women’s nudity used to be displayed for entertainment before the advent of Islam. Hijab is a sense of religious duty or  a spiritual calling, not just a part of cultural attire.

10. “Hijab is a choice. You may or may not wear it.”

The hijab is a divine injunction. It’s clearly stated in the Qur’an and further explained by learned scholars; see Quran 24:31 and 33:59. We wear it to seek the pleasure of Allah ALONE. It helps us to stand out, be easily identified as Muslim women, and be protected from molestation. 

Do you have any questions or doubts about the hijab? Feel free to ask us, and we’re always happy to clear up your misconceptions. 

About the Author:

Khadijah Tijani is a Nigerian medical doctor, a creative blogger and a published author. She grew up in Ibadan, Oyo State and graduated from the College of Medicine at the University of Ibadan in 2009. After five years of practice in Nigeria, she relocated to Saudi Arabia where she worked as a resident physician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Known as “Doctor KT,” Tijani is a women’s health advocate. She provides breastfeeding support for mothers. She is currently based in Canada. Writing is her second career, and she is embracing it fully.

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @askdoctorkt

Blog: www.askdoctorkt.com

Or, @askdoctorkt@gmail.com

The post 10 COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE HIJAB appeared first on World Hijab Day.

Women in Islam are thought to be subjugated, degraded, oppressed – but are they really? Are millions of Muslims simply that oppressive or are these misconceptions fabricated by the bias media?

The niqab (face veil)  to me is liberating and dignifying. It gives me strength and freedom.

I wear the niqab as a personal act of worship and I deeply believe it brings me closer to God.

Often, Muslim women are seen to be oppressed due to the hijab and niqab, but that’s not the case; more than anything, we’re free!

As Muslim women, we need to be modest and should not be chasing validation or approval from others. But being modest doesn’t mean you are restricted from living your life as long as you are following the right steps in life.

Many people think when you practice the hijab or niqab, it’s been forced. But that’s not the case, as in our religion, you can’t force anything; it has to come from the heart.

There are some challenges when it comes to the outdoors and hiking due to these misconceptions —that Muslim women are oppressed, strict, boring and extremists —but in-fact, they are the opposite. Automatically, I am seen to be an extremist or strict, when in reality, I am just a normal average down to earth Muslim girl.

When you do certain activities such as mountain climbing, running, water sports, etc., they are glorified, yet it becomes questionable when it comes to someone who wears the niqab. Do people really think that women who wear the niqab suddenly have no personality, hobbies, or lack having fun?

Let’s forget about race and religion, but being a female, there are many misconceptions such as you are unable to achieve things because you are not strong enough. These stereotypes need to be broken.

These misconceptions not only come from non-Muslims, but also from Muslims. There is a lot of pressure for you to be perfect and your mistakes seem to get magnified more. People wait for us to make mistakes just because we are implementing the hijab. Veiling doesn’t make us perfect. We are still on the same journey as every one else. As long as we adhere to our religion, embrace your dreams and passion.

The post Misconceptions of Muslim women appeared first on World Hijab Day.

A hijab is a veil worn by most Muslim women in the presence of any male outside of their immediate family. A hijab is also worn by Muslim women that conforms to Islamic standards of modesty. Sadly enough, this liberating imagery is also secluding Islamic women in the public sphere, and instead of conjuring images of freedom, the hijab now resurrects ideologies of ‘otherness’ in light of western thinking and constructs.

According to the Encyclopedia of Islam and Muslim World, modesty in the Quran concerns both men’s and women’s “gaze, gait, garments, and genitalia.” History further documents that the practice of veiling was borrowed from the elites of the Byzantine and Persian empires, where it was a symbol of respectability and high social status, during the Arab conquests of those empires. However, because Islam identified with the monotheistic religions of the conquered empires, the practice was adopted as an appropriate expression of Qur’anic ideals regarding modesty and piety.

Although the Qur’an instructs Muslim women to dress modestly, the way in which the media is defining the hijab worn by Islamic women is creating a fixed meaning of hopelessness and fear and bitterly obstructs reality in our post-modern environs. The politics of the Hijab is now becoming a silent persecutor within the realm of meaning as it encourages prejudice and the loss of individuality among Islamic women.

And it is here that the gaze of the veil is now coming up against bitter social forces, especially in light of the fact, where rules were changed to allow Ilhan Omar, a Muslim sworn in on the Qur’an, to wear a religious head covering on the floor of the House, thus eradicating a 181-year ban on headwear of any type in the US chamber of Congress.

