Stop secularizing hijab

Hijab is one of the most visible symbols of Islam in Western countries. Though both practicing Muslim men and women are supposed to observe different aspects of hijab, such as how each interacts with the opposite gender, Muslim women observe a more visible component of it.

One can argue that there is no absolute or certain way to observe hijab. This could be because many people have different perspectives and information about hijab, however, one should be cautious about where such information is coming from.

The right source is definitely not from some uneducated YouTubers, fashion industries or anyone else who has not sincerely studied the purpose of hijab.

The best way to understand what hijab really is would be from people who have devoted their lives in understanding the book and the messengers of God, the Qur’an and the family of Prophet Muhammad.

Those who try to understand the Qur’an, without studying it in depth or referring to someone who has studied it, would need assistance in understanding its message even if it seems clear.

According to the Qur’an, God instructs Muslim women to observe hijab by telling them to avert their gaze, cover all their hair and all parts of the body, except the hands and face, refrain from wearing figure-revealing clothing and acting in any way that would attract the attention of men who are not their spouse or certain other relatives.

However, hijab is definitely not limiting and isn’t meant to make women look unpresentable. In fact, hijab removes this idea that one must wear only what others would find appealing.

Photo: Tuffix via DeviantArt

Islamic laws of hijab are meant to protect women from being misused by men and to encourage people to value and understand women by their personality instead of their physical beauty.

So why don’t all Muslim women practice hijab?

First of all, everyone is on a personal journey towards God. Sometimes Muslim women may choose not to practice hijab because they have not yet understood its importance and beauty, or have had some bad experiences associated with it.

Other times, the environment they had been raised in led them to observe Islam in other ways. In any case, everyone needs guidance to truly understand hijab, but that guidance must come from the right source.

One of my friends, Sakina Rizvi, 19, is a graduate from the University of Toronto (U of T) with a specialization in history of religions. She holds a master’s degree in education and is currently working on a masters specializing in Islamic studies.

Sakina Rizvi, 19, is a U of T graduate. Photo: Alisha Rizvi.

During her time studying religions, Rizvi said that while none of her professors have ever directly criticized the hijab, many of her course readings were written by authors against Islam and hijab.

“Students may officially be told that they will [be] provided with a balanced and fair perspective, but in reality the perspective that is given is one that fits within a very secular, materialistic, and anti-Islamic framework,” she said. “There are practicing female Muslims that have written books explaining the proper meaning of hijab, but they were never used in discussions about Islam.”

Beyond the academic sphere, this western depreciation or trivialization of hijab is also present in our popular culture. Over the course of decades, Western elites have attempted to diminish the concept of hijab, and are still devaluing it today in order to further their own agendas.

In contemporary western societies, even under the pretenses of celebrating it, the fashion industry has disregarded the essence of hijab and made it into a mere fashion statement, completely ignoring its religious purpose of preventing unnecessary attention and promoting modesty.

Here is an example of everything opposite to hijab, skin-tight clothing, dressing with the intent to look attractive (in public) etc.

This image of so-called “hijabi” model Halima Aden has not been left without opposition from the Muslim community:

Even if Aden didn’t wear the so-called hijab, this ideology that a woman is only successful when she is shown as a display piece or sexualized by a publication is not acceptable to me. Claiming to represent hijab and dubbing her as “the boundary-breaking Muslim supermodel” only makes it worse.

Some may view the representation of hijab in popular culture as a great thing. While I would agree, this case is not a triumph for hijab representation. In fact, the representation of hijab's meaning is never acknowledged.

Hijab must be understood before being promoted.

Think about it, what would happen to the fashion or cosmetic industries if Muslims solely followed the standards of hijab/modesty instructed by Islam?

According to a report by Thomson Reuters, Muslim consumers spent more than $200 billion on clothing and generated around $44 billion in revenue for the modest fashion industry in 2015.

Without Muslim consumers, fashion industries would miss out on a lot of money.

It is for this exact reason Muslims are increasingly being featured in advertisements produced by fashion industries like H&M, CoverGirl and Playboy. Such advertisements compel other Muslim women to want to look like the ‘hijabi’ models they feature, regardless of whether it portrays Islamic values or not.

Screenshots of HijabFest 2014 models which are supposed to represent hijab, hence its name, but are wearing body figure-revealing clothing that is against Islamic laws on hijab. Slideshow courtesy of Samanah Ali | Photos: HijabFest via YouTube.

Fashion designer Nzinga Knight, whose fashion show is displayed above, admitted in one of her interviews that to her, “clothing does not have a religion, modesty does not have a religion.” This disregard for the significance of hijab beyond its existence as simple garment, helps to discredit the concerns of people like me, who have a problem with how hijab is being integrated in mainstream society.

Inclusivity is not inclusive if it must be redefined in order to be accepted.

Even when an all-hijab collection was presented for the first time in New York Fashion Week (2017 Spring Summer), not all of the models’ hair were completely covered.

“Unfortunately, Hijab has become a strong part of cultural identity and has been detached from religion and God,” said Rizvi. “As a result, it ends up being worn to make a fashion statement and is no different from the cultural value attached to any other piece of clothing.”

Hijab is increasingly becoming a victim of religious appropriation in pop culture. This needs to stop. The concept of Hijab should first be understood before attempting to promote it.

Feature photo: HijabFest via Youtube

The views presented in this article do not represent the views of Journalists for Human Rights.