Wearing the hijab or veil has can be described by many as an act of backwardness, oppressiveness and is perceived as a threat to Western identity and values. Many Muslim women have become targets of discrimination due to the full body covering practice that is required by their faith. While society continues criminalize the practice and humiliate those women that adhere to their faith, little do they know that the piece of cloth on their heads cannot take away the honor and dignity given to them especially from God.
In order to understand this, take a look at how women are known in society today. I argue from observing various images of women in mass communication that women in today's day and age are known as mere objects. Women’s bodies fuel the success of various corporations and industries and we continue to normalize this practice. Women are told over and over how to look, how to dress and how to please the male gaze. Teaching women to look at themselves through the eyes of men, the effects of images in mass communication on women’s dress codes and beliefs are obvious in our society.
Women’s bodies have become part of jokes on television, in the workplace and in social gatherings. Women’s behaviors and traits have also been altered to make them appear “tempting,” “bad” or “full of desire.” The innocence and modesty traits women once held are now disappearing. A concept of shame is nonexistent neither in the media nor in society as a whole. All of this occurs because women continue to reveal her adornments.
What if it were not known what a woman looked like. When you see a woman wearing hijab or a veil, you cannot see what she looks like. I did not quite understand a certain verse from the Qur’an which talks about concealing adornments so that women are not known in public. It was just recently that a teacher of mine explained it so beautifully. The very reason women are told to cover in Islam is so that they are not prominent. If they were to be revealed, they’d only be known for one reason: their bodies. Their only worth would become what their bodies can offer, which is sadly the situation of women today.
By covering the body, the dehumanized aspect of that woman is lifted as she demands the respects she deserves without even uttering a single word. This is the protection and dignity given to Muslim women by God. You wouldn’t know if a Muslim man was Muslim, but you’d know if a Muslim woman was Muslim because of the uniform she has on. The hijab is a uniform that symbolizes obedience to an All-Mighty, All-Wise God. It is not the men who represent adherence to God and the peaceful faith, but the women. The hijab shows that she does not need to be protected by a man. To be able to represent the religion of God in each and every step she takes, is the type of honor that no man has been given. It gives her freedom to believe in God, to be an individual of her own and to represent submission to God rather than submission to the male dominating society.
A society that decides that the hijab is demoralizing snatching away freedoms and equality for women, cannot be the society that guides the decisions of Muslim women. You see, we don't let an earthly society tell us what do to because we adhere to a higher being that is God.
*Disclaimer: I’m aware of the fact that Muslim men in many Muslim countries have a reputation of forcing women to wear the hijab. Please observe the fact that this is not what an Islamic society looks like. Religion cannot be forced onto another in Islam. The one who chooses to wear it truly for God will surely stand out from the rest in the long run.
