I thought I'd share some light on the topic as I feel the hijab is very misunderstood and in rarer cases, looked upon as a symbol of oppression. I will try to answer this question as best as I can as a Norwegian Muslim convert (female) who have experienced both the Muslim and the "outsider" perspective.

First, what is the hijab from Islamic perspective?
Hijab in Islam means "barrier". It is a form of modesty, and it doesn't only include the way Muslims dress, but the way we behave in regards to the opposite sex. Modesty is a virtue in Islam for both male and females. Due to the nature of men and females, men only need to cover from navel to knees, while women are to cover areas except for face and hands (some argue feet can be shown as well). Both men and women are obligated to lower their gaze and not to touch the opposite sex (unless medically necessary). The verses used to support the view of modesty in Islam are mainly 24:30 (men) and 24:31 (women).
What is hijab from western perspective?
From the western perspective, the hijab is regarded as the head covering alone. How they view it is more pluralistic than one general answer. Many don't understand why, but accept it as a freedom of religion. Some view it as oppressive to women and think a woman wears it because she is forced to by her family or community. I am not saying this never happens, but this is a mytake sharing the many reasons Muslim women cherish the hijab as more than an obligation. So here are the some reasons why a Muslim woman would choose to wear the hijab:
- Of course, the religion comes first!
You can argue that Muslim women wouldn't wear it if their religion didn't say so, and in many cases, you are completely right! Muslim women follow Islam and believes whatever God has commanded will be good for them in this world and/or in the next. Hence, they wear the hijab as a symbol of faith. It is also a way to carry the faith and express identity, as Christians who wear the cross. As a counterargument, atheists will say religion is a brainwashed belief, and therefore they don't regard it a choice. I say as a previous atheist, that I was equally brainwashed away from what I believe is the natural belief in a creator. Argument goes both ways and ethnocentrism helps nobody.

- Modesty and avoiding unwanted attention.
Wearing the hijab tells men that you are not up for anything else than a serious commitment (marriage). Therefore, men that are after one night stands and frivolous relationships will be more likely to back off. In the end, men are more risk-prone and attracted to visuals. You'll for example see fewer women who catcall out on the streets, and men generally take the lead and initiates dating first. So, for Muslim women who believe and values intimacy after marriage, it is a way to avoid that sort of attention and awkward situations. - Fashion!
Modest fashion is actually a big thing and has helped me reach a much more comfortable and creative way of dressing. I never liked to wear revealing clothes or anything that brought attention, just never had any formal regulations. This gave me a hard time finding clothes I was comfortable in and usually ended up in grey tones and hoodies. Now I have guidelines and have found a lot of joy in picking outfits.

