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Chill Out About the Hijab
Imagine you’ve had knee pain for a long time, and have been referred to an orthopedic surgeon for a consult. She walks in, and looks like this:
What would you think? The men might think, “Gaaaah … she is smoking hot! Best. Doctor’s. Appointment. Ever.” While the women might think, “Yeah, I’ll bet I know how you got through residency…”
It is exactly this issue that Muslim women say they are trying to avoid by wearing hijab. While covering is as common place as hummus in the Middle East, women who cover in the West face more scrutiny, and therefore must be readily able to defend their position. The often recited reason is something like this: “Hijab is a choice every woman must make for herself; I chose to cover my hair so that people know I’m Muslim, and will take me seriously and respect me as a person, not just a sexual object.” If we stop there, I actually have no problem with this argument.
Conservatives have long denounced the skimpy, revealing clothing that has become de rigeur in our society. Among evangelical Christians, modesty is heavily encouraged. As a professional, I’m cognizant of looking nice but not too nice when seeing patients, because I don’t want patients to discount my abilities and assume I got by because of my looks. Many professional women struggle with this balance, since being extremely attractive is not a desirable feature in certain professions. The focus on emphasizing inner beauty rather than outer is not unique to Islam, and neither is head covering.
In our dismay over the increasing threat from Islam on Western Judeo-Christian values, it’s easy for us to see the hijab as a symbol of all that Islamic extremists represent — oppression, hate, murder. But we forget that women have been covering their hair for a long, long time, and head covering is still seen in Christian and Jewish communities in America.
Until the creation of Vatican II in 1959, women were expected to wear a lace veil while in the church, and women attending Latin Mass today often still wear a veil. A friend’s mother once told a story in which she was at Mass as a little girl and forgot her veil at home; a nun came by and put a Kleenex on top of her head. Even in Protestant churches, women historically wore hats to church, though this fell out of favor after the 1960s as hats became distractingly large and elaborate. Martin Luther himself called for women to be veiled, as did John Calvin and John Knox. So where does the Christian tradition of hair covering come from? Easy — the Bible.
1 Corinthians 11:
5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. 6 For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.
7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
While head covering is not popular among most contemporary Christians, there is a growing number of women that are choosing to cover their hair — just do a quick YouTube search and you’ll see for yourself — and Amish, Mennonite, and Catholic nuns all still engage in this practice.
Christians aren’t the only ones. Orthodox and Hasidic Jews also practice head covering. The mitzvah of kisuy sa’aros commands married women to cover their hair, keeping their beauty (their hair) only for their husbands. For this reason, observant Jewish women wear a snood or tichel. For a married ultra-Orthodox woman to show her hair would bring shame and distrust on her and her household.
So, slow your roll, Loretta, and chill out about hijab — it is not the problem. The real problem is all the other stuff: female genital mutilation; honor killings; throwing homosexuals from rooftops; those that treat women and non-Muslims like animals; and those that see their own fellow believers as an expendable commodity. The scarf is just as scarf, part of a long history of women’s modesty spanning many centuries and different religions.
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Well, with hijab you’re just covering the hair and chest, not the face. A pretty face is a pretty face regardless if you can see hair. Of course, there’s a lot of controversy in Islam about what counts as hijab and modest dress.
Modest dress means identifying yourself by more than just your body. I admire women who value themselves and consider themselves more than the sum of their physical parts.
Covering one’s face, on the other hand, diminishes or erases a person’s individuality. It makes fully-human interactions impossible.
I think it is a very clear line.
sorry, I misunderstood the term ‘hijab’, I took it to mean eyes only showing. I know burka is the whole body tent, so what is the eyes only headpiece called?
Of course, there’s always the problem with definitions. What one person considers modest another doesn’t.
I agree.
and that seems to be the point, doesn’t it? Women can’t be allowed fully human interactions. They aren’t to be trusted that much?
Well…I do think most women — wig wearers or not — can spot a wig. But I would agree that Orthodox women tend tend to be less noticeable. The exception to this would perhaps be in the summertime, when other women are wearing short sleeves and no stockings.
Regarding the hijab, I can’t pretend to view it positively, but I don’t object to it per se. I do object strongly when it is forced, or when it extends to the niqab/burka, as other commenters have mentioned. I do not like seeing it on children. I found it upsetting, for example, when the young Egyptian girl my kids sometimes play with at the park suddenly started covering last fall.
I would point out, too, that hijab blunts the senses by covering ears and in some cases interfering with peripheral vision. It is somewhat better as worn by liberal Iranian women, who tend toward draping rather than tight wrapping, and often leave throats and even ears exposed. The latest fashion among hipster Iranian girls, in fact, is an open scarf draped over the head and tucked behind the ears like hair.
So, I’m not sure how just covering the hair and chest with a cloth eliminates the sexual attraction? Is nice hair considered so sexually stimulating that the covering of it diminishes that attraction?
Yep, the young Iranian women certainly push the boundaries with fashion.
I also don’t understand very young girls wearing hijab since they haven’t hit puberty yet, though there is much discussion about this over on Rob’s Sesame Street hijabi post.
