It’s fundamentally problematic for a man to weigh in on hijab. That hasn’t stopped me from wading into the topic before (see: The Burka and the Bikini), but the only conversation of substance that can happen on the topic is between Muslim women, particularly those who wear it and those who don’t. Any discussion about hijab where a male is doing the talking is probably a waste of your time, my efforts included.
In the past 24 hours, however, a genuine debate about hijab, between Muslim women, has indeed arisen. It started when a woman professor at an Evangelical Christian university donned hijab in solidarity with Muslim women, and got fired (though not technically for wearing hijab, but rather expressing the Catholic view that Allah and God are one, which contradicts the Protestant view). There’s a whole spontaneous movement of non-Muslim women wearing hijab, in fact, which sparked its own tangential debate about the tension between American feminism and hijab. (Essential reading: the dangers of modesty-shaming by Nadiah Mohajir).
Muslim women who wear hijab are, by virtue of the iconic headscarf, on the frontline when it comes to Islamophobia, which is at an all-time high due to the Presidential election. Muslim women who choose not to wear the hijab are not identifiably Muslim and thus they do not experience Islamophobia the same way that hijab-wearers do. This is why the act of solidarity of wearing hijab is so powerful.
Enter Asra Nomani, who decided the real issue is not Islamophobia, but an “Honor Brigade” who force Muslim women to wear hijab. Nomani falls squarely into the “Islamic feminism is an oxymoron” category of thought, and the movement of hijab solidarity offended her enough to provoke her to op-ed in the Washington Post: “As Muslim women, we actually ask you not to wear the ‘hijab’ in the name of interfaith solidarity”.
Dilshad Ali, editor of the Muslim Portal at Patheos, and an absolutely badass feminist who puts Furiosa and Rey to shame, wrote a response to Nomani, entitled “Please Do (If You Want) Wear the Headscarf in the Name of Interfaith Solidarity”
I think that the best thing men can do here is to sit down, look pretty, and shut up. Actually, there is one way in which I can contribute meaningfully – Let’s get some data! I am running two polls on Twitter, which will expire in 24 hours. You can vote in the appropriate poll below. It should go without saying, but please do not vote in this poll if you are male, or if you are a non-Muslim. Obviously this isn’t a scientific poll but it does at least ground the debate in some empiricism.
Step 1: read the two essays
Step 2: vote in this poll if you are a Muslim woman who wears hijab:
Muslim women who DO wear #hijab: why do you wear it?
— Aziz Poonawalla (@azizhp) December 22, 2015
Step 3: vote in this poll if you are a Muslim woman who does not wear hijab:
Muslim women who do NOT wear #hijab: are you pressured to cover? (reply with details)
— Aziz Poonawalla (@azizhp) December 22, 2015
… step 4, thank Donald Trump for being the prime mover in triggering this debate.
UPDATE: Haroon Moghul has a landmark series of tweets that take Asra Nomani to task for trying to change the subject. It’s worth emphasising that Haroon is not commenting on the hijab – he is commenting on the call for “reform” by Asra.
1. In the @washingtonpost yesterday, @AsraNomani published an essay that is offensive even by her own standards. Namely, Nomani argues
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
2. that because the hijab is (allegedly) not a religious requirement, and some Muslim-majority countries enforce the hijab, that we should
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
3. not, as a society, show solidarity with Muslim women in *this* country who are under attack, and in fact spurn them and their choices
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
4. Not only does Nomani conflate certain political Islamist movements with Muslims worldwide, but she does so at a time of rising bigotry
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
5. Her tone deafness on this issue, in line with other so-called Muslim reformers (Nawaz, Jasser, et al) indicates how marginal they are
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
6. to actual living, breathing Muslim communities in the West, that they speak largely to anti-Muslim, white supremacist and new atheists
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
7. instead of the people whose religion they claim to care so much about, and feel so allegedly deeply invested in. It's a cautionary tale
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
8. for mainstream media, which has propped them up as voices of the Muslim community. Nomani's op-ed only shows, however, that she has zero
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
9. traction within American Muslim communities, but can't even judge the mood, the reality or the priorities of Muslim communities
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
10. To all my Muslim sisters who wear hijab, I am in awe of you. To all my Muslim sisters who carry this symbol, I am in awe of you.
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
11. At a time when you are singled out, harassed, attacked, abused, threatened or insulted, that you remain unbowed is deeply inspiring
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
12. We don't need people to define our religion for us, least of all people not only unqualified, but with a record of working with bigots
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
13. And a reform that is backed, supported, retweeted and liked by an alliance of anti-Muslim, neo-colonial revanchists is doomed to fail
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
14. To those who stood bravely with Muslim women, though themselves not Muslim, know that many Muslims are grateful and touched
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
15. Our religion is our own. We'll define it, and we don't need folks backed by and supported by right-wing anti-Muslim warmongers to help.
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015
16. The Muslims who are going to defeat extremism, and revive and restore this ummah, are with this ummah. Not with those against it.
— darth moghul (@hsmoghul) December 22, 2015