- To feel more comfortable with bodies
Humans in general, but especially women worry about their looks and how society perceives them. Some do so constantly (I highly suggest "Beauty Sick: How the Cultural Obsession with Appearance Hurts Girls and Women" by Renee Engeln). This worry is only exacerbated when you wear tight revealing clothing as people can judge you on far greater arenas. When you wear the hijab, there is only fat or skinny! We dont have to worry about what an hourglass shape we are missing or whether our butt is flat. Covering up has made me far more comfortable with my body and now I work out for health and fitness instead to look a certain way in my jeans. - Being judged for our skills, intellect and piety instead of our looks.
Sure, this should go for any woman, but the world ain't perfect. If you are better looking, you are treated better, cause humans value aesthetics. I'll keep this last argument short, cause this is getting long and I have a hard time reading through my takes myself! đ
So I'll leave it at that. Thank you for reading and being curious about other perspectives!đ These are just a few reasons, and if any Muslim women feel I missed something, feel free to add!
#Islam #Hijab
What Girls & Guys Said
03Ultimately, the way I viewed it, is that religion is the main reason why some Muslim women decide to wear it and the other reasons are just pros that come along with the act of wearing it itself.
It's a shame some people are just ignorant enough to assume that a woman wearing it, automatically makes her 'oppressed', ridiculous - not everyone interprets religion in the same way.
Thank you! Yes, religion comes first. There are women who are forced to and that is a shame cause then they can't see the benefits of wearing it.
True. A lot of things depend on perspective and experiences, so yeah.
Hello. Why the need to ridicule me? It weakens your arguments when you have to adhere to insults. I will answer your reply and I will leave it at one reply.
1) It is not a symbol of male ownership. It doesnât even make sense, cause itâs really the opposite. Which you would understand if you read my take with an open mind. The verse you quoted isnât about the hijab, it is in regard to disloyalty.
âMen have authority over women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property (for the support of women). Therefore, the good women are obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded. And (as to) those [women] on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and [if that does not make any difference, then] leave them alone in the sleeping-places and [if that does not make any difference, then] strike them. (al-Nisa, 4/34) verily Allah is Ever-High, Ever-Great." (Nisa 4:34)
I do not take my religion from random guys online who know nothing of Islam and my prophet. I am also not a scholar and cannot give a complete tafseer on this verse. Here are two links if you care to read.
www.al-islam.org/.../section-6-disagreement-and-reconciliation-between
www.al-islam.org/.../look-meaning-daraba-quran
2) Heat strokes? The message of Islam was given in the desert and clothing protects from the sun. You can wear lighter colors and materials and actually be less hot than if you leave your hair down or leave skin directly to sun. You can wear whatever as long as you cover the areas necessary (black burka isn't a necessity at all). Saudi isnât Islam.
3) No, I am not joking. Modest fashion is a thing and just because YOU donât âlikeâ the look of hijab doesnât mean it isn't fashion. I donât like leather pants, looks awful to me, but that doesnât mean many wears them for fashion.
4) Atheism teaches you to ignore important existential questions. Why am I here, who put me here and what is my purpose? If you woke up in a factory one day, do you start working, or do you try to figure out these questions? I felt brainwashed when I realized, I never even considered these with an exploitative mind.
5) I did acknowledge some are forced. It is a shame. I was speaking about the womanâs perspective and when she actually chooses to and falls in love with the hijab.
That's all I'm gonna say.
Possibly one of the worst, most ill informed and delusional responses I have ever seen. You need to learn the difference between ridicule and making observations. Whether you like it or not, the hijab is a symbol of female oppression and an obvious indication of a male dominated culture. No amount of special pleading can explain that away. That's why in Islamic countries, even though the Quran doesn't even mention anything at all about women having to wear a hijab, men can go about their lives and wear anything they like (other than cross dressing which isn't exactly a positive point about Islam either) but women are forced by their male dominated society to dress how they are told to dress. The verse I quoted wasn't supposed to be about the hijab. As I already pointed out, the Quran doesn't ever mention hijabs at all. The point of the quote was to demonstrate that Islam projects an unethically and impractically inordinate male dominated standard which goes as far as attempting to justify beating women! By the way, I will have you know I am sufficiently read up on the Quran and your "prophet" (who likely never even actually existed) so if you could restrain your bias, you might actually learn something. The link you posted is one of the most disturbing examples of pernicious inculcation (which it admits right off the bat!) I've ever encountered. It does nothing to refute the facts I have pointed out but does everything to attempt to justify them (and miserably fails).
Saudi isn't Islam? No, at least not in a verbatim sense considering Saudi Arabia is a country and not a religion (although that example has a very blurred line indeed). However to suggest that the practices of another country relating to Islam aren't true Islam is coming dangerously close to committing a no true Scotsman fallacy. It's just a fact that covering your whole body inside, on a hot day is utterly impractical. Outside? Sure but at long as the material is very light, breathable and not black unless it is very thick. The most practical thing to do would be to cover with light material in direct sunlight and then take it all off in the shade. Of course women aren't allowed to do that in Islamic societies unfortunately, which underlines my whole point. Wearing a hijab in a shopping mall or a bank isn't exactly appropriate as far as security precautions go either. And yes, muslim women have suffered heat stroke as a result of their garb and in the desert too! Probably exacerbated by the even more impractical restrictions which Muslims self inflict during Ramadan.
The only relation the hijab has with fashion is that they are a crime against it. This part is just my opinion but I'm certainly not alone with it. For a woman, wearing a hijab is basically the same as wearing a neon sign saying "I do whatever my husband/father/brother/son or any authoritative male tells me to"
Nowhere, will you find a book about atheism, written by an atheist prohibiting you to ask existential questions. To suggest atheism prevents one from ruminating on existential questions is simply a fallacious statement. Atheism actually empowers the mind by discarding the shackles of supernatural nonexplanations and imbues one with the courage to actually try to find out the answers, the real answers to questions like "where did we come from?" Etc. It is mirthfully ironic that in order to escape feeling brainwashed, you voluntarily subjected yourself to actual brainwashing and of one of the most demonstrably pernicious varieties.