Interesting article. I’m waiting from the outcry from those who will claim she’s kowtowing to misogyny, sexism, Islamo-facism or whatever other epithet suits bigots from that side of the spectrum when it comes to discussing Islam and the ever popular topic of women in Islam. These same people would of course be willing to don a yarmulke in a synagogue or if women, cover their heads in an Orthodox Jewish or Hindu or Sikh religious institution if asked to do it. While I stress that she’s not required to wear a Hijab, the gesture is appreciated as a token of respect. I know of other non-Muslim women who have worked in Muslim countries as relief workers or exchange students who have done the same for the same reason.

Here’s the link:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iXN1kqKclcX56PxL9UIVfv8oIOEw

You may already be familiar with American writer and feminist Naomi Wolf, author of The Beauty Myth and the more recent The End Of America: Letter Of Warning To A Young Patriot. She has written one of the best commentaries today that I have read from a non-Muslim perspective on the issue of Hijab in a very long time. Check it out:

Behind the veil lives a thriving Muslim sexuality:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/behind-the-veil-lives-a-thriving-muslim-sexuality/2008/08/29/1219516734637.html

Here’s an excerpt: “Indeed, many Muslim women I spoke with did not feel at all subjugated by the chador or the headscarf. On the contrary, they felt liberated from what they experienced as the intrusive, commodifying, basely sexualising Western gaze. Many women said something like this: “When I wear Western clothes, men stare at me, objectify me, or I am always measuring myself against the standards of models in magazines, which are hard to live up to - and even harder as you get older, not to mention how tiring it can be to be on display all the time. When I wear my headscarf or chador, people relate to me as an individual, not an object; I feel respected.” This may not be expressed in a traditional Western feminist set of images, but it is a recognisably Western feminist set of feelings.”

An interesting article on the greater visibility and athletic talents of Hijab-wearing athletes at this year’s Olympics.

Veiled athletes challenge stereotypes in Beijing
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Olympics/idUSPEK28709020080811

In the flap about the recent Obama Hijab issue, much is being made about the nature of the apology, as well as the
presidential candidate’s tepid outreach towards the Muslim community
in this New York Times article.

Some have argued that Obama’s apology was politically motivated and did not go far enough. For them, it was an attempt to retain Muslim voter support while maintaining a continuing distance from the community.

For others, it was coddling of terrorism. A number of rabid, racist and Islamophobic sites have tried to link the two women involved in the incident to terrorist groups. Nothing new, of course. In post-9/11 America, every Muslim is a potential terrorist according to these foolish bigots.

We here at Hijab.com would like to simply say a heartfelt thank you to Senator Obama. At a time when he is struggling to define his relationship with a community that is the equivalent of a persona non grata, and a much maligned faith, his apology was deeply appreciated. It was a principled stand in the face of incredible pressure to deny any type of link to Islam and Muslims.

While Hijab.com is not in the business of endorsing anyone for president, on behalf of Hijabed Muslim women, we would like to thank Senator Obama for acknowledging that a wrong was committed, taking a stand against it, and publicly speaking out about it.

Muslim blogger Saraji Umm Zaid has penned an excellent piece on the duty of Muslims living in the West to speak out on violence against women in the Islamic world. Read it here:

http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/a/2745/

As she points out, violence against women in these countries can only be fought by an approach based on Islamic teachings. If the fight against female genital mutilation is any indication, she’s right.

Salam/Peace:

Came across an interesting article in the Chicago Tribune’s print edition this morning (unfortunately, the link is not working on their website) entitled “Backlash rises against revealing clothes”, which details the move back towards more modest clothing styles in the fashion world. The piece profiled the group Pure Fashion, described as “an international faith-based program that recognizes ‘true beauty’”.

On its website PureFashion.com, the organization offers “modesty guidelines” defining what it considers acceptable dress (e.g. “no very thin or sheer material” for shirts and “no very short and/or tight shorts”).

It’s interesting that this initiative is coming from a faith-based group. Critics may argue that this is hardly surprising, since religions are patriarchal and have always deemed women’s bodies the property of their fathers and husbands, thus the emphasis on modesty in dress and behavior, a virtue meant to keep women in their passive place.

I can see where this argument comes from. After all, where is Pure Fashion for men, right? Here’s my personal comeback: women’s bodies have been sexualized and fetishized for centuries in a way that men’s bodies haven’t. It’s even worse today with the advent of global media, ranging from Hollywood films featuring half-naked hot actresses to porn sites on the web. The fashion industry leads the way (which interestingly is led by men, for the most part - Oscar, Karl, Simon, etc.) churning out clothes meant to reveal and reminding the rest of us what we must conceal, from flabby thighs to stretch marks.

Today, I’d argue the purveyors of patriarchy in the industrialized world are not religious figures. Rather, it’s the fashion world’s male designers, who make millions off of women’s bodies and their anxieties about beauty and body image.

