Hijabistas Now June 2014 | Page 8

Can one’s clothing prevent one from integrating in society? I don’t think so. Women nowadays wear many different types of clothes that can be revealing or covering their bodies. No matter which one it is, they still have the ability to integrate in society.

Integrating in society does not mean that every person has to engage in a conversation with a random person they see on the street, or women have to talk to men. It means that you stay connected to where you live and you don’t isolate yourself. So, if a woman wears a headscarf and dresses modestly, she can integrate. The headscarf she wears is not a big, thick cement wall that says “Do Not Disturb.”

The only thing a Muslim woman does by wearing a headscarf is respect her religion and her body. Society today thinks that Muslim women have some type of force in their mouth that prevents them from talking to anyone but their own family members. Here’s when one should take advantage of having an education. Educated people know that integrating doesn’t only mean “talking”, it means a lot more than that. Wearing a headscarf doesn’t prevent women from helping out in society, or contributing to it. In fact, Islam encourages its followers to help others, and give alms.