The Hijab..a complex and controversial subject to say the least. Shrouded in curiosity and dismay by the western world. A subject matter that appears to have no beginning and no end..the topic for numerous debates and forums. Yet what is a hijab but a simple piece of cloth?
The oxford dictionary states the meaning of the hijab as " a head covering worn in public by some muslim women".
Essentially that is what the Hijab is…an item of clothing worn by some muslim women to denote their modesty and Islamic values. To a muslim woman the Hijab is more then a piece of cloth, It is something that she puts on when she want to present herself as modestly and as discreetly as possible outside of her home. It is part of what she believes and follows, it is her faith.
All across the muslim and non muslim world you will see women wearing Hijabs in all colours, styles and materials. The hijab is an integral part of any diverse and cosmopolitan society. You will see the hijab in the UK anywhere from the financial hub of the city to the woman that works on the checkout in your local supermarket.
Yet something that has become so common place in the British culture it is still met with ignorance, judgement and stereo types.
I am sure all of us at one point have worked with a woman who covers her head but how many of us really understand why she wears the Hijab? How many people in the British community have stopped to ask that neighbour or colleague why she loves the Hijab? Why and how is it a part of who she is? No that does not mean pointing at it and saying whats the point? No genuinely asked her why she wears it and how it makes her feel?
Before I go on I want to clear up something with you. Although I am muslim I myself do not wear the Hijab. So as a woman that does not wear the hijab why would I want to commence on a project which avidly supports it?
Well for one no one can accuse me of bias, I did not create this project to promote my own personal viewpoint and practise, but rather I did it because I do not wear the Hijab but sympathise with the prejudices that women who wear it do.
I strongly believe that the Hijab is a female not male issue and is a decision that every Muslim woman should make on her own. I feel it is a form of empowerment when a women chooses herself if she wishes to wear it. There should not be any one behind her telling her that she should or should not wear it. I strongly object to any government or country which forces the wearing of the Hijab but just as strongly I oppose any regime that bans the wearing of the hijab.I abhor the idea that men behind desks in their offices are deciding for these women what can or cannot go on their bodies. Deciding for them what their mind thinks or how they feel? Whether it is Muslim or non Muslim men it seems that they are deciding whether a woman should wear the Hijab and also what it represents.
So gender politics aside another reason for the project is the constant media and Eurocentric ideology metered out to the Hijab and the women that wear it. The Hijab has become a strong symbol of Islam and as Muslim women we are mothers of the nation, vulnerable yet strong. It seems to me that what is a symbol of modesty for muslim women has became a symbol of oppression for the west.
I and many other muslim women feel that the west give a very negative image of not only the Hijab but also the women that wear it. Growing up in the UK I was always made to feel by society that women that wore the Hijab were somehow inferior, unable to make their own decisions.
We are constantly bombarded by images and ideas of poor brown women subjected and controlled. Not allowed to be the women that they want to be but rather confined to the boundaries of a misogynistic religion.
Held back and beaten down…victims, second class citizens. This image of the muslim woman is thrown to me on a daily basis as something weak and whimpering..a damsel in distress that needs rescuing.
As a non Hijabi women I am sometimes made to feel that I am a lucky one, lucky to not be subjected to this form of control, that somehow I am seen as more acceptable and palatable by my western peers. This leaves me with a turmoil, Am I the non Hijabi woman so different from my Hijabi sisters? Why do I feel that there is being a divide created amongst us. Why should a cloth on my head denote that I am less controlled by by religion then others? Does it mean that I am capable of achieving and they are not? Why should they be perceived one way and I another when we are the same? They are not any different from you and I...why should a woman in a hijab be then put into another sub category.
Hijabi women are not these wisps of nothingness, they are not shadows of themselves…they are so much more and their stories speak for themselves.
I in my journeys of life have encountered many amazing and inspirational Muslim sisters. These women carry with them strength, humility and intelligence. They know who they are and what they what and will not be swayed by societies perceptions of them. These women that I have encountered are in no way damsels in distress.
So I sat here weighing out perceptions and stereotypes versus life experiences and encounters and I began to muse on the fact that it didn't balance out.
I am not going to argue against the fact that there are some muslim regimes and men that force women to cover, as I have already stated I strongly disagree with taking a woman's right way to choose to wear the Hijab, but thats another story that I will endeavour to tackle another day. Here we talk about all the women that choose to wear the Hijab. The women who make up what is Great Britain. The women who tackle stereo types and media propaganda on a daily basis yet still manage to rise up and succeed.
The idea of the project is to gather a collective of women from the Muslim community that choose for whatever reason to wear the Hijab. I have specifically decided to look for participants that break the mould in their own unique and special way. I wanted women that challenged the norm, who in their own normality had transcended labels asserted onto them against their will. I wanted women that despite all onslaught of negativity and the hints of self fulfilling prophecies had succeeded in accomplishing their goals and personal desires whether that be through work, hobbies or activities that they participate in. I want to show these women are no different then you and I, striving to succeed.
And that is precisely what I found. I set everything in motion with a blog piece and a few choice emails. What had started as a small idea in my head has now began to snow ball in a way that made me smile and confirm that this is something that the sisters wanted. During my time researching for participants I received numerous emails from sisters as far and wide as Canada, Pakistan and France thanking me for undertaking this project. Expressing to me how much they felt that it was needed. A chance for the victims of the scrutiny to actually have their voice heard. To engage in the debate rather then being the object of the debate.
Although I have specifically chosen muslim women that wear the Hijab for this project, it is for us all. For all the muslim women that have faced immense prejudice and judgement. But this project is not just for muslim women it's for all humanity. It shows us that we shouldn't let our prejudices control us…that we should strip all of this away and look at a person for who they are..for their soul and their mind. Not the colour of their skin, the religion they follow or what they choose to wear.
This project is for all of us that have ever had to struggle that have been judged or demonised, for those of us that have been told that we are aiming too high and some things are not for us. That we cannot have what we want but rather we must accept what we are given. This project is a testimony that self belief and strength are qualities we all posses and can utilise.
This project is a homage to all the sisters who quietly and humbly show the world their strength and spirit. Who achieve and succeed in their chosen field. Who break societies stereotype of what a Hijabi is? These women show you rather taking anything away from them who they are and what they wear enhances them.
