Little girls in headacarves

[Tallulahoola]

Can anyone tell me why very young Muslim girls - Year 1 and above - wear headscarves and what it signifies?

I went to school with a lot of Muslim girls and a couple with very religious parents started wearing headscarves when they reached 13 or so. I always assumed this was because they had reached puberty so were considered to be young women, and as such were dressing modestly.

Skip to now and I see a lot of girls aged 5 and above wearing headscarves at the local primary schools. Is there a concept of a modesty at this age? Does it mean their parents are extremely religious? Or is it particular to certain communities (the parents are from Somalia and I think from Bangladesh, whereas the community I grew up around was Pakistani)

I worked in east London & live in Se London so yes probably more used to seeing more conservative Muslim dress than in other places.
Interesting what you said about make up, some of the teenagers I see wearing hijab wear more makeup than I have ever seen!

Backing, it's empowering to have the choice not to dress in the way men/society expects us to!

We must also remember that all Muslim women do have the religious right to choose not to wear hijab/cover up (though some countries have legal laws which restrict this freedom). And yes, this freedom to choose to cover or not to can also be empowering.

Pontypines I actually am angry about it. Wouldn't post if I didn't. It offends me and my values. I think it's offensive to women.

IPity I know! I've been an MN user for years and years, and I always try to avoid threads about Muslims/Islam for this very reason. But I am tired of people making assumptions about Muslim women, as if they aren't intelligent enough to be able to articulate why they choose to do what they do.

backing what exactly is offensive to women?

Backing, I'm not hiding from anyone's gaze. I'm choosing to wear hijab because I want to. Because I believe in God, and believe he asks me to cover. Even if that made no sense to me, even if that had no advantages to me (and they have lots), I would still do it, because I believe in God. That's fundamentally where we differ.

I find what you are saying interesting timegate actually alot of things people say on this thread. Thank you for explaining and im sorry you feel like you have to develop a thick skin.

user thank you! your kind words mean a lot to me!

Timegate

A bikini being grooming? No. There is no cultural or religious significance in a bikini. It is generally selected for the well being of the child (i.e. appropriate for swimming). No-one would care or even notice if a girl opted for a 1 piece swim suit at 16.

A 5 year old wearing a headscarf is, IMO, detrimental to the well being of the child. It is an imposed religious and cultural symbol designed to indoctrinate a young child. It is a restricting and unnecessary layer. It impedes childhood and seeks to make the girl conform.

On the waxing point, I don't think many girls do this before puberty so I'm not sure what your point is.

it's empowering to have the choice not to dress in the way men/society expects us to!

We all have that choice.

Well, except the women in abusive relationships with men who don't let them choose what they wear.

The ones you have only grudgingly admitted the existence of in your attempt to pretend that women are bever forced to do anything and are never at any risk of harm from men who dominate them.

I never claim that all Catholic women are delighted to be freed from the choice of having abortions and that if they really wanted one they could definitely have one.

Because it would be a lie.

What you have failed to acknowledge that 99.9% of 5 year old Muslim girls don't wear hijab.

Can i ask timegate do you find women who dont cover up offensive to you? I see some sights in the summer that make me and i dont have a faith. I wonder if as it goes against what you beleive god would like it offends you more.

Doinitfine I will repeat again, I can't link to the thread because I'm on my phone, but please go and read the active thread about summer and dress wear on MN. And then come back and tell me there are no societal expectations of how women should dress! It is laughable!

Kindness is what we all need at the moment. I feel the more everyone tries to understand eachother the better things will all be. You know how you feel, who better to ask rather than guess how it makes you feel iyswim.

Because women are not objects to be covered. All the pious talk about modesty is just a nice way of saying that someone else wants to control how women are seen. Sometimes that seems to be about inhibiting the lustful thoughts of men - rather than making that a problem for men to manage - and sometimes it just seems to be about control and creating invisibility.

And the opposite of being covered is not flaunting oneself. It's just going about one's business on exactly the same terms as men do.

I really don't understand why anyone has a problem with a child wearing a headscarf. It wasn't that long ago that British culture required women to cover their heads in public. I get a lot more bothered about children/teens being pressurised to wear high heels. Or make up or to wax, be thin etc. a headscarf isn't going to damage your health or prevent you joining in with normal children's activities.

user I don't find it offensive AT ALL. Not even 0.1%. I'm very happy they choose to dress how they want to. Plus I love getting stylish ideas from some of them

I have plenty of Muslim and non Muslim friends who don't wear hijab or cover, and I love them to bits! Wouldn't change them for the world!

doingitfine i know way way more men questioning what their women wear in non religious households. Also, women are awful to other women about how we should look. Pick up any magazine or advert to see that.

Backing, if we took your arguments, women are neither objects to be flaunted in public, and pressurised to look like models.

Muslim women are NOT requested by God to cover to protect men's sexual needs. That's a huge misconception. Muslim men and women are both asked to dress modestly. The only deference is women are asked to cover their hair. Some women follow God's order, and some women choose not to.

timegate thank you. You sound lovely

IPity exactly what I'm thinking. People don't like hearing it directly from the horse's mouth because it doesn't fit with their idea of a Muslim woman. It contradicts it.

Also question has been answered so what's all this crap following on from it? Even the OP said thanks for the answers further back.

And if people have a problem with a girl in a headscarf, well then you should also have a problem with girls on the beach in a bikini. Can't have your cake and eat it too. My gosh there's even bikinis on sale for girls under a year old in sainsburys but no one picks up on that do they??

Girls copy their mummies. Simple. End of. Get over it people and move on.

We're all upset about little girls being forced into waxing and stuff. That is pretty awful but as I've said, it's not the other option. The other option is not requiring your child to do any of it because it's not suitable for a child.

And yes British society used to be a lot more restrictive for women ....look how far we've come. I look forward to a day when little girls don't have to worry about any of this.

I know there are societal, sexist, expectations of how women dress.

I'm not the one trying to pretend there are none and all women freely choose what to wear without any kind of coercion.

user thank you!

Aldrin thank you! That's a lovely closure, and it's time I went to bed! I've got an early meeting tmrw morning! Love to all.

What is wrong with bikinis?

And no, the defence of covering up little girls very much confirms prejudice that Muslim women collude in the oppression of women and girls.

Not that I believe they all do.

This is just one thread.