Don’t ask Muslim women to remove the hijab

On March 25, 2016, NBC news reported that a police officer ordered a Muslim woman to remove her hijab ^[1] in a Washington, D.C. library. Witnesses reported that the officer demanded that the woman remove her hijab or leave.

Similarly, in September 2015, a security guard instructed me to remove my hijab for an I.D. photograph. I believe this request was not a result of ignorance of the attire of Muslim women, but because of Islamophobia and the popular dogmatic belief in the West that the hijab is a symbol of oppression and not a dignified choice made by Muslim women. The belief that Muslim women do not choose to wear the hijab is dangerous and problematic.

The idea that Muslim women who wear hijabs are oppressed can influence the idea that there is nothing wrong with disregarding Muslim women's constitutional right to practice freedom of religion by wearing the hijab. For someone with this view, they may wonder: what's wrong with asking someone to take off their hijab if they are forced to wear it?

Certainly, there are women around the world who are forced to wear hijabs, which should not be ignored. However, there are also many women who choose to wear the hijab. These women should not be violated, or harassed for their choice that does not harm anyone. The demand for a woman to remove her hijab perpetuates Islamophobia. It is problematic because it disrespects the fundamental beliefs of Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab and it disregards their constitutional rights.

When I was asked to remove my hijab, I felt like an outcast because I was not treated as an American. I did not feel my beliefs and practices were respected in the same way that other beliefs and practices are respected in the United States.

There should be more educational conferences, workshops and training sessions for employees and people who hold positions of authority in society to educate and promote tolerance and understanding towards Muslim women who wear hijabs. This may cause a decrease in the intolerance and harassment that Muslim Americans have been facing in the United States.

Muslim American women should not be humiliated and marginalized based on their religious identity. The practice of religious freedom and anti-discrimination is what makes America great in making a statement to revolutionize the world. I am not the first Muslim-American woman who was asked to remove my hijab, but I pray that I am the last.