Now that that’s out of the way, here’s why the latest faith-based modesty movement is being led by women: we, women who believe in a Higher Power, affirm that a woman is not defined by what she wears, how much of any body part she has or doesn’t; we believe that modesty is in line with the emancipating belief that, as Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, so beautifully said: “God does not look at your bodies or your forms…but He looks at your hearts”. (Bukhari, Muslim).

That said, I believe, as the Quran makes expressly clear (24:30-31), that the equation of modesty in any society works like this: modest man + modest woman = modest society.

So modesty is making a comeback not only because the fashion gods and goddesses deem it so. It’s also making a comeback because those of us who believe in a Higher Power, One Who, by the way, is neither male nor female, have always affirmed that inner beauty is what counts in the greater scheme of things. This doesn’t make us old fashioned. Rather, modern fashion is just catching up to this radical idea…for now.

Salam/Peace:

There’s somewhat of a storm (not the icy or snowy kind, as we’ve seen so often this winter) brewing on the campus of America’s most prestigious college. Harvard University has decided to test, just test, not permanently implement, women-only gym hours to accommodate a number of Muslim women students who do not feel comfortable using these facilities normally, which are co-ed.

Comments that accompanied an article on the issue published in The Daily Free Press, Boston University’s campus newspaper, gave the impression that the students were trying to impose a mini Saudi Arabian-style state on the entire college campus (read it here at http://media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2008/02/25/News/To.Accommodate.Muslim.Students.Harvard.Tries.WomenOnly.Gym.Hours-3232133.shtml).

This is hardly the case.

Many women, Muslim and non-Muslim, feel much more comfortable exercising in an all-female environment. This includes Orthodox Jewish women, who have their own such gym in Chicago (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/yourmoney/chi-relig-orthodox-gym-29feb29,0,4241811.story) as well as those on the secular side.

Curves International (http://www.curvesinformation.com/) is just one example of the demand for women-only gyms in the United States that is not based on religious guidelines. Curves’ centers even include machines designed specially for women and boasts a membership of four million women across the U.S. according to its website.

It’s clear that women seeking women-only space for exercise is not just something those of a religious bent prefer. There are American women of a secular persuasion who would rather work out in an all-female environment as well.

What’s interesting in this debate is that when Muslims seek an accommodation that has been deemed appropriate by an institution’s authorities, that is seen as an imposition of their values. When the secular seek the same it is seen as good business practice and when other religious groups do it, it is something that elicits respect, even if the motivation for it is something others may disagree with.

Reuters has published a good factbox on Hijab policies in Europe. Pretty disturbing stuff. Thankfully, in the U.S. and in Canada, there is plenty more openness. Of course that could change. Also, the countries listed each have a different history and experience with Muslims and Muslim societies (i.e. colonial past) as well as the issues of pluralism, religious freedom and women’s rights and status. All of these color how the Hijab fares in each of them. Nonetheless, it needs to be reiterated that freedom of religion is a cornerstone of democracy, regardless of the above-mentioned factors.

http://www.reuters.com/article/gc05/idUSL2764903920080227

They’re some creative hijabis on the web. The first of these doodles come from McPagal. She’s put together a quirky depiction of people’s hijab styles. The ‘Bad hijab day’ drawing–which is my state on most days–hits it right on the nail.McPagal’s drawings are my favorite of the hijabi style humor, but more famous are the cartoon drawings of Puppeteer, whose website may be defunct, but her hijabi sketches appear several places. Perhaps more judgmental, her sketches are nevertheless a humorous analysis of hijabi character. Though meant to depict hijabi styles as seen on the streets of Syria, the sketches seem to work just fine if you apply them to Chicago Muslims. (Well most of them…) It’s nice too, to see the emphasis on the behavioral aspect of hijab in these drawings.

More on hijabis in art later–with a review of Chicago’s Cultural Center’s Women in Islam photo exhibit.

A national survey comparing perceptions of a woman with and without a shawl showed:

One-third of participants indicated that they would rather have the woman with the traditional headwear live in another place, another city, and maybe out of the U.S, as opposed to living in their neighborhood.  However, a clear majority of participants (89%) reported that the woman without the shawl would be welcome in their neighborhood.

The woman with the shawl on her head was perceived as somewhat older, and somewhat better off financially than the woman without the shawl. While the woman with the shawl was more likely to be a stay at home mother, the woman without the shawl might be a working married woman.

The woman with the shawl on her head was also viewed as much more traditional than the woman without the shawl. Participants also indicated that the woman with the shawl was strict and rigid, a good wife and devoted mother. She was also perceived as keeping to herself or a tight circle of people. Conversely, the woman without the shawl was perceived to be lively, friendly, and humorous. She was also viewed as a person who “always looks at the bright side” and might even be the life of the party.

Overwhelmingly, both photos of the woman were viewed as being attractive. However, more people thought the woman with the shawl was beautiful, and both women were seen as trustworthy.

At the end of the questionnaire, the participants specifically identified the woman with the shawl on her head as Middle-Eastern in origin and a Muslim; the woman without the shawl was perceived as an American and a Catholic (maybe Protestant or Jewish).

See the entire press release.  Find the entire results here (pdf).