Why Hijab?

Summary:

The Non-Muslim Western Woman makes a judgment call out of ignorance towards an intelligent, well-informed and eager to express her opinion, Muslim/Hijabi woman.

Back story:
The Muslim hijabi woman, born and raised in Ontario, Canada.
A firm believer in women's rights in Islam and a strong advocate for hijab.
This woman has lectured on the virtues of hijab and has been confronted many, many times about her veil and has prepared herself more each time she is confronted.

The western woman immigrated to Canada at the age of four. Grew up unhappy feeling pressured as a teenager to look a specific way but could not fit in.
Eventually finding her womanhood and a new body she exploits herself regularly to vie for the attention of men everywhere she goes.
She knows little about Islam and Muslims but she likes to think she knows it all.
An outspoken woman willing to speak on matters she knows nothing about.


The scene: Non-Muslim woman meets Muslim woman on the streets of Toronto.

Facts: This type of confrontation, of 'Western Woman/man' meets 'Hijabi Woman, takes place by thousands around the world every day'.
There are some westerners who feel comfortable with confronting a hijabi woman.
However, some confrontations are combative and others are simple minded individuals who don't even understand their own ignorance and so they offer all the wrong advice with little time to listen or seek out the facts about hijab on their own.
Women who wear hijab are scrutinized by the public and seem to be fair game for rude remarks and even harassment.
It is my hope that this story, this scenerio enlightens.

The story begins...as the non-Muslim woman tells her tale...

The oppressed woman, rambling ignorant thoughts:

I was walking down the street on my way to grab some smokes at the convenient store when I happen to see a Muslim woman, she was wearing hijab (headscarf) .She was quiet and she had her head slightly down as she entered the convenient store to purchase a bottled water.
I thought to myself what a shame look at her she's so oppressed.
Here it is on a hot summer day and I'm enjoying life in a cut-off t-shirt and short-shorts not to mention getting the attention of every guy I walk by and here she's covered head to toe.
She probably never takes it off, I wonder if she showers with it on?
I thought to myself she must be so hot but yet she's likely got to dress like that or someone like her father or husband might beat her.
She's probably just come over from Iraq or Afghanistan or something.
As I walked by her to my surprise she smiled at me and so I felt as though I could say something to her.
I didn't know if she even spoke English but I was going to try.
Here was my chance to give her some real western wisdom tell her she doesn't have to put up with this crap.
She's obviously oppressed and she needs to know that she shouldn't cover up like that we are in a new millennium.
She has to know about women's rights, we have freedoms, equality and all that good stuff. I was feeling pumped.


The confrontation in the parking lot, unveiling the truth behind the veil:

I reached out and tapped her on the shoulder as she walked by me to exit the store.
She turned to me and said, to my surprise with a very English Canadian accent 'Yes, can I help you?".
I replied with a very confident voice, "Sorry to bother you miss but I wanted to ask you something" We continue walking slowly towards the parking lot adjacent to the convenient store.
I continued.."why do you feel you have to cover yourself up like that, don't you realize you're being oppressed?" ,"It's because of my faith that I choose to wear hijab" she answered, choosing to bypass my comment on oppression I thought, not considering that she's really just being polite and attempting to avoid confrontation, then I continued to say,
"Well, you should know that it's not necessary you don't have to cover up. You should be proud of what God gave you and show it off". "I am proud of what God has given me and so much so that I choose to share what God has given me with my husband only".
It was a good comeback, I'll give her that, I wasn't sure how to reply.
I wasn't expecting her to say that..hmm I thought it over and argued, "Oh, I see well that's nice but don't you think others should also be able to see you, how will anyone respect you, how can they judge who you really are?
Miss, don't you hate that other's can't see your true beauty."


Feeling uncomfortable, swallowing pride:

OK, it wasn't much of a response but it was the best I could come up with.
Thing is I was getting a bit nervous, she was so calm and polite and I was being so aggressive and even arrogant. We were standing in the parking lot and I could see people in the car next to me starring.
I was on a mission I wanted to try to convince her she was wrong and I was right, she was oppressed and I wasn't.
This is when she told me something that really made me think, and opened my mind about Islam and Muslims forever.
She went on to say, "It is my belief based on what we learn from the Qur'an, which is the word of God, and the belief of many Muslim women who wear hijab that we do so expressing our freedom to be respected as human beings rather then being judged by our physical beauty.
My true beauty is what I have to offer inside not out.
I'm very familiar with western women, because I'm a born Canadian, (When I heard that I was totally blown away, she's Canadian??) in the western culture women wear barely any clothes or wear them so tight you can see every crevasse of their bodies and they relish the fact that they are having every man look their way as the men visualize themselves with her."
I answer with a nod and a reassuring 'Yeah' in my mind I'm like.. daaa of course, who wouldn't love that?.

She had a very calm voice.
Her eyes wide and clear.
I noticed her face was glowing, she was really quite beautiful even though she had no make-up.
I tried hard to find a hair that may have slipped out past her headscarf, as I studied her face, I was curious I wanted to know what colour her hair was, but I couldn't find one hair out of place. She seemed so sure of herself.
I could see where she was going, as women we should be respected as human beings and not objects.
I know she's right in that men look at our bodies and get turned on and maybe that causes problems in a society, but who cares about the hair?
I interjected "Yeah, but who cares if your hair is showing, why wear the scarf?
it's not like anyone's hair makes that much difference or turns on a guy."
She comes back with..
"Do you realize that every year western women spend billions on hair products and in salons, I have to ask you, if hair was not that important would all these products be selling?
If you don't think your hair adds much to your beauty why do you not just shave it off?"
I could not reply, she was right.
When she said in her soft spoken but steady voice 'why don't you shave it off' I realized at that point how important my hair really was to my overall appearance.

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