The idea of “freedom” has been challenged, argued, and contested for the entire duration of history. The word itself, and what the ideology entails, holds a different definition to everyone. It means different things across languages, cultural barriers, and political beliefs. But never before has the idea of freedom been challenged the way it is currently, in modern history, in 2017, and specifically in the last 6 months alone. From the avidly contested right to bear arms as a freedom in the United States to the law recently overturned in Saudi Arabia that had previously barred women from driving, freedoms are regulated and upheld differently in every country and every community. An issue of freedom or lack thereof, depending on what you believe, that I’d like to discuss in this blog post, is the hot issue of hijabs.

For many women, the hijab is an expression of their faith, a nod to modesty, and a way to feel freedom in the heart and mind instead of on the body. But to many people, and to most of the Western world, it is seen as a lack of freedom, a behavior of the oppressed. But to Muslim women, the same can be believed from their perspective of the way that Western women behave and display themselves. This is greatly illustrated by a cartoon that I was presented with in my World Religions class during my senior year of high school. This is the cartoon:

I love the way that this cartoon illustrates this significant cultural difference. To the western woman, freedom is being able to wear as little as she pleases, knowing that her freedom as a member of society in the western world allows her to be as exposed as she pleases without being told she is meant to cover up. This ideology is ingrained in western society, the term “sex sells” really embodies that idea, as many movies, tv shows, magazines, and especially advertisements, use women’s bodies and sex icons to sell products or materials. In the eyes of a Muslim woman, this is shocking and shameful. Many Muslim women feel as though they are expressing their sexuality and channeling it in a correct and positive way, by not letting the world see their bodies, and only lending their minds and eyes to the community. In the article that my group was assigned in class, I read about a woman whose family actually discouraged her from wearing the veil, and asked her why she’d want to close herself off and consciously suppress herself. Her response was that she believed it was how she could best wear her heart on her sleeve. She felt like it was the most healthy and natural way for her to express her sexuality and protect it at the same time.

I am someone who always fights for freedom, particularly the freedom of women. I attended a private, Catholic high school where our dress code directly oppressed women and made it feel like it was trashy to show our collarbones or wear things with sheer material. In a world where women are blamed for the way they present themselves, yet boys aren’t educated on how to properly behave in regards to treating women, this angered me to no end. I was constantly in the Dean’s office, fighting every dress code violation I received and that others were subjected to. They finally gave up trying to punish me, and just let me wear whatever I wanted to. But they still got other girls in trouble for the smallest infractions daily. Naturally, one would think that I would be angered by the hijab and in support of it being banned in France, Austria, and Australia, places in which there is debate on whether women should be allowed to wear hijabs in public. I think this is absolutely ridiculous; to think that a government should be able to regulate how women dress, or present themselves. It’s like telling people they can’t display a cross on their bumper stickers or wear it on necklaces or other clothing. People, and women specifically, should be allowed to present themselves in whatever way they feel comfortable.

The idea of freedom will never be universal, and as the leader of the “free” world continues to strip media and advocates of their freedom of speech; our freedoms are slipping further and further away, as we watch democracy slip away, and tyrannical behavior shift into place. If it’s difficult to be a Muslim women in America now, imagine what it will be like in 5 years if the American government and attitude of American people remains the same….

Works Cited:

“Bikini vs. Burqa.” A Window Without Walls, 10 Oct. 2011, qahiri.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/bikini-vs-burqa/.