Non-Muslim Leaders

. The wearing of burqa has become contested in European nations for reasons of security and identification but also as a challenge to women's rights from both sides of the fence . Opponents argue that it is from an oppressive patriarchal culture that makes women cover up, though for many Muslim women they feel it is their choice to wear it for religious reasons and stopping them doing so is impacting their rights. Groups both in the West and those that oppose the west have presented ideas about the nature of Muslims to support their cause, this comprising of being highly aggressive, opposed to liberty,unafraid of death being prepared to go to any lengths to achieve their objectives. These ideas mean immigration within the west has become highly contested especially since the recession for economic , social and security reasons, and a fear about immigrants has been created that is not beneficial to moving forward . An article in the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) polled attitudes towards muslims and found that they were more favourable when groups met and discussed their points of view, they found that it led to a greater understanding and reduced

Since Muslim Americans were now facing discrimination and violence in their every day lives, they felt the need to hide the fact that they were Muslim for their safety and for their sanity. As Shawna Ayoub Ainslie, a Muslim woman, says “I hoped they wouldn’t even remember that I was Muslim” (Blumberg). She was terrified that her friends, classmates and teacher would treat her differently after the attack on 9/11. She did not want to be associated with the terrorists depicted in the news, so she stopped reading the Qur’an between classes because she did not want to be seen in public practicing. She not only altered her religious practices after the attack, but she changed what she wore so she was not perceived as Muslim to the public eye. Ayoub

Mogahed, a Muslim woman living in America at the time of the terrorist attack on 9/11, speaks about her experience with white America after the attack. She talked about what made her attracted to the Islam religion and how her friends reacted when she started wearing the Hijab. Her young friends asked her why she would willingly subject herself to the oppression that Americans see in Islam, she told them that wearing the Hijab is actually a feminist act. After 9/11 she faced strange looks, profanity shouted at her on the street, and the fear of what might happen if she didn't listen to the news. Muslims were told to stay indoors and not

Great analyze of the article. "Veil of Ignorance” was one of the articles I read this week and I found this article to be very interesting. I agree that this article discuss our current situation in society. In his article, Ahmed Leila pointed out that there has been a decrease of veiling in Muslim women across the world. He claimed that in sometimes to come to the veil is likely to be dismissed amongst women in the society (Ahmed, 2011). This is accompanied by a change in women responsibilities in a society.

Women who cover themselves are assumed to be coerced or capitulating to make pressure, despite the fact that wearing an enveloping. Over is mandatory (in public) in only a few settings and that educated Muslim women in the past thirty years have struggled with the opposite problem: They must defy their families and sometimes the law to take on what they value as pious Islamic dress. (pg.17)

During the mid-1970’s, the process of veiling in Islamic countries such as Egypt and Iran became highly controversial. The veil became the center of intense political debate throughout the countries, creating political tension among the citizens on opposing sides of the argument. Like many other political issues, there was more than one side to the argument. There were various political groups including Liberal Feminists, Islamic Feminists, and Class Feminists, to name a few, who each had their own opinions on the process of veiling. This paper will go in depth on the arguments regarding the process of veiling and my own personal argument in favor of the Liberal Feminist ideology in regards to this debate.

This has made other Western states wonder about their own Muslim problem and whether or not Muslim have now become a source of public anxiety. In Europe, where states have traditionally seen themselves as nation-states based on homogeneous national culture are now dealing with the mass insurgent of Muslim refugees from the middle east and they need a way to deal with this problem (Parekh, p.7). Citied earlier in the essay, France passed a veil law that prohibited the use of the hijabs or any kind veil; this was a sort of assimilation by the French government. In Britain they opted for integration, in the Netherlands they are using multiculturalism as a way to break the barrels between the Muslims in their society, and finally other nations have tried one or two of the other models mentioned in order to deal with their Muslim problem (Parekh,p.7). Even if these states begin to integrate, assimilate, and even use any other form of system. It will take time and slow

For example Abu-Lughod mentions in her research about a humanitarian reception’s invitation which read, “When the Taliban came to power in 1996, Afghan Women became faceless,” (784 ) the explanation concludes that Afghan Women were damsels in distress and needed people to save them from hiding. It also brings the notion that because Muslim women are not dressed freely like Western women, they are of lower standards. Abu-Lughod points out that the veil is socially historical. Women cover themselves as a sign of modesty and respectability in the company of society, not because of the Taliban’s control or for religious purposes. When binaries are created through culture assumptions, human unity begins to crumble and segregate into isolated spheres. Abu-Lughod’s point is for people to be aware of differences around the world, and to respect different ethics and

