Question by .: What’s the real reason why Muslim women wear scarfs on their heads?
Best answer:
Answer by Autumn
“Real reason”? Are you suggesting that there is some secret that Muslims have for wanting to wear a hijab?
In Islam, it is important to be modest, in behaviour, mentality, and dress. People’s concept of what is modest differs. Personally, I believe that as long as I’m covered up (long sleeved loose-fitting tops and pants), I’m dressed modestly. Some believe that it means to cover one’s hair and neck and wear long dresses. It varies.
In many Muslim countries outside of the Middle East, Muslim women did not wear the hijab until sometime in the 90s (for example, Somalia and various other countries). I think it may be due to the spread of the wahabi movement.
Propaganda against Muslims, Islam, and the Middle East has led to what I call “Islamophobia” which is a hatred or bias people have against anything relating to Islam, the Middle East, or Muslims because of misconceptions and generalizations spread by the media. Part of it is the belief that Muslim women are subjugated, that the hijab represents oppression of women, and that Saudi Arabia’s laws and cultural customs are representative of Islam. This is false. Islam does not teach that women are inferior, the vast majority of Saudi Arabian laws are based on its culture and not religion, and many women choose to wear the hijab. Why is it that people are willing to accept to believe that women can choose to wear next to nothing at all (ie. bikinis) but that they are not able to choose of their own free will to cover themselves (ie. with a hijab)? There seems to be quite a bit of stigma against the hijab when nuns, Mother Teresa, and the Virgin Mary are all depicted as wearing something just like it and are not at all stigmatized. It’s an obvious bias.
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