Niqab and Burqa Discrimination

In lieu of the previous blog, I decided to post a Journal Entry I submitted for my International Business class last year:

I walked into class late again because of Bagley construction and traffic to catch the end of the discussion taking place in class. It seemed to be regarding discrimination in France against Muslim women who wear the niqab or burqa (the only difference between the two is that a woman’s eyes show in the niqab but the burqa is a full body cover including the eyes). This issue is not new to me; I have heard it being discussed many times on TV, in the newspapers, in case studies and in political science as well as sociology classes amongst other places. I have mixed feelings about this form of discrimination.

Most Muslims believe that wearing the niqab or burqa is religiously optional (sunnah) whereas some conservative Muslims believe it is religiously required (fard). Personally, I fall in line with mainstream Islam and believe it is optional. Jordan has many women who wear niqab. It also has many women such as myself who wear the hijab, even more women who don’t wear either and women who wear short-shorts and tank tops. In terms of religiosity, Jordan is pretty diverse. So needless to say, growing up I have met many Muslim women who wear niqab.

When I was younger, I used to view the niqab and burqa as a tradition of the VERY religious. I viewed those who wore it as being backward, uneducated and overtly zealous in their beliefs and practices. I also believed that those who chose to wear it in non-Muslim or non-Islamic societies cause more damage than good and resented the image they presented of Islam. Sadly, I never realized how westernized my analysis was of this practice until I came to the U.S. in 2006.

Since moving to the U.S., I knew that by following my religious beliefs and expressing my faith visually by wearing the hijab (scarf covering my hair) I would subject myself to questions one way or another. I rarely ever received hostile questions, accusations, rude remarks or dirty looks for that matter -as some of my friends and acquaintances have over the years- but rather found that the majority of the questions posed to me were out of curiosity and a desire to learn. Side note: this could be due to the fact that I am a student and most of my interactions take place in an academic setting but I’m not entirely sheltered in that sense and obviously go out on the town and travel often but again, most of the environments I’m in are either educational or diversified.

I was not a very religious person at the time (and I still have a ways to go) but wearing the hijab was and still is a part of who I am, a part of my identity. I never had any intention of giving that up regardless of how people reacted to me… even if it negatively impacted my educational experience or career opportunities. It was only then that I realized how wrong I was in drawing the image that I did of these Muslim women who are choosing to practice their interpretation of our faith, whether or not they believed wearing it to be optional or obligatory, in spite of the stereotypes, sentiments and sensitivities surrounding their attire.

See, they are me… except different. They are normal, every day women with a wide-range of personalities, histories and lifestyles who happen to passionately believe in something that they hold dear to their heart and desire to practice that belief regardless of where they are or how severe the consequences. I used to consider myself a rather open-minded individual until I realized that even though I rarely ever discriminate against people of a different ethnic, cultural or religious background, I sure did discriminate against people of my own faith.

In a sense, this experience has helped me realize that I was experiencing a different kind of ethnocentrism, a sneaky kind that allowed me to believe that I had the right to discriminate against others simply because we shared a common religious background and judge them based on my own beliefs.  Something I highly doubt I would have come to understand, accept and change about myself should I have stayed in Jordan and not been exposed to a similar thought process to their own (assuming).

People should not be judged on how they dress or what they believe in when it comes to work. I believe that the most efficient business is the one that hires people for their business ideas, their contributions to the company, work ethic and how they fit in with the company’s culture. Yes I can understand some of the concerns employers may have about potentially hiring someone whose face they haven’t even seen but isn’t that the way most online business and transactions occur these days? Is success of work performance really measured on appearance rather than work performance and output? And what better way to diversify a company’s culture and encourage inter-religious and inter-cultural understanding than introducing a team member who is seemingly different on the outside but turns out to be very much the same personality-wise? I get mixed reactions but I rarely ever have problems because I usually relate really well to people (I hope!). Once my humanity comes through and others understand I’m not “that” different from them, it opens many doors to understanding and sharing of ideas, experiences I wouldn’t trade for the world and have forever shaped my views on a wide-range of topics.

Everyone should have the freedom to make their on choices and have the right to choose their own lifestyle, to create their own reality and live as they please as long as they do not harm others in their quest for personal freedom. As a feminist and as a human rights activist, I say no one has the right to tell these women how to live, how to practice their beliefs and what choices they are allowed to make based on others perspectives of them. That in itself is the essence of the very oppression we all reject for ourselves and loved ones.

“The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object.”- Thomas Jefferson

“The unity of freedom has never relied on uniformity of opinion” and “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” -John F. Kennedy

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in away that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” -Nelson Mandela

“Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress”, “I want freedom for the full expression of my personality” and “One needs to be slow to form convictions, but once formed they must be defended against the heaviest odds” –Mahatma Ghandi