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Muslim Views . March 2019
Is #WorldHijabDay celebrating Muslim women? VANESSA RIVERA DE LA FUENTE
WHEN World Hijab Day (WHD) was held for the first time in 2013, I was an enthusiastic supporter. Even my friend, Maria de los Angeles, from Venezuela, wore a headscarf for a day in solidarity. She went to work and celebrated her birthday in a tropical country, with her head fully covered. I am a woman who wears headscarves and turbans. I benefit widely from ‘hijab fashion’, an opportunity I have as a Muslim woman to be creative and original with my outfits. I believe that there are good intentions and will of sisterhood behind WHD but, as the years went by, I got disappointed about the celebration. According to its founder, Nazma Khan, an Islamic clothing entrepreneur, the purpose of WHD is ‘the recognition of millions of Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab and live a life of modesty’. Maybe I am too picky but this statement disgusts me for its hint of sexism and slutshamming. If a headscarf is equal to modesty and modesty is equal to virtue, I wonder: are women who do not wear headscarves immodest? Are those who don’t wear hijab immodest, and if modesty is a quality of honourable women according to Islam, what kind of women are those who are not veiled? Is the headscarf a garment with magical powers that gives
Muslim men and women should be aware of their hijab. All fair and truly Islamic celebrations of hijab should include men because the Quran makes modesty fard, mandatory, for men first! If morals and virtue apply only to women then it is sexism. If morals and virtue are judged exclusively by what women wear then it is slutshamming.
Vanessa Rivera de la Fuente. Photo SUPPLIED
modesty to women by the mere act of wearing it? What is modesty, anyway? What is the real purpose of WHD? Is it celebrating a piece of cloth or celebrating Muslim women and our spirituality as a vehicle to build more inclusive and peaceful societies? Is the hijab the same as the headscarf? According to the Quran, hijab is an ethical perspective on the relationships between men and women, and between Muslims and the world. The Quran give us clear advice about hijab awareness that has nothing to do with veils, and a lot to do with ethics – like those related to gossip, backbiting and judging people by the external
only (see Quran 17:36, Quran 24:12-15 and Quran 49:11-12). Muslim men and women should be aware of their hijab. All fair and truly Islamic celebrations of hijab should include men because the Quran makes modesty fard, mandatory, for men first! If morals and virtue apply only to women then it is sexism. If morals and virtue are judged exclusively by what women wear then it is slutshamming. Hijabis are not always good examples of modesty. I’ve seen some who call themselves feminists, and even lead projects for women rights, denigrating non-Muslim women or Muslim women who do not wear veils. And this is unacceptable because hijab and Muslim women are more than a piece of cloth. We women are people, complex and irreducible. Nowadays, all over the world, Muslim women are thriving in different spheres of social, political and cultural life. Why not celebrate our contributions to hu-
mankind, instead of reducing our presence in the world to our clothing choices? Why not celebrate Muslim women without distinction? Why not celebrate the heritage of exemplary Muslim women: intelligence, persistence, courage and sense of justice? Why reduce the expression of a rich spirituality to a headscarf? Why not celebrate WHD as a value of Islamic ethics that promotes friendship and mutual collaboration among believers and respect for women without distinction of race, culture, religion or costumes? Islam is a message for all humankind. Supporters encourage the celebration of WHD as the women’s right to free choice. I agree. Muslim women have the right to decide how to dress and express our spirituality, without discrimination and pressure. The Quran says that hijab means respect for the body, life and private affairs of people so let us celebrate the right of Latina
Muslim women to wear headscarves and that of the Iranians to remove theirs! Let’s encourage Muslim women to love themselves rather than a piece of cloth for the simple fact that we are divine creatures capable of doing good with our talents, differences and potential so we can tackle hate with all our power! Gender Islamophobia, an issue I’ve analysed widely, is a more complex subject than the veil. It is related to racism, orientalism, colonial hegemony and imperialist discourses about Muslim women. As we reduce the religion of a woman to a piece of cloth, we also reduce our scope to develop new narratives about what being a Muslim woman is about, that allow us to see the humans behind the veil. Vanessa Rivera de la Fuente is a global consultant in gender, human rights and development, and describes herself as a Muslim feminist. Your comments and feedback are valued. Email her at: vrivera.de@gmail.com
