What is your opinion on non-Muslims veiling or wearing Islamic clothes like abaya/jilbab?
So, Im going to try to avoid making this a super lengthy post. As far as veiling goes, it is not an exclusively Muslim tradition. I would argue that you can find veiling in most major world religions, and even just in many cultures regardless of religion.
Women veil in Islam differently and for different reasons. Some women believe it is a commandment from Allah (swt), others believe its purpose is to guard our modesty, and for others hijab is a form of empowerment or decolonization. For some women it is a mix of all of these. And contrary to what people want to hear, sometimes hijab is cultural and not religious at all. I’ve met women who still wear hijab, but never pray and don’t consider themselves super religious. But, because their families veil, they decide to continue to do so as a cultural tradition. I even knew a Syrian Christian who’s family practiced veiling in an Islamic way.
Following this, I personally think it’s okay for non-Muslims to wear Islamic clothes/veiling, but to an extent. Anyone can search for modesty among these traditions, as modesty is something men and women can strive for. For example, I’ve even seen Traditional Catholics search for outfit ideas among Muslim women. However, there is a certain knowledge requirement I would think is necessary to veil specifically with hijab/abaya/jilbab. I know that there is a lot of discourse now surrounding like, white neopagans who end up “veiling” in a fashion that looks extremely similar to Muslim women but don’t like to be connected to Islam, and thats where the problem comes.
If you decide to veil in an Islamic fashion (specifically wearing hijab, abaya, niqab, jilbab, and so on) you MUST educate yourself about Islam. There is no doubt that you will be mistaken for being Muslim, and whether you like it or not, you will become a representative of Islam for the masses by associating with us so visibly. It is fundamentally irresponsible for a non-Muslim, veiling in a clearly Islamic fashion, to know nothing about the religion. Even learning “Assalamu alaikum/Walaikum assalam” is the bare minimum of respecting Muslim culture and the Muslims who will see you and assume that you share the same faith. By putting on hijab/jilbab and so on, we put ourselves more at risk by visibly declaring “We Are Muslim”. For people in very conservative and white areas like me, that can become a safety concern. Because of that, a non-Muslim searching for modesty in the terms of Islamic dress is fundamentally required to be knowledgeable about the image they are then portraying to the world.
I also think intent matters a lot. Are you veiling because you are called to that form of modesty? Or are you veiling because you like the aesthetic? If it’s just about the aesthetic, I wouldn’t agree there.
I hope this makes sense? Again, I am not a scholar of Islam. And I’m sure that there are Muslims who would argue that like, neopagans wearing hijab at all is cultural appropriation..... So this is just my personal opinion.
EDIT: Also just to clarify I am NOT okay with nor do I approve of people who wear Islamic veiling and combine it with sexual fetishes/fantasies/weird narratives of being an oppressed and helpless submissive to some big scary Muslim man. In no way shape or form is that acceptable in my eyes, I find it repulsive and offensive. It infuriates me, sorry. Im all for people having their kinks BUT NOT when it’s getting off to this sick narrative surrounding all the stereotypes about Islam.