Of course, it’s Omar’s choice. A choice that is protected by the first amendment. But what about the choices of other Islamic women everywhere?

Mustafa Naheed, a Muslim woman writes in Human Rights and Equity in the Canadian workplace that “People see me as the poster girl for oppressed women everywhere.”

As a result, it is clear, that while the US Constitution guarantees human rights through the avenue of the Bill of Rights, there remains a struggle to understand the meaning of the things that guarantee individuals their rights. For this reason, it becomes important to reinterpret the meaning of multicultural heritage, because people are labeling the Hijab with a negative meaning of oppression and depravity, thus evoking issues with gender relations, and working to silence and suppress Islamic women both substantially and figuratively.

Certainly, the meaning that people make of things is how it is represented, because without language, meaning cannot be understood. Islamic women wearing the hijab do not bomb federal buildings, yet women wearing the hijab have been the subject of verbal and physical attacks in western countries, particularly following terrorist attacks. Companies are wilfully refusing to hire Islamic women because they fear that the hijab will upset the other workers. Islamic women form a tiny fraction of the labor force and they are seldom mentioned in official employment statistics. Islamic women are trapped in the lowest bracket of the job market, with low pay, long hours of work, and are never given any chances for promotion because the power of language is fixed, and its negative usage is what interpret reality.

Freedom is one of the most important principles in society. Until now, Islamic women have a narrow range to manifest that freedom and are carrying a host of burdens behind the Hijab that marks their sacredness and liberation. Consequently, if Islamic women are determined by the manner in which their head dressing and relations to the world are modified through the actions of others, then how can Islamic women who wear a hijab struggle for transcendency in the look of the other, if this gaze is now the product of denial and erasure in our present day American society?

It is therefore clear that if consciousness guarantees freedom in the liberatory process, then the dehumanization of the other by the dominant society vividly shows that racism and exclusion also share a parallel surface in the lives of Islamic women wearing a hijab. It is also within this sphere that choice and social branding result in a state of powerlessness and disconnection and the notion of freedom is not readily understood.

Despite the fact that critics condemn the wearing of the hijab by Islamic women as being oppressive and detrimental to women’s equality, many Muslim women view the way of dress to be encouraging and empowering. Many Islamic women confess that the hijab is a way to avoid harassment and unwanted sexual advances in public and that the hijab also works to desexualize women in the public sphere in order to allow them to enjoy equal rights of complete legal, economic, and political status.

Even though western discourse consistently argues that the hijab is not a symbol of freedom, but one of oppression, the hijab also expresses a translational form of Islamic feminism that has been marked by the entry of women into all public spheres of Islamic life including formal religious learning.

It is therefore evident that the Hijab favors Islamic women as a preservation of culture and religious identity. Compounded with the secularism of France and the Islamophobia of 911, the hijab has now become the most potent symbol of Muslim women’s denial of western perceptions of feminism and communicates a new response to modernity, as racism and sexism separates them from the flow of mainstream society with wide gazes and open disgust.

Critics argue that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s current policy of forced veiling for women, the political stance of pan Islamism and France’s new doctrine of secularism still continue to generate negative debates on the wearing of the hijab. Nevertheless, it must also be seen that the way in which the media classifies Islamic women into an inferior social class simply because they wear a hijab, fashions images of helpless victims with moral shortcomings. It is essential to note that if the media’s promotional messages continue to misinform the public on the meaning of the hijab in the lives of Islamic women, then classification will constantly remain the way in which we give meaning to things. Polices and legal documents are not helping the jewels in the hijab to shine. Instead, stereotyping fixes meaning that gives a false shape character and form to Islamic women wearing the hijab.

Meaning is interpretation. For Islamic women who choose to wear the hijab, it allows them to retain their modesty, morals, and freedom of choice. The hijab is a protection and a symbol of faith. The hijab is a veil of strength and freedom. The hijab does not define Islamic women.

About Author

Rebecca Theodore is an author,  commentary writer, and award-winning journalist.

The post The Hijab: A Powerful Image of Freedom? appeared first on World Hijab Day.

I was born in a Muslim family but if you knew how I lived my life as a teenager and as a young professional, I would probably be the last person you could ever imagine wearing the hijab. With that, I meant I used to join beauty pageants and fashion shows. I used to value the trends more than modesty in dressing.

