1 February: On #WorldHijabDay, we are #FreeFromHijab

[NonnyMouse1337]

The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain are staging an online protest against the underlying sexism of the hijab, burkha, niqab, and other forms of religious covering of women, and the compulsion to wear it by Islamist regimes.

mobile.twitter.com/CEMB_forum

If you'd like to participate, you can use the hashtags
#WorldHijabDay
#FreeFromHijab
#NoHijabDay

Quotes in the images:

‘Accusations of Islamophobia is a smokescreen that serves to legitimise Islamist terror and violence and blame the victims.It says criticism of Islam and Islamism are forbidden, blasphemy laws are required and that, therefore, threats and actual murder of critics is perfectly legitimate.’ – Maryam Namazie, 2016

‘Modesty culture, of which the veil is central, sexualises girls from a young age, puts the onus on them to protect themselves. It removes male accountability for violence. It’s an extension of rape culture.’ – Maryam Namazie, 2018

‘The idealised woman in islam is obedient, properly veiled, submissive, and accepting of her assigned “place” in society. The rest of us are whores, compared to unwrapped sweets – covered in flies and free for the taking.’ – Maryam Namazie, 2014

Thanks for posting, Nonny. This reminds me of My Stealthy Freedom.

www.mystealthyfreedom.org/

Which also leads to the #LetUsTalk campaign.

4w.pub/let-us-talk-women-campaign/

Up to every woman what she wears. I think the hijab is actually very pretty. How about everyone just minding their own business

Up to every woman what she wears.

You are aware that the hijab is compulsory in Iran?

I have no problem with a hijab, it is practical and can be flattering on any girl or woman. It's also more hygienic than long hair swishing around. I do intensely dislike those coverings which completely hide the face. Maybe because I am claustrophobic . I do have an issue with zealots who make such things compulsory and the horrific punishments they inflict on those who don't comply

The Council of Ex-Muslims are heroic. Fundamentalist religions are harmful to women and I have the greatest respect for those who dare to resist.

@Cherrybomb197

Up to every woman what she wears. I think the hijab is actually very pretty. How about everyone just minding their own business

It's really not up to them though. That's the problem. Not everything can be conveniently viewed through a western libfem lens.

So the burka or niqab would be ok if they looked pretty?

I ♥️ Sarah Haider.

Is the hijab a symbol of empowerment? Or oppression?
mobile.twitter.com/SarahTheHaider/status/1488596374698528768

@SwissBall

So the burka or niqab would be ok if they looked pretty?

Especially considering the whole point of these garments is to ensure women's bodies are not a source of arousal to men.

There are sects within all Abrajamic religions that require women to cover their hair.

I have to agree that I find having issues with the hijab in particular a bit much. Every society including in the UK has certain customs of clothing that are considered appropriate, while wearing less is considered inappropriate. In some cases is even illegal.

While there are clothing demands that seem to be in some way exploitative - the niqab I think might fit, or the uniforms at a Hooters restaurant, I don't think the hijab meets that level. It's a very wearable kind of clothing.

If people don't think laws in a particular country are justified, that seems more like a problem with that country's laws. Some people think it's wrong when some western countries make it illegal to go topless, or for women to go topless. But I don't think that means we should speak out against shirts in principle as if they are a morally questionable form of clothing.

I think for me the issue is hair covering its the judgement / social pressures that go with it. Sikh men cover their hair for religious reasons after all.
The difference is that is that for some Muslim women wearing the hijab is not a voluntary expression of religious belief but a socially imposed code. If a woman choses to wear religious clothing because that is what she independently wants to do - good luck to her. If a woman feels obliged to dress in religious clothing because of family and social pressure - that is unacceptable.

isn't hair covering
Oh for an edit option

I have to agree that I find having issues with the hijab in particular a bit much.

There are quite a few ex-Muslims (and Muslims!) who would disagree with you. Like a number of issues, context and the social pressures that surround women can make the difference. You might find Sarah Haider's video on the Twitter link I posted interesting.

@thinkingaboutLangCleg

The Council of Ex-Muslims are heroic. Fundamentalist religions are harmful to women and I have the greatest respect for those who dare to resist.

Hear, hear.

When people insinuate that it’s Islamophobic to voice any criticism of hijab, they seem to forget that they are further marginalising those women from a Muslim background who raise concerns about it, whether those women are in Iran or the UK or anywhere else.

It’s over four years since this open letter was written but I don’t think there’s been any progress on the issue whatsoever.

www.sedaa.org/2017/09/open-letter-hijab-in-the-classroom/

Taking issue with hijab for pre-pubertal girls is seen as Islamophobia (and remember how Posie was accused of just this and repeatedly vilified, as if it was the girls’ Muslim-ness she was reacting to rather than their oppression), but effectively what we are saying when we don’t challenge this is that girls from a Muslim background aren’t entitled to the same freedoms and protection from discrimination on the basis of their sex as other girls in the UK.

I think they deserve better than that.

effectively what we are saying when we don’t challenge this is that girls from a Muslim background aren’t entitled to the same freedoms and protection from discrimination on the basis of their sex as other girls in the UK.

Thanks for articulating this so well. That is a powerful letter. Such a shame it continues to be ignored.

