1. THE RESURGENCE OF HIJAB IN EGYPT AND THE UNITED STATES
Jennifer Popernack, History, B.A. and Humanities, B.A., The College of Saint Scholastica, Duluth, MN
Dr. C. Neal Keye, PhD, Associate Professor of History and Politics, The College of Saint Scholastica, Duluth, MN
The History of hijab
Thoughts on Hijab
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What is the reason for the resurgence of the veil, specifically hijab, in both Egypt and the U.S.?
Is the Western stereotype of oppression and female subjugation as the main motive of wearing hijab true? Are veiled women truly oppressed?
Was the unveiling movement because of European colonization, or was it a separate movement, and was the re-veiling movement a reaction against colonization?
In the pre-Islamic Middle East, the veil was a normal part of dress, no matter if you were Zoroastrian, Jewish, or otherwise. Both women and men would veil in order to protect their faces from damage by the harsh desert storms and sun. During the realization of Islam, veiling was not compulsory, as only modesty was stated as a mandatory virtue. The Prophet Muhammad stated that his wives were to be veiled, and many women mimicked the Prophet out of admiration. It was only after Muhammad passed on that a corruption of hadith occurred1, as some sects of Islam use the veil to separate by gender. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Egypt, the veil began to fall out of favor only when Western colonialism occurred. Western values were imposed upon the Middle East, and Egyptian women were urged to unveil, as it would allow them to become “civilized,” or Westernized, allowing “progress2.” In the 1970s, the veil once again gained prominence after the devastating loss Egypt suffered by Israel in the Six Day War of A strong sense of Egyptian nationalism caused a surge in adopting the Islamic identity. Women no longer wanted to be Westernized and fought off the idea that their society needed to mimic European ideals to progress. Islamic feminists argue that Islam is one of the most feminist religions in the modern world, but has been misinterpreted and corrupted by Western scholars, as well as fundamentalists1,3,4. Gayatri Chakrovorty Spiva sums up the colonizer/colonization debate as a case of “white men saving brown women from brown men,” and it certainly fits in the Western misinterpretation of hijab. 1: Mernissi, The Veil and the Male Elite (1991); 2: Amin, The Liberation of Women (1899); 3: Ahmed, Women and Gender in Islam (1992); 4: Norton: On the Muslim Question (2013)
“A mind as well as a body dwells beneath the veil. We do not know what moved her to veil herself, what part of that veiling is prompted by others, what part is her own choice. We can read her veil, as we might read any choice of garments, but these (like any speech) may be deceptive. Whatever her intention, the veil will draw the gaze.” – Anne Norton “Islamic identity is typically not merely an ascribed and passively accepted identity, but rather it is actively embraced. It is the identity they speak from and which they enact and make visible, sometimes through the adoption of hijab.” – Leila Ahmed
FINDINGS
The resurgence of hijab is due to rising nationalism in Egypt and as a marker of Islamic identity in the United States.
Hijab is not explicitly stated as necessary in the Qur’an. The only requirement given is to uphold modesty, and this is issued for both men and women.
The dichotomous view of liberation vs. oppression is wrong regarding hijab. It is a personal choice to wear hijab in both Egypt and the United States.
Growing Islamist factions in Egypt, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, were partially responsible for the revival of the veil in universities.
Islamist influences from Egypt and the Middle East are the predominant reason American Muslims veil.
Hijab has a meaning that is unique to every individual, whether it be fashion, feminism, piety, or privacy. There is not a definitive answer on why a woman chooses to wear hijab or any other covering.
“The hijab is a form of modesty, security and protection, shifting the focus of attention from a woman’s physical attraction, or lack thereof, to the personality that lies beneath. By forcing people to look beyond her physical realm, a woman is valued for her intellect, personality and merit.” – Hadia Mubarak
“This veil is not a disease that holds us back. Rather it is the cause of our happiness … and we shall guard it carefully. [It] is our symbol and the symbol of our Muslim grandmothers.”
– Beth Baron
“Hijab is to Muslim as sin is to Christianity, as credit is to capitalism.” – Fatima Mernissi
Acknowledgements
Celeste Zuniga, director of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at The College of St. Scholastica
Dr. David Beard, associate professor of rhetoric in the Department of Writing Studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth
Tyler McCracken, St. Scholastica McNair alum