Why do other people seem to have a "problem" with Muslim women and hijab?

Question

This would be related to what Debra has said. I would like to add on a few things on my own. I have friends who are muslims, though I'm not one.Basically i do not believe in any religion as i believe every religion has flaws. so i simply take what's good from every religion and work my life that way. What i would like to add on is this, do not hate someone for the religion they belong to. Religion itself is man made, so why fight over it? get to know people from every ethnics and cultures, it helps to widen our thinking. So love the people around you, remembering only who they are, not what they belong to. Thank you, and i hope i havent offended anyone with what i've just said.

Even the country i live in is modernise (Singapore), but, like i said, I have friends who wear hijab, and they say it is not forced. Neither do they think they are very beautiful. I even know of some who wear, even when their parents have told them not to. So it is up to the individual. When i choose bits from every religion, i do not take what suits me. rather, i take what's good in it. basically, all religions say the same thing, love God, be good to one another, help the poor and so on. I work on them, not what i can take in to adapt to myself.

To Ruchjat K: Islam itself is not a religion. Surely for a muslim, u would understand that Islam itself is a way of life, just like any other. So why catagorize urself? Eating pork is prohibitted in Islam, true. I dont eat pork as i do not like it's taste, but i need not be following Islam. Killing and any other 'sins' is prohibitted in every other religion, just like in Islam. Likewise, doing what's good is promoted in every religion, just like in Islam. Islam itself is very easy to understand. Do not add too much to it and make it a difficult one to follow.

Answer 1

It's just a symbol of faith, like a cross. And of course, some women aren't actually "in hijab" just because they have a scarf on their heads, either. I "wear hijab" when my highlights are messed up; my wife, whose head is shaved, "wears hijab" when it's cold out.

I think 9/11 really justified anti-Muslim bigotry to the bigots and provoked a lot of fear. Women, hijab-wearing or not, weren't involved in 9/11. The hijackers hated women. They'd have hated the little teenage Muslim girl I tutor, who wears a baseball cap as "hijab," as much as a stripper or a professional woman. It's really stupid to take it out on the women.

But the hijab-wearing women are visible, and prejudice makes no sense.

Answer 2

I think many people see the hijab as a form of the forced submission of females. To these people, this represents oppression and is against all that they believe in. It is a true sign of a male dominated society and often women who wear the hijab by choice recognize men as the dominant sex. This goes directly against our American society which is moving towards equality of the sexes. To a society that wants sexual equality, the hijab is a threat, voluntary or no.

Nonetheless, people need to not take this out on the Muslim ladies wearing them. They are just following the along with society, wearing the blinders of tradition, just as all of us do.

Answer 3

You must make a clear difference between man made religion such as Buddhaism and Hindhuism,and the religion that is created by Allah the only one God i.e Jewish religion,Christian religion and Islam religion..But Islam religion is the most updated religion by our God.
I agree with you that all humanbeings in this world whatever their races and religions should love and help each others and do not hate others too.We are brothers and sisters as descendants of Adam and Eve.Our life objective is making of prosperous society
and obeying the life guidance from Allah the only one God.You said that you have no religion,but you take all of what are good from every relagion.Your stand is unlogical because what are good in every religion are not similar.For example eating pork and blood and unslaughtered animal with bismillah (in the name of Allah)in Christian religion are allowed but in Islamic religion it is strictly prohibited.
Killing/murdering ,cheating ,fornification and gambling maybe are not allowed by every religion but in Islamic religion approaching it is also prohibited.In Islamic religion its punishment for those prohibited actions are clearly stated in holy book and hadith.but I think in other religions are not clearly stated..I think among humans hate each other because it is effected by satans temptation and humans are not perfect and have no strong faith.

Answer 4

In some cases, religion has been used to subjugate people's rights. When we see women's rights radically subjugated in Islamic theocracies, we tend to get a negative perspective of Islam (not all islamic theocracies, of course). The hijab is a strong symbol of this subjugation. We may try to characterize it as respecting a religious or cultural practice but the mindset of subjugation is still the undercurrent, regardless of the appeals to tradition and strong acceptance by its wearers. I don't 'respect' religion when it blows people up in the name of Allah or when it kills abortion doctors in the name of Jesus. I neither respect it when it quotes the bible to keep women out of the workforce nor when it relies on things like the Hajib to maintain women's subordinate role.

Answer 5

the people of the west need to ask themselves,where did their ignorance come from? just who was it that convinced the world that a women's scarf...a flippin scarf is a threat to their way of life?and why they should ask themselves,why do they insist that a scarf means she is oppressed?the ignorance is earth moving! the west like to claim they are so enlightened and cultured but most cant see past their own borders.and on the flip side Muslim women consider them to be oppressed cause they feel they cant get work or respect or paid attention to without first baring their charms.charms that were meant for their husbands not the entire male population.think for a sec.is it oppression to do what your Lord has commanded or is it oppression to do what an ungodly society has made acceptable at the expense of God?

Answer 6

Its not that they have a problem with the hijab itself they have a problem with Islam. They would have a problem with a women who claims to be Muslim and who does not wear the hijab. A Muslim women is easy to spot were as a Muslim man is not always. It is sad really that their ignorance makes them so intolerant to others.

Answer 7

because most of us here in the western world see the Hijab as a way to opress women and force them to bow down to men.

as we live in countries that elevate equal rights we see this as a direct conflict with out colture and beliefs.

however i know that many Muslim women feel that the Hijab is a way to respect themselves and to cover their bodies from teh sinful looks of men.

Answer 8

because it;s part of flaunting their reliion and trying to force everyone to live the way they want. If people do anyting they don't like, like the pope quoting some old text they get all outraged and violent. why cant they get along?

Answer 9

When you pick and choose the things from religion that you like for yourself , you get the God of your own making. Thats very convenient. You Im sure are good intentioned but must recognize that there is but one truth. Find the truth , and you will be truely set free. Look to Jesus.

Answer 10

Perhaps she is very beautifu and her family does not wish for anyone to see her face for fear they will take advantage of her and defile her before her marriage. Or maybe the women themselves wish to remain mysterios.