Hijab Ban- Banner of Secularism or Abuse?

This photo shows a silent protest of prayer for women's rights to wear her hijab in Turkey.

Currently 4 countries in Europe and Asia ban wearing hijab in schools, universities and public buildings. Why not tattoos or piercings or other unusual appearance statements?
In the West and most free countries around the world we can choose to go against social norms to define our character and this is not oppression. Who gets to choose the definition of oppression? I happen to think that the Cosmopolitan image and the obsession with being overly thin and flawless in media is not only sexist, but unrealistic and oppressive to young women. I'm not asking everyone to wear a hijab or dress modestly... but quit making young women feel fat and ugly for putting on a few pounds, being small breasted, or having a hook nose. Social mores (pronounced mor-ays if you don't know) are equivalent to societal values and morals. These differ widely. In San Fransisco, one is free to be openly gay and hold hands with one's partner. You are also free to go topless in Santa Cruz, California. However, I am free to walk with my tattooed up, pierced best friend while I wear a hijab. Sure, in our hometown in Idaho we get stares... but in Portland, San Francisco and Atlanta we are free to be. Social mores allow us to be different, weird or otherwise without more than a few looks or silent judgment.

This is in response to annonymous aka Emannuel and all those who decry Freedom but restrict the clothing a Muslim woman may wear. It is also my opinion, my pet peeve and my soap box... I stand on it a bit really. Sorry ya'll... but I did say I'm opinionated.

President Barack Obama surprised me in his latest speech in Cairo wherein he included the subject of hijab. For the short story (that parallels my opinion) check out Salon dot com's article" Obama befriends the hijab ". I think it was a kind thing to say, and overall quite true.


As President Obama said in his Cairo speech (entire text available in the Huffington Post), "Moreover, freedom in America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one's religion. That is why there is a mosque in every state of our union, and over 1,200 mosques within our borders. That is why the U.S. government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab, and to punish those who would deny it."

Can we? Have we been denyed employment or the right to wear it before in the U.S.? Yes, and if it is provable, when taken to court U.S. courts uphold a woman's right to wear her hijab.


President Obama continued: "Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit - for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We cannot disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretense of liberalism."

Again, France, Turkey and Tunisia. AND MAY I ADD *drum roll please* Tajikistan with the newest member of Muslim countries banning hijab... As my anonymous reader stated... hijabs are not outright banned. They are banned in public schools, universities and public buildings; all the places we need to go for education and legal process.


A protest in Turkey: Photo from inminds.com and atrulyelegantmess.blogspot.com.

But if a nation bans hijabs in school, public buildings and universities as France, Turkey, Tunisia, and Tajikistan have... it IS a ban on hijabs. I'm a University student, essentially I could not wear hijab many hours of my day in public. I have worried about this before while working on an ambulance, but after my insistence they knew they could not legally restrict me (as Obama said... our courts don't allow these human rights abuses). What of my Sikh friends? These amazing, devoted men and women who grow their hair and cover it in deference to the Almighty? And my Christian covering sisters who likewise cover in modesty? What of nuns (although many orders have moved passed the wearing of the habit)?

While Tunisia, a majority Muslim country has long banned hijabis from school and court, this has of course been challenged by hijabi lawyers. The veil ban in public buildings, schools and Universities still stands.

In France, some sisters wear wigs over their hair... and many argue it's political in nature to slow immigration of Muslims as this Australian journalist writes. A UK journalist exposes the same feelings of Muslims over the French ban in the UK Star, a Guardian news company. Of course some in France are miffed over the Obama nod toward hijabies as written in an online article by New Majority.

In recent news, France is seeking to outright ban hijab and at least niquab (the face veil). In their striving for secularism, they are forcing others in Europe's largest Muslim minority to conform. According to this article, France is seriously considering further restricting the rights of Muslims. It's outright Islamophobia.

If a woman chooses to wear niquab, then so be it.



Turkey has reconsidered and re-upheld its ban frequently. They have considered loosening the ban according to the UK Star, but ruled against it. Here are some personal accounts of sisters who have refused to take off their beloved hijab to attend class very tragic. Although I would suggest ingenuity.. cancer-survivor scarves, hats with neck-scarves, wigs, etc.





TajikistanTajikistan (See story from 2005 and 2007.. I'm late on this one!)- Now has entered the line on all my hijab ban rants. I find it morally degrading that 3 of the 4 countries are Muslim. Some would argue that is why it's not biased and offensive. I would argue it's like black people telling black jokes or latinos telling Mexican jokes. It doesn't make it any better! It's still offensive and discriminatory. In their case they deny a women her education for a piece of fabric that to her may represent faith, modesty, submission to God, and some of the most wonderful of human emotions. All to prove the nation's moral superiority and "Western" ideals.

I have said for quite some time that, although it may be difficult, God Bless my country for standing up for my rights to wear hijab. In the U.S. courts have repeatedly upheld the rights of women to choose to wear hijab. Even in prison, in license pictures, at work, and especially in government jobs. God Bless America, really! Although some courts have ruled in favor of not allowing hijab in certain cases (a long hijab on a police woman) these cases have often been overturned.
While it is not perfect... thanks to CAIR who defends the rights of Muslim women, we're keeping our rights.
And God Bless OPBon their wide angle series- That's Oregon Public Broadcasting- for bringing a summer class for grades 9-12 about hijab.

For an interesting and dicey-opinionated and doubly bold blogger's history (or is it herstory) of hijab I recommend this post. However, she's quite kind and tame in language in this post. The rest um.. not so much. She swears like a sailor, is a feminist-opinionated-LGBT-loud mouthed lady. For anything that I disagree.. I like her even more. However, her herstory of hijab is pretty spot on with how I feel.
veiled contempt part 1 on the blog "Truly Elegant Mess".
She Sums up much of my ideals in her statement:
In conclusion, it is obvious that with the complexity of the practice of veiling it is foolhardy at best and completely ignorant at worst to make assumptions about a woman who veils or doesn’t and about her impetus for doing so. As far as my personal opinion on the practice, I feel that it can be an important form of identity assertion and a way to express oneself socially, politically and religiously. That being said, I support the practice, provided it is a choice. If it is forced it loses all meaning except the political and that does nothing but cheapen the religious and cultural reasons for choosing it. In the flip side of that argument, forcing a woman to remove it when she does not wish to shows the same disregard for her agency as forcing her to wear it does, and as a double strike, is able to be couched in supposedly progressive rhetoric which, under the surface, has very little to do with "progress" and has everything to do with control. "

I couldn't agree more.