After reading this book I found out that when the author converted to Islam she noticed a lot of stereotypes directed to her and others around her. In the book the author shares her experience by saying when she started wearing the veil there was an incident in a school regarding two Canadian school girls. In the book it says “two school girls in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, were sent home from school for refusing to remove their headscarves in class.” This shows us how wearing the veil was not accepted in a school which sparked a debate regarding the meaning of the veil. In an interview that was conducted that appeared in the global mail a person named Jeffery Simpson gave his opinion about the mater regarding the veil. He said that Muslim women should be allowed to wear the veil if they want to but then it caused an argument from to two women that suggested that women wear the veil just because they are forced to wear it. The author, Katherine Bullock took a survey of women that were wearing the veil to see their opinions and she took this study to get the views of women that wore the veil. From the women that she interviewed were fifteen Sunni and one Ismaili women that wore. This study taken by the author was to see their view point on the veil. In the book the author explains the reasons women choose to wear the veil. The author gives us another example about how the veil was preserved in the Canada. There was a student named Nur an undergraduate who had a traumatic experience while she was wearing the Hijab. She was approached by a women who

In a world where we use facial expressions to signify our emotions and to effectively communicate with people, such as in a job interview, burqas can be very inhibiting. However, burqas can be portrayed as a religious commodity; necessary at all times outside of the house. Even so, in a world where society confides in faces and sees someone alienate themselves from society, then people assume those covering their face are not trustworthy. A person’s identity creates a gateway in which we start communicating through glances and trustworthy facial expressions. Without an identity for the public to connect with, they fear what is behind the mask and feel as if they are being hidden from. Hiding who they are, by wearing a burqa, makes those around them feel worse in comparison by not knowing why someone doesn’t show their

An abundant deal of confusion surrounds the burqa and the dispute of it being worn in Western countries. Lately in media, there has been several multiculturalism disputes surrounding Muslims. The disputes are regarding whether or not Muslims should be permitted to wear burqas. Many would concur that prohibiting burqas is discriminating against Muslims’ rights in choosing religion. In a multicultural society such as America, individuals should be free to express their own religious faith and display religious symbols such as burqas.

From the age of nine, I was told to wrap a piece of cloth around my head. “Pin it down tight,” they said. The name given to this piece of cloth was “hijab”. A cloth that illustrated my morals, religion, and values. I feared the shame I would bring to my family if I ever told them all the questions I had over the purpose of hijab so I tossed all my questions aside and wore it.

The veil is a symbol of both culture and religion. In Islam, many women choose to wear a type of veil for religious reasons. A female that covers her head may be deemed as a pious and modest individual. However, there are multiple explanations for why the veil became such an important symbol in the Islamic community as well as across the globe. Despite the fact that a veil is a rather simple object, it is nonetheless full of symbolism and rich history. Unfortunately, this symbolism and history is often ignored by the non-Muslim world. When the reasons and explanations of and for something are largely disregarded, the result is rarely positive. For example, the veil is the epitome of this issue. Whether it is religion or politics, the average individual does not enjoy being challenged. It is easier to go with your ‘gut’ than it is to actually take a trip to the library and check out a book. In other words, due to the complexity and numerous meanings of the Islamic veil, the typical non-Muslim does not make an effort to educate themselves. This lack of education, and ignorance, leads to wholly incorrect assumptions that then lead to dangerous mindsets. In addition to ignorance, the culture that surrounds areas of the world in which Islam is prevalent contributes to the intricacy of the issue. I believe the veil is a religious symbol that has a multifaceted history with intricate details regarding religion and culture. The purpose of this paper is to examine how ignorance and

Arab and Muslim Americans reported being fearful and censoring their behavior in public to avoid ethnic or religious markers.” (Alsultany 5). The entire outlook of the culture changed significantly as well as the culture

In much of my previous research it was apparent that Muslim Americans face discrimination and judgement on a daily basis (Eid, 2013). To gain a better understanding of what that feels like I decided to wear a hijab the entire day of my first visit. In my own town I experience many double takes, stares, and faces of disgust. I was really embarrassed and shamed even though I knew that the identity I was representing was not a true part of my identity. I think feeling this shame instilled in me compassion for the constant feelings of discrimination experienced everyday by the people I interacted with at the mosque, even though I recognized it was only a small measure of what it feelings like for