My culture jam was inspired by Rupi Kaur, the author of Milk and Honey. I decided to do my culture jam on the idea of wearing a hijab from the perspective of someone who wants to wear a hijab but it scared to wear it. The social issues around the hijab are increasing in todays society and it is gradually being seen as a ‘threat’. I felt as though this culture jam was a great excuse for me to speak up about something I’ve been afraid to express for years.
The reason why Rupi Kaur was my inspiration, was because of her ‘period’ post on her blog, where she talked about the struggles of being a woman and being ashamed of your period. Her work was bold and got a message across. There was a lot of negative discourse around it, which got people to talk about it and get the message across. When I started my culture jam, the thing I feared the most was the thought of negative discourse around my work, but then I realized that the only way a message will make an impact is if it makes people feel uncomfortable or gets them talking about it; which is why I decided to talk about the hijab.
…show more content…
The male white hand, represents the idea of white powerful males and the oppression of women, race and religion. People like Donald Trump, represent the white male hand who have the power to oppress these people. Along with the picture, there’s also a spoken word that talks about the struggle as a Muslim girl who wants to wear the hijab but is too intimidated by the hate in the world. The idea of wearing a hijab is much more than just a piece of cloth on your head. It is a conscious decision to be identified as a Muslim first, it represents humanity and humbleness and encourages a more solid relationship that’s not based on looks but what’s on the
One of Sultana Yusufali’s strongest arguments in “My body is my own business” is her scrutinization of the exploitation of female sexuality. Initially Yusufali writes about the injudicious individuals that assume she is oppressed by her hijab. Thereafter, she describes them as “brave individuals who have mustered the courage to ask me about the way I dress”. Moreover, Yusufali’s word choice is intriguing as she utilizes the word “brave” when laymen hear this word they habitually associate the aforementioned with heroic, valiant and courageous. Consequently, Yusufali ensues to comprise her opinions on the hijab and how it carries a number of negative connotations in western society. Furthermore, Yusufali proceeds to strike on the importance
Fatemeh Fakhraie’s essay “Scarfing it Down,” explains how Muslim women suffer because of what they wear. Fakhraie blogs about Muslim women in her website she explains; “Seeing ourselves portrayed in the media in ways that are one-dimensional and misleading." Several people judge Muslim's by their appearance because they assume they're a bad person. The author of this essay wants the reader to know that Muslim women wearing a hijab are not a threat to the world.
The article “My Body Is My Own Business” by Naheed Mustafa is about an Islamic women’s principle that putting on her usual headscarf, or Hijab, actually empowers her as a female, contrary to the popular principle that the hijab represents male oppressiveness. She ex...
Ever pass by Muslim woman in a hijab at the mall or park and think how oppressive and restraining her culture must be? Maysan Haydar, a New York social worker who practices the Muslim tradition of veiling, believes otherwise. In her article, “Veiled Intentions: Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering,” Haydar highlights on her experiences as a Muslim living in an American culture, where showing more skin is the “norm.” Haydar speaks specifically to a crowd who unconsciously makes assumptions about certain Muslim practices, in hopes of sharing the truth behind them. Haydar suggests that, contrary to popular belief, not all Muslim women cover themselves strictly as an “oppressive” religious practice, but that some women, like herself, find
Women have always been thought of as something that needed to be controlled in Muslim culture. Their bodies are a source of shame that must be covered during prayer and also in the public (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 3). Veiling, done by a hijab or chador, is when women either wear a headscarf to cover themselves or they wear a veil that covers their entire body, excluding her hands and eyes (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 1; Mir-Hosseini 2003: 41; Berger 1998: 93; Smith-Hefner 2007: 390-391; Brenner 1996: 674; El Guindi 1999: 6). Veiling is used as a tool for oppression. By having women veil themselves, it enforces the control by the male run and male dominated society (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 7). Also, the punishment for women appearing without a veil transitioned as the concept of veiling was addressed, transitioning from seventy-four lashes, to being arrested and held between ten days and two months for being “immodest” women and offending public morality, or fined 50,000 to 500,000 rials (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 8). The oppression of veiling is perpetuated through the thought that it is a woman’s religious duty to wear one, condemning foreigners and women in society if they refuse. Although it is a tool for oppression, there was resistance the oppression. In ...
