Muslim American Women Ditching Hijabs? Fear Causing Them To Remove Religious Headscarf

[rug]

BY JANICE WILLIAMS ON 12/21/16 AT 11:59 AM

A growing number of American Muslim women have given up their hijabs out of fear after a surplus of hate crimes against Muslims across the U.S.

The headscarf is a religious expression of the Muslim faith’s requirements for public modesty, and the radical temperament against Muslims that appears to be sweeping the nation has led to many acts of violence and discrimination against Islamic followers, particularly women wearing their hijabs in public.

Many women have blamed fears of being targeted in hate crimes as the number one reason for removing the hijabs, including Boston surgeon Nassrene Elmadhun, who recalled various instances of people associating her with the Tsarnaev brothers – the men responsible for the 2013 Boston Marathon explosions – and other Muslim extremists simply based on her appearance, Christian Science Monitor reported Tuesday.

“Over the last several years, there’s been this growing unease, feeling uncomfortable in my own skin,” Elmadhun said. “And that is something that’s new.... I was feeling less and less welcome in my own community, and more and more like there was a target on my back.”

http://www.ibtimes.com/muslim-american-women-ditching-hijabs-fear-causing-them-remove-religious-headscarf-2463723

8:01 Video at link.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

1. Another example of the tRump Effect... so sad.

[rug]

6. It preceded trump by more than a decade.

It is time we admitted that we are not at war with "terrorism". We are at war with Islam.

- Sam Harris, Washington Times, December 1, 2004

[muntrv]

10. It started after 9/11/01.

[guillaumeb]

2. A sad demonstration of US intolerance.

Echoed in France by the burqa beach ban laws that demonstrate that the concepts of liberté, égalité, and fraternité are not always really honored in France either.

[hollowdweller]

3. On the other hand it's possible fear or coercion caused them to wear them in the first place

People should be able to wear whatever they want. Whatever THEY want.

[rug]

4. That fear, if it was ever there, must pale in comparison to that from religious bigots.

[AtheistCrusader]

11. You mean like these?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/20/influx-of-morality-police-to-patrol-the-streets-of-tehran

Roving gangs of state thugs beating, fining, and arresting people for their LACK of religious attire.
Pendulum swings both ways, eh?

[Jake Stern]

14. Zoinks!!!!

Bu. .bu. .it's a choice!!!

[AtheistCrusader]

15. Except when control of the police is given to the religious leader of the nation, it seems.

[rug]

18. Did you see Iran anywhere in the OP?

Seriously, this line is like a theist yelling "Stalin!"

[AtheistCrusader]

20. I saw 'religious bigots' in your response.

I want to make sure you're using the term equitably.

[rug]

22. Oh, I am using it precisely.

[AtheistCrusader]

25. And I will state my position precisely.

I deplore the reported exertion of influence and possibly force, or the threat or apprehension of force causing women in the US to not wear their preferred religious accoutrements against their will.

I also deplore other nations/powers using the reported exertion of influence and possibly force, or the threat or apprehension of force causing women TO wear same said accoutrements against their will.


Fortunately, the US is in a better position on this one, as it isn't official policy, and does not appear wide spread.

[rug]

26. Do you also deplore women who choose to wear them?

Or, do you think they're all subjugated, incapable of autonomy?

[AtheistCrusader]

27. Insufficient data.

I don't deplore things I don't understand and have no experience with.

[rug]

29. OK, you think they all may be subjugated, incapable of autonomy.

Honest answer.

[AtheistCrusader]

32. When a mother tells her daughter she MUST do X and that behavior persists into adulthood,

what do I call that?

Unknown.


Likely there are many behaviors I exhibit that are simply needless tradition passed on by my upbringing. What would I call that? Loss of autonomy? Unknown.

To an outside observer, possibly.

[bdamomma]

8. exactly

but this is not America anymore

What would happen if all women starting wearing hijab to show solidarity that would drive those intolerant white people crazy.

[OnlinePoker]

5. Interesting how divisive this issue is on DU

Back in January, a large portion of respondents claimed the hijab was worn because of misogyny. Now, because women are taking them off, it's because of religious intolerance. Is it better to have them on or have them off?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027508748

[rug]

7. I think it's driven by whether or not anyone despises religion.

[AtheistCrusader]

13. Millions of Iranian women are pushing back against the religious requirement to wear headscarves.

Do they despise religion, in your estimate?

