Quote:
Originally posted by VOSS
I'm not saying that she's oppressed or that she's being forced to wear it. But the origins of the practice are rooted in the oppression of women and to this day in many countries a woman who refuses to cover her hair will be killed (this happens in the US, as well.) They separate women and mark them as inferior to men. Of course, many women in more moderate countries wear them not because they are forced to but because it is part of their culture, but the fact remains that it symbolizes the oppression of women in Islam.
|
I can't make you read the entire book, but The Politics of Piety by Saba Mahmood covers why a lot of younger women are choosing hijab (the book focuses on traditionally Muslim-majority countries). However,
here's a short interview that covers some of the main points.
I agree that, governmentally, it would be ideal for hijab to be left to the individual. However, we can't paint with too broad a brush for every country that has some type of regulation. There are a lot of factors at play here, and it's irresponsible of us to say either that the hijab is always freedom or always oppression in any place.
You say this because you have "Western" values. If she doesn't want to show her body, she doesn't have to. It's HER body. SHE decides what she wants to do with it. Who is to say girls reveling their bodies for a pageant by wearing a bikini isn't a symbol of oppression? At the end of the day it's THEIR bodies.