I consider myself a GC-leaning feminist. I also wear the hijab. The reason why I don't frequent this board is precisely because of posts like these, which erase my agency and condescend to my ability to discern what I want to wear and what I don't.

Iran is always brought up as an example in these conversations. The issues with Iran's theocratic regime is far deeper than the imposition of hijab - mandatory hijab-wearing is a symptom of these issues. I do not support the imposition of any form of dress, and I think that the issue here is not the hijab but state policing of bodily autonomy and religious practice. France is currently proposing a ban on wearing hijab in competitive sports. Girls are forced currently to remove their hijab at school gates, which many have described as humiliating and traumatic. Where is the energy for defending the bodily autonomy of these women and their choices?

Nobody should be forced to wear what they don't want to. But to presume all Muslim women who wear the hijab are either forced or brainwashed is a huge and very offensive leap. Western feminism tells me I'm complicit in my own oppression. There is a real lack of intersectionality here which shuts out a whole group of women. My opinion and lived experience is just as valid as the women you've posted from. I will defend anyone's right to wear what they please. But that same defence is very rarely extended to me as a hijab-wearing woman.

Also, the comparison between wearing a hijab, and FGM and breast-ironing is illogical. A hijab is simply a piece of cloth. It's a part of clothing which can be removed in a flick. FGM and breast -ironing are body-altering procedures with lifelong medical consequences.

Thank you for the thread.

I read some of the twitter posts as the day went on. My Muslim friends who observe their faith with hijab say they have pride in their dress and modesty.

I do not think France is right to ban the hijab and tell women they cannot wear it.

I think Iran's poor attitude to women extend beyond hair coverings, and I think women should have the choice whether to observe or not.

I think it is unfeminist to critcise @ComeAgainNow's choices.

I find it deeply uncomfortable that women are taught, by all sorts of sources, to hide their body because men cannot control themselves.

I do not believe men cannot control themselves.

I think I have a lot to learn about hijab. So, thank you for the thread and links.

Oh, and one more point - if you posit that there may be social pressure to wear hijab, you would be correct in certain cases. (Not in mine, but I don't discount those lived experiences.) But I see that same social pressure arise in so many aspects of women's clothing and presentation. Why do women shave their legs? Why do women wear high heels or wear makeup? These are social practices which are very much geared towards women. These practices are largely underpinned by misogynist frameworks, so please at least be consistent in your critique.

More broadly speaking, none of our choices operate in a vacuum, particularly about how we present ourselves to the world. Conditioning and social pressure, whether overt or subconscious, will inevitably influence our decisions. The decision to wear the hijab is no different. It's hypocritical to apply a stringent lens to wearing a hijab where women like me must justify the rationale and ins and outs to satisfy everyone that I have not in fact been coerced, that I am sound of mind and not an instrument of my husband's/father's tyranny.

My Muslim friends who observe their faith with hijab say they have pride in their dress and modesty

Why have pride in their modesty? It seems a bit of a contradiction if you use the first dictionary definition of modesty.

unassuming in the estimation of one's abilities or achievements

"he was a very modest man, refusing to take any credit for the enterprise"

The first definition seems an admirable trait.

The third defintion is

dressing or behaving so as to avoid impropriety or indecency, especially to avoid attracting sexual attention (typically used of a woman)

"the modest women wear long-sleeved dresses and all but cover their faces"

What if a woman wants to wear one?

There are over 1 billion Muslims in the world and it's the world's fastest growing religion, so I don't see what place non-Muslims have to judge Muslims?

(I'm presuming posters on this thread are non-Muslim, I apologise if I've got this wrong.)

@ComeAgainNow

I consider myself a GC-leaning feminist. I also wear the hijab. The reason why I don't frequent this board is precisely because of posts like these, which erase my agency and condescend to my ability to discern what I want to wear and what I don't.

Iran is always brought up as an example in these conversations. The issues with Iran's theocratic regime is far deeper than the imposition of hijab - mandatory hijab-wearing is a symptom of these issues. I do not support the imposition of any form of dress, and I think that the issue here is not the hijab but state policing of bodily autonomy and religious practice. France is currently proposing a ban on wearing hijab in competitive sports. Girls are forced currently to remove their hijab at school gates, which many have described as humiliating and traumatic. Where is the energy for defending the bodily autonomy of these women and their choices?

Nobody should be forced to wear what they don't want to. But to presume all Muslim women who wear the hijab are either forced or brainwashed is a huge and very offensive leap. Western feminism tells me I'm complicit in my own oppression. There is a real lack of intersectionality here which shuts out a whole group of women. My opinion and lived experience is just as valid as the women you've posted from. I will defend anyone's right to wear what they please. But that same defence is very rarely extended to me as a hijab-wearing woman.

I started typing out a response to the OP then saw yours and deleted as said it so much better than me! Also because I'm on the fence, I hate that women have to hide away their features and that needs addressing, but on the other hand, if someone wants to? That should be their choice. It's complicated and not as easy as just '' free them! ''

Everything @ComeAgainNow said.

I live and grew up in a very multicultural area and know many lovely ladies who wear the hijab - doctors, teachers, fitness instructors, stay at home mums etc... They'd laugh at the idea of anyone feeling sorry for them for wearing a hijab!