I suspect they do not. Not all, anyway.

[rug]

16. You assume a fact not in evidence.

If you want to be bombastic, lay a foundation first.

[AtheistCrusader]

17. It was in post 11, which is of course, older than the post you replied to.

Swing and a miss, sir.

[rug]

19. It was about undercover police enforcing an authoritarian regime.

Did I miss the part about "millions of Iranian women are pushing back against the religious requirement to wear headscarves"?

[AtheistCrusader]

21. Wrong. The Iranain Government is indifferent to the scarves.

The requirement and enforcement comes from the titular head of the state Religion, not the Government.

[rug]

23. You do realize who is the Supreme Leader of Iran, don't you?

Here's a hint:

[AtheistCrusader]

24. But not the head of the Government(TM).

He exerts enormous influence over said government, through elected and unelected puppets, but yeah... it's a unique spaghetti mess of government/ngo influence.

[rug]

28. What does "head of state and highest ranking political and religious authority" mean to you?

The Supreme Leader of Iran (Persian: رهبر ایران‎, translit. rahbar-e irān‎ , also called the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution (رهبر معظم انقلاب اسلامی, rahbar-e mo'azzam-e enghelāb-e eslāmi), officially in Iran, called the Supreme Leadership Authority (مقام معظم رهبری, maqām mo'azzam rahbari), is the head of state and highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Leader_of_Iran

[AtheistCrusader]

30. Fair enough.

The Supreme Leader has more direct control than I was aware of. I was under the impression it was more of a supervisory 'tie goes to the runner (supreme leader/council)' sort of relationship.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

34. It's better to have them OFF!

Why? The sooner we remove the ball and chain of patriarchy the better off all women will be.

Because I detest all the conservative, wacko nuts like right wing Christians, FLDS, conservative Muslims who subjugate women, etc.

Yep, as a feminist, I detest that shit.

Now, I don't believe any woman should be coerced into taking off the hijab, and it's absolutely their right to veil if they so choose. I live within biking distance of a mosque in my suburb, so it's quite common to see women wearing veils, however, I do realize that even if it's their choice, it is still a choice made within a patriarchal religion. (Frankly, when I see a couple walking down the street in August and she is covered in black and he is wearing shorts and short sleeves, I want to scream!)

As far as the burqa, I think they should banned. Period. Any item of clothing that hides one's identity in public should be against the law.

[Squinch]

35. Hijabs are not a divisive issue. I expect that there are many like me, who was one

of those commenting in the thread you linked.

I think the misogyny in the practice of hijab is self evident. Women are expected to cover themselves and men are not, women are expected to be modest and men have no such expectations levied against them. It is the same with the requirement that Orthodox Jewish women wear a wig.

However, and I suspect you would not find many here at DU who would disagree with this, I would fight to the death for the right of a woman to practice hijab if that was what she chose to do.

(And by the way, there is a lot of misinformation about this. People like to show photos of Pelosi wearing a head scarf and say she is wearing a hijab. Hijab and putting on a headscarf are two very different things. A headscarf is a headscarf. You put it on and you take it off. Hijab is a way of living that requires that women, though not men, practice modesty and covering of the body, along with many other requirements of behavior.)

I personally would not, however, fight for the right of a woman to wear a burqa. A burqa has no basis in the Islamic faith, its purpose is the erasure of the identity of women, and I think it should be outlawed. It has no place in a society that does not despise women.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

36. Yes!

Thank you.

[hrmjustin]

9. People should just let others live their lives.

[AtheistCrusader]

12. That would be nice.

[True Dough]

33. If only this were a universally observed mantra

But human nature forbids it, it seems. Sad.

[HassleCat]

31. We fight them by imitating them, I guess.

If a woman uncovers her hair in some countries, she is verbally and physically attacked. So we do the same thing, with a slight variation. To win, of course, we have to be more zealous than they are. I'm not sure How we do this. Station a sniper on the roof of the mall and shoot to kill? Extremism is pretty hard to do halfway.