The Rights and Freedoms of Muslim Women in America

by Ciera Talseth, Hannah Haughn, Jessica Kitchingman, and Priscilla Mauck; Division: Senior _____________________________ ---------------------------------- Please use the tabs to the left to access the home page, as well as the thesis, conclusion, and annotated bibliography; the tabs for the claims and content can be found below

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In America, a country which values cultural and religious freedom, Muslim women are being criticized due to their shared belief system, including their choice to wear symbolic clothing such as the hijab; the rights and responsibilities of these Muslim women should not be ignored and oppressed within Western countries like America, and muslim and non-muslim alike should not be denied their right to wear the hijab freely.

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While America may provide new opportunities and new freedoms for many Muslim Women, it has oppressed and even attacked some parts of the Islam religion.

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Secular liberals and conservatives stereotype some muslim women as being oppressed by their faith and nation; muslim women are commonly used to “justify Western imperialism, colonialism, and militarism”. (Rankin)  Muslim women who wear the hijab are seen as oppressed by their religion; however, this is untrue, and many wear the hijab through their own choice. We must recognize how many Americans and other westerners have stereotyped the Islamic religion as oppressive and patriarchal. While there is some evidence to this, the overwhelming truth is that this is not simply true.

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After 9/11, many muslims across America have found their religion attacked by hate groups and congress alike. “The attack on American Muslims is a vanguard assault on civil and democratic rights of working people. This is an attack on all Americans — especially the poor, immigrants and most vulnerable and isolated citizens.” (Miah) Through legislation that limits their religious freedom and hate groups ranging from White Supremacists to Neo-Nazis, many muslims have been oppressed  across America, the supposed land of freedom. This is important because many do not realize the prejudice and hate that happens across America.

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A recent study shows that Muslim women are facing discrimination when they are going to find jobs.(Manoa) This study measured three things: formal discrimination,  interpersonal discrimination, and expectations to receive job offers. According to this study, muslim women who wear hijabs have a lower expectation of receiving job offers versus a women that does not wear a hijab. This interference between religion and the workplace is an unacceptable example of prejudice in America.

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Although America is a country of cultural freedom, there has been numerous exploitations and prejudicial judgments against Muslim women who try to practice their cultural freedom in America.

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A women faced harassment while working at Disneyland because she decided to wear her hijab to work. (Huus) On a daily basis, this woman faced racial and religious harassment. The harassment got worse when she decided to wear her hijab to work. She was harassed from the moment she started working to her departure. Muslim women face discrimination based off of their choice to wear the hijab in public and at work.

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In a Florida court case, Sultaana Freeman sued the state for revoking her license after refusing to let her wear her hijab in her license photo. (Candy) She continues to fight on how this is unconstitutional because it goes against her religion. This is important because it provides an argument that has been fought long and hard in America: a battle over religious freedom.  Also, this event helps us look into both sides and analyze the altercation between the religious freedom Sultaana Freeman seeks and the retainment of the law America must provide.

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The First and Fourteenth Amendment prohibit federal and state governments from creating laws preventing women from wearing the hijab (Discrimination Against Muslim Women). Although there are laws and amendments in place to stop discrimination, they are nonetheless being ignored, and Muslim women still face discrimination despite the fact that there are laws in place to protect them. Even though there are laws protecting their rights to wear a hijab in public, Muslim women are still facing many obstacles when wanting to wear head dresses in public and on a daily basis.

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(Soni)

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Many believe that western Muslims are not treated as equal citizens in America because of their culture (Gallup).

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A survey of whether women should be able to choose what they wear, according to each country who has a predominant Islamic culture (“Should Women be Able to Choose Their Own Clothing?”). The list of countries include more liberal islamic countries, such as Tunisia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon, where about 50% of the populations believe that women should have the right. However, in Iraq, Pakistan, and Egypt, less than 30% of the population stand for this. This shows us the belief systems of different countries, and they control women through the enforcement of the hijab and other veilings. This goes to show how women may seek cultural freedom in a place like America, and why they should have the right to choose how they dress.

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As the hijab has transformed into an American symbol, differing views of the symbolism of the hijab between Eastern and Western culture has created a cultural gap dividing the two; however, both sides can come together to have a united, shared belief system about these veilings.

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The most visible form of hijab is the head covering that many Muslim women wear. Hijab however goes beyond the headscarf. In one popular school of Islamic thought, hijab refers to the complete covering of everything except the hands, face and feet in long, loose and non see-through garments. A woman who wears hijab is called Muhaajaba.

BBC Religions

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The hijab protects women from men, preserves marriages, and causes men to focus on the personalities of the women not their looks. (Why Hijab?)The hijab is not only based off of their religion, but of woman's personal beliefs and values for themselves; it’s also helpful for non-Muslims to understand these beliefs and values, and the symbolism behind the hijab.

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Non-Muslim women in America are choosing to wear the hijab after experiencing the inappropriate ways guys look at their bodies. These women are not converting to the Islamic culture or religion. They value the idea that they have sole control over their bodies and men get to view them. One woman, Amanda tells how this experience helped her, as she applied the symbolism of the hijab to her own personal life (Amanda). 

Amanda had to navigate around disrespect and appropriation of the islamic culture, which is an important topic when it comes to western views, namely American, of the hijab.