Women’s hair has historically been a very sexual thing. There’s an Italian proverb that says “The beauty of the heavens is in the stars. The beauty of a woman is her hair.” Of course, until fairly recently women always had long hair, and nowadays you’re hard pressed to find a woman over 50 who hasn’t chopped hers off.
Well, the hijab means no cleavage, in addition to no visible hair. Hijabis also generally wear long skirts and long sleeves as well as the scarf, so that their hands and faces are the only exposed skin.
As for hair, well, Mr. Amy finds it one of the most attractive parts of a woman. We had the discussion at one point early in our marriage that while he wouldn’t demand I do any particular thing, he wanted it to be long and would not mind if I covered it and left it as something only he was allowed to see.
Well, we all know how I feel about the hijab or niqab or whatever they call those costumes of terror.
Women who walk into doctors’ offices looking like the pictures you posted get waay more attention than not. My dentist and radiologist consistently flatter me that I make their day; even my ob/gyn who is most interested in delivering babies told me I was a welcome relief even at my menopausal age because he enjoys our conversation about politics and the pros and cons of HPV shots.
Yes, they do. Of course, they’ll stand out in America, since covering isn’t the norm.
I’ve often thought it would be interesting to wear hijab (not niqab) for, oh let’s say, a week, and see how people react. I have a feeling most people wouldn’t say anything about it and wouldn’t treat me differently. The whole point of covering is that people are supposed to identify you as a believer in God and respect you more because of your modesty. It would make me easily identifiable as a believer, but I’m not sure that people would treat me more respectfully. I don’t think people care that much.
Hair has always been seen as being super sexy. It’s only been more recently that women don’t value long locks like they used to.
Easier to wear high heels, a short skirt, and a low top to look “feminine” than to actually let one’s hair be one’s crowning glory.
And it’s not just the ladies… I am totally weirded out by guys who put those huuuge rings in their ear lobes – stretching them grotesquely. I automatically question the judgement of anybody that chooses of his own free will to look like that. I prefer my medical professionals not give off an “I’m a wild and crazy guy” vibe.
That’s why the French punished women who collaborated with the Nazis by shaving their heads.
Right? Also those horrible randomly-placed face studs, and eyebrow rings and all the other things that look vaguely like medically necessary appliances sensitive people pretend not to notice, and good friends tenderly ask about (“how’s your lip doing? When will they be able to take that thing out?”)
1.) Yes, hair is super sexy. I do not understand the pixie cut. (Well, as a practical thing, I guess I do.)
2.) Women and their hats at church -I guess if we’re going to make a thing about covering your head we have to allow it, but good grief some of them are ostentatious.
3.) As a single guy, I like the idea of married women wearing hats simply for identification purposes. Or unmarried women wearing hats. One or the or the other. I’m flexible.
4.) On the list of things I’m going to make a deal about, head coverings rank fairly low, though I do concur with those who have noted that the voluntariness of the niqab and burka are subject to a great deal of question, and I agree with iWe that face covering does seem like a line.
5.) And while I’m happy to have one of those doctors look at my knee, I would be creeped out beyond imagination if she was needing to work on something a little higher up in the anatomy.
Then there is this:
hi jab is like scarf
Policeman’s badge is like lapel pin
no, one presents at least a certain suggestion of authority or compulsion, the other does not.
Every six weeks, my husband cuts my hair for me. For a few days, it’s as long as his fingers are thick. Then it grows out, and I become slightly more feminine…then a little more…and then I make him cut it all off again. I don’t like fussing with my hair, and I find men who obviously spend too much time fussing with their hair (or any other part of themselves) unattractive. My idea of a really attractive man:
The problem with forcing people to cover is that anything can be progressively sexualized. That’s why the burqa exists, because as more things got covered the things that were uncovered became sexualized, leading to more things being covered. Of course, we’ve gone the opposite direction in America, and now women expect to have zero consequence from walking around virtually in their underwear.
I think this perspective from Muslim women is interesting: “As Muslim women, we actually ask you not to wear the hijab in the name of interfaith solidarity.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/12/21/as-muslim-women-we-actually-ask-you-not-to-wear-the-hijab-in-the-name-of-interfaith-solidarity/
They are fighting to keep whether or not to wear such coverings a woman’s choice.
#reasonswhywomendontdourology
I think most European countries did that; the collaboration was mostly sex rather than military or political aid. Head-shaving for adultery and other forms of sexual incontinence has a rather long history, doesn’t it?
My understanding of the reason for hijab is that hair is indeed viewed as sexually attractive to men, and is therefore covered to protect the woman’s modestly and also to prevent the inflaming of sexual desire in any men who may see her. I have heard Iranian men say they find forced hijab offensive, because it implies that they (the men) are little better than animals who would be unable to control themselves at the sight of female hair. Of course, if understood in this way, it is particularly repugnant to see a young girl covered.
I actually had a very attractive female doctor remove a urological stent a week after a kidney stone procedure. It gave me a moment’s pause, but then I figured, if it doesn’t bother her it doesn’t bother me.
I resisted the urge to ask her at that delicate moment, just for fun, “What are you doing later?”
I vote for all of the above.
I suppose in the midst of a kidney stone procedure I wouldn’t stand on principle…
My family doctor is as good looking as those three and she doesn’t cove her hair.