I'm a hijab wearing Muslim woman, ask me anything!

[hijabijabi]

Happy to answer all questions, but most comfortable with questions about my experiences - I can try to answer questions about Islam but am no expert, and other Muslims may hold different opinions.
I'll only be checking the thread intermittenty, so my answers might not be immediate.

ohno I've never really seen it as denying sexuality - we are all sexual beings, and Islam certainly recognises women's sexual needs. But prior to wearing hijab, as a young, probably attractive (though I didn't realise it then ) woman in my 20's, working with lots of men, and wearing tight trousers and tops to work, it seemed that sexuality was a big part of the way my colleagues perceived me. That is annoying at best, and at worst, something much more sinister.
I now feel that I'm kind of sexually neutral outside of the home, but that doesn't mean I don't have an active sexuality - I do, and am not ashamed of it at all.

But why does it only apply to women?

Hi Op,
Very interesting thread that I have been thinking about.
I think you say somewhere that men treat you with more respect when you wear the hijab, I can't find that bit now. Could that be because they assume you are obeying your DH's or DF's demands, respecting the men in your life, hence the change in attitude of the men/work colleagues (I think it was)? Rather than an increase in respect for you as an individual.
I am referring to western men which is who you were referring to in your post as I understood it.

I added the last line as someone upthread answered the question by assuring me that Muslim men would have more respect for the OP if she wears a hijab, which wasn't what the OP had originally stated, I understood it was all her male colleagues, not particularly muslim ones who behaved respectfully when she wore a hijab.

George I'm not sure it actually increases their respect for me, in terms of what they think. But it seems to have the effect of modifying their behaviour at least. I'm not talking about all men of course. Many men are respectful of all women. But hijab seems to remove the possibility of that line ever being crossed.
Clionba, do women hassle men in the same way as men hassle women?

Good point, hijabi and shame on them! I just feel frustrated that girls and women always have to modify themselves /clothing /choices etc and not men!
This has been a controversial subject, and while we won't agree, thank you for opening it up and always being so polite. There's another controversial thread opened on AMA where the OP is not pleasant or polite! So thank you and very best wishes.

Yes I appreciate it too. It is only by talking to each other we can understand other people. The little girls at our local primary school (or a lot of them anyway) cover their head from very young ages and sometimes when I am out and about I feel the most uncovered woman around (coming originally from a 97% white/Christian area) and also seeing the changes where I live in London it is as if I have moved countries in my own land. Do you think that as more and more women cover up in the UK those of us who don't will be treated differently than how we were when most women were not covered?

In the Quran it is written that Muslim women should draw their distinguishing cloaks close round them when they go outside in order that they may be recognised as such and not harassed. This created a two-tier society of protected and respected Muslim women and uncovered women who remained fair game.

Do you have any fears that in adopting the hijab you could be annexing off respectability and leaving non-Muslim women to cope with male harassment in the community, just as uncovered women - female slaves and other ‘outsiders’ - were left to bear the brunt of this pestering in earlier times?

I don’t mean this to be confrontational and I’m genuinely interested to know your take on the history of covering within Muslim society and its significance in ancient times versus modern.

Outwith and xenia. I seriously hope not and would see that as a great failing of the Muslim community.
Clionba and others thank you so much for entering into discussion. It's been great to have your questions and hear your opinions. I hope I have managed to answer them to some degree. I'm away now for a few weeks and won't be able to use Internet so this will probably be my last post.

You have, very interesting and best wishes.

Thank you OP.
While not sharing your views it was interesting to read them.

Very interesting, thanks hijabi.

@DieAntword that's an interesting point about all the differences.

@hijabijabi I'm sorry of you have already answered this bountiful you become Muslin before you met your husband?

Italiangreyhound I think she did. I think she was Muslim for many years before meeting her husband.

Do you think that as more and more women cover up in the UK those of us who don't will be treated differently than how we were when most women were not covered?

Xenia - actually Christian women traditionally wore headcoverings when outdoors and long dresses. After the first world war women covered less as modesty began to be seen as old fashioned. The way Muslim women dress now would have been seen as perfectly normal everyday dress in 19th century England.

That's true. We did a lot in school history about the fight our female ancestors had in the UK for the right to wear trousers, cycle, get out of Victoria corsets, cut our hair, run, play sport so I think with our particular history here we very much fear a return to the days of female curtailment - a kind of handmaid's tale Gilead thing. I suppose as long as we are sure women all over the UK can walk down any street of any kind in shorts and T shirts if they want to even if everyone else there is fully covered then it's okay.

Now that more than half the UK does not believe in God at all I suspect over time freedom will win out.

Xenia - women already had the right to wear trousers (see www.katetattersall.com/victorian-women-in-trousers-pants-pantaloons/), cycle (see recollections.biz/blog/bicycle-freedom-19th-century-women/) etc. in the 19th century.

They did not have to "fight" for rights which they already had.

You are right, yet it was socially difficult to do so. It was unseemly for women to show ankles etc and we fought against the social convention just as some women today have to fight against the convention of certain UK cultures to cover up and indeed not to have to wear high heels for work that they cannot run in any better than women in hobble skirts or with bustles and corsets.