When I was blessed with a child, I wanted to start life over. I suddenly wanted to wear the hijab! Ultimately, I knew I wanted to raise my son as a practicing Muslim. My wearing the hijab came as a shock to everyone, even to my own mother but she supported my decision anyway. My husband would proudly tell people that nobody forced me to wear the hijab and that it was out of my own free will.

Wearing the hijab brought me peace of mind, contentment, and self appreciation like I never felt before. I no longer feel like I have to follow the trends to be appreciated. After all, the only appreciation I must seek is from the Almighty and Merciful Creator.

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I’m a very new Muslim convert. I was raised in a Christian family. I am living in Holland, where it’s not so easy to be a Muslim. I’m just started to wear  hijab  few weeks ago and experienced the greatest feeling ever. When I wear my hijab, I feel perfectly happy, free, confident, strong, secure, and honorable. Because of prejudices, it’s not easy to wear  hijab in my country and without hijab I feel empty, naked, and uncomfortable. No one forced or asked me to wear it, but it feels great and amazing. It makes me so happy and it’s showing me the way of heaven , Alhamdulillah.

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I was born in a Catholic family and had no idea about Muslim religion and beliefs. To be honest, I thought hijab was a way of repression against the women but this last year, I spent a lot of time with many Muslim people. Finally, I realized the true meaning of hijab. I love it and also wear it frequently. Be proud of who you are!!!

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You are a tiny piece of cloth that adorns thousands of Muslim women’s heads as a sign of faith, religious conviction, and modesty. I bet you never intended to be the center of so many controversies. So many feel it is their duty to make a judgment about you. A symbol of oppression they say! All this leaves me quite confused as I have chosen to wear you out of my own free will as a sign of humility and obedience to my Creator. Far from being subjugated I feel liberated! I am certain you must be devastated when you hear the comments pointed towards you while you have no voice to defend yourself. Let me tell you that I feel proud, complete, and at peace with you on my head.

You are a part of my identity, of who I am and I would be incomplete and disheartened without you. When I hear that women are being forced to remove you because it is not deemed as an appropriate attire, it really saddens me as while wearing you my face is still showing so I do not understand ….Why so much negativity you ask? It is out of ignorance, fear of the unknown.

Some women wear you as a fashion statement around their neck, this is acceptable because it is fashion. Should the hijab be showcased on the catwalk by a modern fashion designer, the perception would change immediately and it would become acceptable because you would now be considered as the latest trend. Now you are not accepted since you are the result of faith… And in a world and society that are proving to be more and more hostile towards you, I can feel your sense of isolation… I know people have a lot of prejudices about you, please don’t take it to heart. Hang in there dear hijab.  While all the negative comments about you make a lot of us feel dehumanized and disrespected, you will always remain the symbol of freedom and choice for us and we will never discard you because others are dictating us what to do so based on their personal opinion.

Yours truly,

Sajeeda from Canada

The post A personal letter to my hijab appeared first on World Hijab Day.

My beautiful strong willed sisters, you are half of my dignity. You carry yourselves with the most modesty and self love. Even though there is so much misunderstandings and hatred towards you, you should know that I and many other admire your strength.

I am a convert and it’s the most beautiful feeling to know what to strive for. In Sha Allah (Allah willing), one day I’ll wear the Hijab. But until then, I would like to say I support you and will protect you. I love you all.  You’re so precious!!! Nothing can break you. May Allah reward you. One love.

The post You are half of my dignity appeared first on World Hijab Day.

Today,  I wore the Hijab. It was so easy to put on and I actually really enjoyed wearing it. I thought it would be a bit uncomfortable but it was nice and cosy. I really want to support all the girls who wear it and I don’t like the fact that a lot of people tease or bully them for wearing it. Everyone should be allowed to feel proud about what they wear. It’s such a nice thing to put so much dedication into being conservative and only revealing your outer beauty to those whom you choose to. It’s almost like its sacred. I hope for a future where everyone sees the real beauty of all the girls who wear the Hijab.

The post Atheist: Hijab is sacred appeared first on World Hijab Day.

My father is Lebanese and my Mother is half Spanish and half Philipina. I was not raised in a strict environment and no one forced me to wear hijab. I have always planned to wear hijab but somehow insisted on putting it off for later thinking that I have enough time since I am young. I started wearing Hijab on the 15th of March 2014, a day after a car accident which I survived miraculously from. For the first time in my life, I found peace knowing that no matter how many people plan on hurting me and no matter what situation I am going through, I always have God on my side to protect me. I finally found peace in pleasing my Lord.

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