The act of veiling, for many women, is a Muslim practice consisting of women covering their heads with a head scarf, for others it's a personal choice to portray modesty. While there are various reasons as to why women may veil themselves, there are also various misunderstandings about the veil and what it may or may not represent. Misunderstanding the representation of this religious practice has led to discrimination towards the women who choose to veil. Although the hijab is a symbol of modesty and empowerment for women who choose to wear it, it's distinctive feature is usually misunderstood causing discrimination.
The act of veiling consists of various meanings and several reasons as to why a woman veils themselves. "Hijab derives from …show more content…
Most of these women are oppressed by their Muslim religion. "In Islam, the idea of the veil is attributed to Quranic injunctions and Prophetic traditions whereby Muslim men and women are commanded to keep away" (Quamar 317). "Indeed, even certain Muslim feminists decry the wearing of the veil on the basis that some men use it as a tool to oppress women" (Droogsma 3). All though this may be true for some Muslim women, it does not justify all Muslim women. “Those Muslim women who are oppressed are oppressed in different ways and for different reasons” ( El-Ghobashy 486).
These traditions, although different from others, are misconstrued by outsiders.
"For many Americans, the veiled woman symbolizes the oppression of women in Muslim cultures and provides proof that these cultures need to be "saved" (Cloud qtd in Droogsma 1. "In fact, images of covered woman have often been used to illustrate the "backwardness" of Muslims and the subordination of women in Muslim societies" (El Guindi qtd in Droogsma 1).
With this in mind, attitudes like this can be categorized as misunderstandings. Many people judge others off of the bases of what one may believe, in this case the thought that Islamic women are forced to veil. Many wouldn’t understand how a religion can impact a life. Muslim women have "described hijab …show more content…
However, there are countless people who judge and discriminate those who do based on stereotypes. None the less women who do veil themselves believe strongly in what the hijab represents for them.
Works Cited
Chico, Immanuel V. "Looking Beyond the Veil" Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, vol. 24, no. 2, Summer2017, pp. 547-574
Droogsma, Rachel Anderson. "Redefining Hijab: American Muslim Women's Standpoints on Veiling." Journal of Applied Communication Research, vol. 35, no. 3, Aug. 2007, pp. 294-319.
Quamar, Md. Muddassir. "Sociology of the Veil in Saudi Arabia: Dress Code, Individual Choices, and Questions on Women's Empowerment." DOMES: Digest of Middle East Studies, vol. 25, no. 2, Fall2016, pp. 315-337.
Williams, Rhys H., and Gira Vashi. “‘Hijab’ and American Muslim Women: Creating the Space for Autonomous Selves.” Sociology of Religion, vol. 68, no. 3, 2007, pp. 269–287
El-Ghobashy, Mona. "Quandaries of Representation" Rereading America: cultural contexts for critical thinking and writing 2016, pp.
The act of veiling consists of various meanings and several reasons as to why a woman veils themselves. "Hijab derives from …show more content…
Most of these women are oppressed by their Muslim religion. "In Islam, the idea of the veil is attributed to Quranic injunctions and Prophetic traditions whereby Muslim men and women are commanded to keep away" (Quamar 317). "Indeed, even certain Muslim feminists decry the wearing of the veil on the basis that some men use it as a tool to oppress women" (Droogsma 3). All though this may be true for some Muslim women, it does not justify all Muslim women. “Those Muslim women who are oppressed are oppressed in different ways and for different reasons” ( El-Ghobashy 486).
These traditions, although different from others, are misconstrued by outsiders.
"For many Americans, the veiled woman symbolizes the oppression of women in Muslim cultures and provides proof that these cultures need to be "saved" (Cloud qtd in Droogsma 1. "In fact, images of covered woman have often been used to illustrate the "backwardness" of Muslims and the subordination of women in Muslim societies" (El Guindi qtd in Droogsma 1).
With this in mind, attitudes like this can be categorized as misunderstandings. Many people judge others off of the bases of what one may believe, in this case the thought that Islamic women are forced to veil. Many wouldn’t understand how a religion can impact a life. Muslim women have "described hijab …show more content…
However, there are countless people who judge and discriminate those who do based on stereotypes. None the less women who do veil themselves believe strongly in what the hijab represents for them.
Works Cited
Chico, Immanuel V. "Looking Beyond the Veil" Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, vol. 24, no. 2, Summer2017, pp. 547-574
Droogsma, Rachel Anderson. "Redefining Hijab: American Muslim Women's Standpoints on Veiling." Journal of Applied Communication Research, vol. 35, no. 3, Aug. 2007, pp. 294-319.
Quamar, Md. Muddassir. "Sociology of the Veil in Saudi Arabia: Dress Code, Individual Choices, and Questions on Women's Empowerment." DOMES: Digest of Middle East Studies, vol. 25, no. 2, Fall2016, pp. 315-337.
Williams, Rhys H., and Gira Vashi. “‘Hijab’ and American Muslim Women: Creating the Space for Autonomous Selves.” Sociology of Religion, vol. 68, no. 3, 2007, pp. 269–287
El-Ghobashy, Mona. "Quandaries of Representation" Rereading America: cultural contexts for critical thinking and writing 2016, pp.