I took a look at three different stories that surrounded the theme of Muslims and Islam in the United States and around the world. It is also to get a better grasp of what it is really like to be a Muslim in the U.S. and to better understand the misperceptions brought on by the media and by cultural criticism.
“I’ve Gone and Done It Now: What It’s Like Without the Muslim Headscarf” published in a personal blog on WordPress.com by Nadiaelawady on May 30, 2011.
This story portrays a Muslim woman’s search to answer the question of what it would be like without her hijab. She was curious to see if there would be any change in how she would be perceived if she were not to wear her hijab, and she came up with some interesting results. She said herself that she has been trying to make sense of her hijab and what it really means to her since she was young, in her blog. Was it an obligation to her religion? Does it really influence whether a woman is harassed or seen in a sexual way?
A way to do this was for her to take a chance and step out without it. The first day she decided to so, she was in Barcelona. She ventured out of her hotel wearing a short sleeve shirt and jeans. One would think that a woman who had been wearing a hijab for 25 years would feel drastically different, even naked, without her hijab walking around the streets of Barcelona, however Nadia said that there was really no difference. The only thing she did feel for one of the first time in her life was invisible. She was so used to the attention that she received while wearing her hijab that receiving none felt so strange. She then began to play with what she decided to wear in order to see whether she would attract more attention. Nothing. There was no difference. She even pushed her limits and wore a short dress and heels and still, nothing. She decided to test out her experiment in London as well, same results. However, she did feel “feminine than I believe I’ve ever felt in my life” “It was exciting”. She found that no matter whether she wore the hijab or left it in her hotel room, that people didn’t change, there would always be “the rude people, the nice people, and the we-could-care-less people” no matter what.
“Wearing the Muslim veil in America: What it’s Like” published in The Christian Science Monitor at www.csmonitor.com by Husna Haq on December 12, 2009.
This story talked about an American woman and her embrace of her hijab as part of her identity and a way to show pride in herself. She even sees her hijab as a way to change the perception of what they represent. Haq talks about how the hijab to some is a negative thing, even scary. People will group any muslim into the same group as terrorists because of fear. This is unfair. Husna, like the rest of us was born an American. She explains that being American is being a part of a country made up of all different types of people, with different races, religions, and backgrounds. This is something we all know, however many do not actively exhibit that knowledge. She makes a good point that in wearing her hijab, it was “intrinsic to her identity”. She is not only an American, she is a Muslim American. Although it sometimes comes with negative connotations, it also comes with positive ones as well. Husna mentions Dalia Mogahed, the “first Muslim woman to be appointed to a presidential advisory panel”, which just shows how much our country and its people are changing. With more and more american women wearing the hijab than ever before, this is a direct illustration of the growth of understanding and acceptance of Muslims and Islam.
meghazzard 