VEILED: PERSPECTIVES
Saima was never one to conform to popular beliefs and shape her path based on other peoples’ opinions and ways of life. For her, hijab was both a form of identity and a part of her individual understanding of her religion. She never staggered on this path because from a young age she was a firm believer of the importance of self-expression and acting on her own will. For her, it was also a part of being a feminist. Sacrificing individuality for sexual exploitation was an offense to who she was and what she knew she was worth. In today’ s society and media where a woman’ s body is used as an object seen through a heterosexual male’ s perspective, hijab was a means of Saima’ s neutralization to that subjugation. Hijab was such a personal decision on so many levels for Saima that it became bothersome when others attempted to interject their disapproving opinions on the topic.
Saima found it harder to gain support in Pakistan as compared to in North America. North America does not have such predominant stratification whereas in Pakistan highly educated people are placed in a different social class from the other majority. She experienced selective tolerance where the pseudoliberal movement dominates in respects to covering. In her experience, people were far more tolerant of those who do not cover as opposed to those who do. Educated people who chose to cover are becoming a minority in Pakistan. The acceptance and the notion of the veil is different worldwide. There is far less exposure in the Western society on the topic of true Islam and the discourse of the veil through an international lens, which is why majority of people living in the West are not aware of these issues. Hijab is not as transparant and simple of a topic as it could be.
Within the past year a lot has changed on the notions of Muslims. The veil is the most visible part of Islam to many. A lot of women are scared now and resorting to other forms of covering such as a plain scarf around their neck and a hat. Some are able to look past it whereas others, especially mothers with kids to worry about, have to be more precautious with the recent outbursts of attacks on Muslim women.
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