Feminism and the Muslim Veil

"The Veil was Never the Nightmare American Feminists Make it Out to Be"

There is a woman who has found a beautiful diamond. It's rare in color and quality, and of great value to her. She locks it in a safe. Why? If it's so beautiful why wouldn't she want to share that with the world? Of course the answer to this is obvious, she does not want it to be stolen or damaged. So she protects it. In the same way would this woman not want to protect her own beauty? Of course she would. You may ask how can her beauty be stolen or damaged. That can be answered in many ways.

In today's Western society we see major issues with body image and it's affect on a person's medical and psychological health; and its impact on society in general. For instance issues about obesity and eating disorders are every day fare in our media. Sexual harassment is commonplace in work situations. And women in general feel pressured to find ways to look more attractive. We seem to have applied the "mini-max" economic theory to every aspect of our lives, and the result is we are never satisfied. In this case we are never satisfied with ourselves and the way we look. So we buy cosmetics, spend large amounts of money on plastic surgery and augmentations, allowing the superficial to define our worth more than the elements of our personality that make each of us truly exceptional. This does not make our society completely in error, but there is definitely room for improvement, and lessons to make those improvements can be taken from the values of other cultures.

In today's Western society there is great controversy over the issue of hijab otherwise known as the Muslim veil. The word Hijab is derived from the Arabic word hajaba which means "to hide from view." People claim that the veil is an oppressive tool; wielded by an evil patriarchal society in order to keep women "in line" and to objectify them. This idea is a large misconception. However, it is one that is further convoluted by Islamic governing bodies; who turn religious obligations into political platforms and legislation according to their own interpretations of Holy texts. Regardless though, the original intention behind hijab was not to objectify women, but to de-objectify them.