I read the news about the female Qatari
team being banned from participating in the Asian games for being
Hijabis, early in the morning. Why am not surprised this is what the
global community supports?!
I wrote about this before
and here I am writing about it again for the millionth time. :/ To those
unaware of what I am talking about, we, veiled girls, are not allowed in some
social places, to be appointed in many positions nor to participate in many sports
(although we are qualified) just for being a Hijabi! :(
Today, I was kicked out
of the pool area because I am a Hijabi. The classy club has a 'written policy'
which does not allow Hijabi ladies to enter 'outdoor pool' but only the 'indoor
pool.' In other words, other members who take tan don't like seeing us around,
so we are reluctantly allowed to hide indoors where no one else goes. :/
I then immediately called
my parents seeking support. Instead of finding support, they freaked out as any
other parent in this stupid country. They simply asked me not to report the
incident. Frankly, I could't blame them. This country is full of too much crap
and we can't afford dealing with another one. I don't know which one hurts
more; that I can't ask for those simple rights as a normal human being
practicing her religion, or that my parents were angry that I was angry in the
first place?!!! :/
Apparently some people
either feel they know better when it comes to what is good for us to be classy.
Or maybe they just do not want to see that thing we cover our heads with or
they feel “it makes people around uncomfortable.” I do not know which excuse is
more disturbing. Bottom line, being a Hijabi is something to be ashamed of in
Egypt, and blackmailing people is the mainstream trend!
Either way, why does this
bother me and why am I writing this? Well apparently, I am fed up with the
attempts to create a certain class image about the Hijab. Ladies should be the
ones to decide whether they want to participate in a sport or to go hang out in
a social place, or go to the pool where they are members, and not just being
banned automatically. It astonishes me how in an era where everyone advocates
for all kinds of freedom, yet you find the organizers of the sports games
banning Hijabi girls from participating! You switch your TV to find no Hijabis.
You look for Hijabi politicians, you can rarely recognize someone. Not just
that, many work places still specify “unveiled” as a requirement. Why do you
care if you see my hair or not. The world is certainly creating an image that
does not match reality. Whether the veil is religiously required or
unnecessary, whether its faith or simply culture, why does it bother you?
Lately, some people
(including friends) have been sharing images comparing eras before and after
the spread of the veil. These self claiming feminists reminisce with sorrow
over the past ages where women were "free" and "empowered."
Quick question: Isn't it degrading when you assume that women were brainwashed?
And that they ought to listen to you and learn from you the proper way and
proper dress to be empowered? Some times expressed implicitly, other times
explicitly, sadly, even in the twenty first century, some still view the veil
as an indication of class and oppression. This is why we still do not have
veiled diplomats or famous Hijabi sports players, and this is why the organizer
of the Asian games thinks they can tell the Qatari team when and when not to
join the matches! This is why the international sports rules dictate that anything
except for shorts and shirts is prohibited! This is why a well known successful
Tunisian handball player have not participated with her team in the world cup
until this moment!
The experience of seeing
the negative side of wearing a Hijab is hurtful. The oppression and the
stereo-typical judgment that are associated with Hijab is not nice. Hijab
promotes something deeper than being judged physically but rather based on our
intellectual abilities. While I understand that the question of Hijab has been
and will probably continue to be a controversy, people need to respect others'
choices. There are many people out there who will think I am crazy for saying
that the wearing of a Hijab is a woman’s right. While I do not doubt that
there are some Muslim women who dress the way they do solely because of the
requirements of their culture, who would prefer to not wear the Hijab, I
believe that the majority of Muslim women who wear the Hijab feel quite
comfortable doing so. In fact, they would not have it any other way. :) I
realize that there are Muslim societies where the women are required to wear
all black and cover themselves from hear to toe. But the Muslim ladies that I
have gotten to know from Egypt and are in other countries around the world
(including the UK, Canada, Malaysia, Brazil, India and Dubai) are different.
Through them I have been able to see a different side of being a Hijabi, a
Muslim and a woman. :)
We need to stop assuming
that wearing Hijab means a woman is a second-class citizen. We are human
beings. and under the scarfs that Hijabi wear, we have feelings and we do much
care. The question for us was never "WHY?" .. It is much more deeper
than this .. It is "FOR WHOM?"
#مش_من_حقك_تمنعني #MyJihad #MyHijab #مُستوحي_من_مقالة_قرئتها_منذ_فترة
