For the next 10 days we are honoring each of the Top 10 winners of our Third Annual Student Editorial Contest[2] by publishing an essay a day.
Up first, an essay by Zahra Nasser, age 17.
Muddying a Sacred Cloth: When the Hijab is Worn in Solidarity
Growing up, the hijab always puzzled me. At the mosque, the other little girls my age tugged at their mothers' hijabs and burqas, and did so on the way home, too. My mom's hijab and burqa was fleeting; it was on in the mosque, but gone as soon as she stepped foot out of the domed building. That confused me. It's taken time for me to realize that every Muslim woman faces making this choice and the consequences that result from it.
When Larycia Hawkins, a Christian political science professor at Wheaton College, wore the hijab to show "solidarity" with Muslim women, she fell victim to different kinds of consequences: theological arguments, general anger from non-Muslims and protest from Muslim women about the true meaning of being a hijabi. Hawkins's eventual suspension from Wheaton College resulted from her views about Muslims and Christians believing in one same God, which went against the college's views. But neither Wheaton College nor the Council on American-Islamic Relations objected to her physical display.
To Muslim women, though, the physical gesture itself was provocative. The New York Times organized a Room for Debate on the question, "Do Non-Muslims Help or Hurt Women by Wearing Hijabs?," inviting Muslim women from various backgrounds to share their thoughts. The range of responses was vast. Some debaters argued that the hijab symbolizes oppression, citing scarring childhood experiences growing up in Muslim countries. Others applauded Hawkins, welcoming the expression of solidarity, but suggesting solidarity should not stop there.
Reading through each contributor's views, it occurred to me the disservice Hawkins actually committed: She perpetuated the infamous divide between hijabi and non-hijabi by picking a side in a fight that isn't hers. Hawkins may wear the hijab to express support, but she has the luxury of taking the hijab off when she pleases. In many cultures, Muslim women are disowned, threatened by the prospect of never finding a husband, or physically abused when their hijab comes off.
Hawkins's intention to combat Islamophobia is admirable, but wearing the hijab isn't the only way to do so. If society wants to express true solidarity with Muslim women, it must stand with all Muslim women — hijabi and non-hijabi, those who wear mini skirts as well as the fully veiled, the stay-at-home mom as well as the academic.
I remember asking my mom why she didn't wear a hijab like most of my Muslim peers' moms did. She responded: "A cloth draped on my head doesn't make me a Muslim. We are all Muslim in different ways." It'll take time for Muslims and non-Muslims alike to embrace this diversity, but when we do, we will truly be in solidarity.
Works Cited
Graham, Ruth. "The Professor Suspended for Saying Muslims and Christians Worship One God." The Atlantic. 17 Dec. 2015.
Hindustan Times correspondent. "Father kills 4-year-old daughter for not covering her head." The Hindustan Times. 3 Oct. 2015.
Nomani, Asra and Arafa, Hala. "As Muslim Women, We Actually Ask You Not to Wear the Hijab in the Name of Interfaith Solidarity." The Washington Post. 21 Dec. 2015.
"Room for Debate: Do Non-Muslims Help or Hurt Women By Wearing Hijabs?" The New York Times. 6 Jan. 2016.
References
- ^ Related Article (www.nytimes.com)
- ^ Third Annual Student Editorial Contest (learning.blogs.nytimes.com)
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