When speaking about Western males she uses very aggressive adjectives and expressions to convey male dominance over American women. But, when expressing male dominance for Muslim men she does not use the same aggressive language. I believe this creates controversial stigmas that limit the ability to share the full picture to the readers. By forcing the idea that Western men are horribly wicked, it creates the impression that American women are extremely oppressed and have zero authoritative power in the Western society. “By putting the spotlight on the prepubescent female, the Western man veils the older, more mature woman, wrapping her in shrouds of ugliness” (214). Ultimately, she is conveying the idea that trying to fit into a size 6 is more punishing than hiding your face with a veil. I shared similar thoughts with the author about the choice to wear a veil, I believe that wearing a veil is equivalent to a woman freeing herself from societal
The hijab, while not always popular, has seem to be customary for most women to wear in the Islam world for good or for bad. Prior to the 21st century the hijab was not very popular and was looked as a rarity, but now most women adopted this clothing choice for a multitude of reasons. Many women choose to wear it because they feel god instructed women to wear it, to highlight modesty, to show faith in god, or to show Muslim identity. There are many reasons women wear the hijab, even if the veil is forced upon them because of family members; However, the sight of the veil concerns many women activists whose main priority is to insure equality for all women. Many women activists don’t like the veil to be forced upon women and the idea
In conclusion, all in all, religion, culture, oppression, and commitment to God sum up to be misunderstood by many. Muslim women who wear the Hijab will love to be seen as pious, just as Nuns do, rather than oppressed. Muslim women who choose to cover themselves as a sign of chastity is not oppression. The culture of some Middle Eastern countries gives the wrong impression of the Hijab. Not only can culture have people misunderstand Hijab, but it can also send the wrong massage. Hijab and veils should always be looked at as a sign of piousness and their commitment to God, not oppression. Don’t be the one to judge but rather the one who seeks knowledge and the truth.
The picture uses clear racially and religiously defined people with lots of space blank in between the two women to represent the disconnect between them. This visual represents how different people can use trivial factors in defining others as weird or wrong and how people can create culture clash by being close-minded. The American woman clearly holds the opinion that Muslim women having to cover themselves up is while she is allowed to show almost all of her body without shame is oppressive and wrong. The woman is very obviously white, making it easy for the reader to assume that she is probably American. This distinction is important because the difference in race and background is what makes this difference in beliefs and customs clash so harshly. Similarly to how the American views Islamic culture as male-dominated due to women’s requirement to be covered, the Muslim woman views the American society as male-dominated because she feels that the American woman must show off her body to appeal to men. In accordance with her culture, she finds that necessity to lack modesty morally wrong. This difference between immodest and modest dressing creates a clash in between these two cultures’ views. However, at the core of each of their views was the idea that male-dominated societies are oppressive to women. If both women tried to understand the
It is ordinary seeing woman in a veil in countries where the majority of people are Muslims. Even though, the picture of “Hijab” is not strange because it was known in previous cultures before Islam, it is considered as a phenomenon especially in the western societies which it still carries many of misunderstood thoughts. Some People who are non-Muslims in United States view “Hijab” as a fundamentalism, fanatics, barbarism, oppression, retro gradation, and terrorism image. Wearing the veil raises many controversial questions such as: Why do Muslim woman wear the veil? Is wearing the veil a cultural tradition or religious practice! What exactly is “Islamic Dress Code” and is it must be altered in its qualities from periodical time to another in order to be acceptable! Does “Hijab” isolate woman from interacting normally within society? However, all facts behind this issue will be revealed throughout the discussion of its meaning, the purpose of practicing it and seeing Hijab within references and historical context. This would unveil the mystery.
She looks down at her feet, shuffling along the plastic tile of the school hallways. Her first day of school in a foreign city to her falls on a hot summer day, but still her body is covered in layers. She keeps to herself, not exposed or in the lime light of the student population, but they continue to stare at her. In a small town in the Midwest, her hijab is gazed upon with looks of wonder and preconceived ignorance. This Middle Eastern woman and many men and women of this descent experience prejudice especially in small cities. Watching Muslims and people from Mideast culture being singled out has taught me at a young age to be quiet about my Lebanese roots. But when I embraced my culture I became proud of who I was and started to advocate
Ho, Christina and Tanja Dreher. "Not Another Hijab Row: New Conversations on Gender, Race, Religion and the Making of Communities." International Feminist Journal of Politics. 11.1 (March 2009): 114-125. EBSCOhost. Accessed March 22, 2010.
The next article I will be analyzing is called, “A Hijab Proper: The Veil Through Feminist Narrative Inquiry” by Sarah Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr wants to dismantle the ideology that the hijab is solely a gendered object that represents Islamic patriarchy and Muslim women having impaired agency. Instead, she disputes that women who wear the hijab come from diverse backgrounds and have numerous reasons for deciding to wear the hijab, not solely because of the Islamic patriarchy. Abu Bakr incorporates her own personal experiences of wearing the hijab and she also interviews an international Muslim woman. She then combines these two experiences to create her performative analysis on the intersectionality of the hijab. In one account, she writes about
Hijab is a choice that some women or girls make for their own security, for more privacy, or because it makes them feel comfortable and confident about themselves. It should be a choice though, and as it is not proven to us that it is obligatory, countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan should remove their laws that insist every girl puts the veil on. Freedom of choice should be given in these countries. It is not required in Islam so it shouldn’t be forced on anyone anywhere. In addition to this, Islam’s beauty is it’s freedom, the choice it provides you with, let it not be ruined.
The hijab is a very important and powerful Muslim symbol that is worn by billions of Muslim women all over the world. Many wear the hijab as a symbol of faith, while others wear it to protect themselves from society’s expectations of women. Some people think that banning the use of the hijab in public is a violation of freedom of religion and freedom of expression. However, others think the banning of the hijab is a necessary precaution. The wearing of the Muslim hijab should be banned in public because it is impractical, Muslims use it to separate themselves from society, and it is a security risk.