"THE STORIES OF A HEADSCARF"
by Zainab Salbi, posted 1/29/15
"Muslim women are needed as critical agents of change in this historical transformative moment in Islamic history and the Middle East. Yet it’s tough to be a Muslim woman these days. We’ve become symbols, not individuals. And that’s in no small part thanks to the global fixation on the headscarf."
I agree that wearing a headscarf makes many people see you less as an individual and more as symbols of the religion. I like that the headscarf can be worn as a political symbol to show your opinions and beliefs. Since there are many reasons why women may wear a headscarf, sometimes it is hard to know if they are wearing it religiously or for another reason. It is hard to say if the headscarf is good or bad since it can both cause confusion or help identify a woman depending how they wear it. My opinion on the headscarf is that it definitely should not be mandatory to wear, but it is still very helpful to certain women.
ReplyDeleteZainab Salbi’s explanation and personal view of the Islamic headscarf and the way that it stereotypes Muslim women was very eye opening and her plea to Muslim women to make a change and embrace their individuality was inspiring. Before reading this article I thought that wearing a headscarf was merely an indication of your religion and how religious you are. I learned that this is not true, and I found it especially interesting how some women wear a headscarf “as a way to be free,” because their own parents have also formed stereotypes of what the headscarf indicates. I also never thought of a headscarf as a practical piece of clothing because I only associated it with religion. I agree with Salbi, that we should take the time to listen and understand an individual woman, instead of judging her based on her headscarf.
ReplyDeleteI cant imagine how awful it would be to constantly be judged for my clothing."Instead, simplistic assumptions mean two choices: headscarf equals religious; no headscarf equals secular." Its crazy how wearing an article of clothing can classify your religion. I also found it interesting how some women use it to protect themselves from the sun. But it appalled me to hear that some women use it as a way to deflect attention. Its surprising for me that in 2015 this is an issue. This article was surprising because I thought in modern day women would have more freedom with their head wear.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very interesting in that we see many different reasons why people wear the headscarf. If could be because they want to indicate that they are a part of a religion much bigger than themselves, but also it could be to be free, safe and even just to cover one's head. I think that the author of this article is trying to tell people not to jump to conclusions and assume what a person is like when they are wearing a headscarf. We often see them as a small part in a very strict religion, but in reality they are actual individuals that make their own decisions about what they believe in, whether they believe that the headscarf is necessary or not. Even though the religion of Islam is in turmoil, as she said in the article, people should not just put forth false projections about the followers of the religion.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how the head scarf has become a religious symbol that has created stereotypes in Iran. I did not know that the head scarf can symbolizes much more than just a religious rule. The head scarf can symbolize their political stance, social ranking, or even self expression. I find it sad that a person who does not wear their head scarf is put under the assumption that they are secular. It is upsetting to think that there are so many assumptions and stereotypes that go along with Muslims. I believe that not everyone should be treated the way that the media portrays them as.
ReplyDeleteI think that people should all read this article as it gives an insight into Muslim life that pretty much all of us would not otherwise have. It is interesting to see the differences between cultures/religions as Christians do not have a definitive piece of clothing that many wear similar to the veil/headscarf. However, orthodox Jews do wear yamakas. I do not think that a person, man or female, Christian or Muslim, should have to wear a piece of clothing to express their religion. I do think that it is interesting that headscarf wearers or non-wearers are judged so heavily based on just that. On the other hand, it is not so surprising because of how sexually repressive the Islamic culture is. I know that here people would definitely be judged for wearing a short skirt or revealing clothing, in the same way that a Muslim could be judged for not wearing a veil.
ReplyDeleteI agree that in the west wearing a headscarf can take away from a woman's ability to express themselves. It takes away form their individuality and makes it so the first thing noticed about a woman in a headscarf is their religion.However in other countries it is often normal people who value religion as so important in their lives to proudly wear the scarf. Seeing that some people use it as a way to be promiscuous without their parents knowing really takes value away from the headscarf. I dislike how people would feel as though people wear them to feel safe for I feel this again plays into how it can take away from a woman's dependency and other aspects about them. After reading Persepolis though I love the image at the top of all the different colored and beautifully patterned headscarfs giving people an option of what they want to wear.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this article in the entirety of its content. These days it is quite difficult being a muslim women especially due to the high amounts of criticism and hatred, and all this is stemming from westerners and europeans taking a single story of muslims and generalizing from it. It can be tough as a muslim woman to express themselves because its very easy for them to send the wrong message, as well as there being an invisible warning sign whenever someone is seen with a headscarf. In order to overcome this, like the article said, we have to educate the people of muslims and the islam religion in order for them to see the truth behind things such as the head scarf, and that's the motive we should be moving towards
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this article. The headscarf has taken away the ability for women to express themselves in the manner in which they see fit. They are no longer different and individuals but part of a faceless mass who are forced to wear it to please the men. You could make the comparison of wearing the Yamaka but it's different. The headscarf is 100 percent forced while the Yamaka to some is highly recommended. Also the Yamaka is the symbol of ones religion while a headscarf is forced conformity to another. The headscarf is also just another way for the men to control the women. Society is already unequal enough but forcing every women to wear the same thing every day is just to show how the men have complete control. It has just become another Muslim stereotype that unless the headscarf is taken away will never change in the views of people all around the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree that wearing a headscarf instantly gives people an impression about you no matter why you wear it. It sends stereotypes to everyone who notices it and is a symbol of religion. The article had a lot of reasons that people wore the scarf that I did not know about before. I think it's sad that simply wearing an article of clothing gives people a perception of you that might not be true. I think that people should be able to wear what they choose and not be judged based on it.
ReplyDeleteI thought this article was really interesting. It talked about the different views of headscarfs such as a social pact and as a political expression. Some use headscarfs as a way to be free which is pretty interesting. Some use it to be safe and avoid unwanted attention like in countries like Iraq. I think that's a pretty good way of distracting attention from yourself and other women in Iraq. When some wear it as a social pact, they are expressing friendship with their friends especially with the different color scarfs.
ReplyDeleteI think that is important that everyone talks time out to watch this video. Muslim women are being persecuted for wearing someone that means so much to them. The head scarves serves them much more than what people of the west portray. It gives them a feeling of self-confidence as they are able to feel free and it is said to be a way to be safe. People are so quick to judge and stereotype someone for just following their culture and at the end of the day the people are happy and comfortable then why should we care. They shouldn't be attacked for wearing a piece of clothing.
ReplyDeleteThis article is a good example of how Muslims are stereotyped. It explains that you can still be Muslim, and not wear a headscarf. People who do not practice Islam assume that all Muslims wear headscarfs. It is a shame that some Muslims wear them, not because they want to, but because they want to make sure they will be safe, do not get unwanted attention on the streets, or wear it to try to fit into their religion. The fact that Muslim women are being judged on what they are wearing is not right.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we do automatically assume that if people are wearing the headscarf that they must be very religious. I think that if women choose to wear a headscarf here in the US, instead of making them blend in, they stand out making a statement that even though I have the right to dress however I want, I still choose to dress this way. This confuses western people because they don't understand that not everyone has the choice to wear what they want. It would be like telling someone in Alaska they can wear whatever they want, including swimsuits, but they still wouldn't wear swimsuits because the climate requires them to dress warmly. This is the same with the burning sun in Iraq, and as western people, we do not keep in mind that not all people are wearing the headscarf religiously, and some wear them for other reasons.
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