About Hijab

One of the most confusing and mysterious elements of Moroccan-Muslim culture for newcomers, especially women, is the issue of hijab and why 21st century Muslim women still cling to this custom. Western media would have us believe that Muslim women everywhere are oppressed by their men and forced to wear an almost medieval dress-form to protect their virtue (and virginity) from the prying eyes of other men.

Veiling in Morocco is not a law, but a choice. Some women may wear it in submission to their husbands, but many women wear it as a sign of faith in and respect for the Islamic code. On the street, veiled women walk openly with their unveiled sisters and friends. Women in the same family may or may not choose to veil and it's nobody else's concern. Older women still wear the full veil, revealing only their eyes. I have even seen the occasional burqa like the Afghan women wear.

No doubt part of the choice to wear hijab is conformity to traditional customs and social rules, but even that is not necessarily so strong it prevents a woman's choice. It is much the same as when a Western woman didn't leave the house without a hat, coat and gloves. I remember when I lived in Nurnberg and a woman did not go into the city in pants or shorts. If you were inappropriately dressed, the sales clerks in the stores wouldn't even wait on you. So, most Moroccan women won't leave the house without putting on their djellaba and a scarf over their hair.

Not all Moroccan women wear djellabas and some women wear them without wearing a scarf. Some women wear a scarf with jeans and others only wear djellabas on Fridays. There are as many fashionable ways of putting oneself together with long jackets, skirts, dresses and coats as there are women. Women invent all kinds of ways to wear their scarves, fasten them with fancy jewel-like pins and find the fanciest prints and finest fabrics to make their own personal statement. The end results are often quite elegant.

Contrary to what one might imagine, a veiled woman has no special protection from street harassment by men. She is just as apt, maybe moreso, to hear the lewd comments of a passing man or get 'pushed' without reason. Surprisingly, there is some belief that women in hijab are backwards or stupid just as there is the belief that women who don't wear hijab have lax morals and easy virtue. It is especially surprising to everybody when Western women choose to veil. And again, they often attract more male attention than the girl in the short skirt. Some men find a veiled woman sexy because less is more.

Hijab of itself is neither good nor bad and it is not a firm indicator of oppression of women in Moroccan society at any rate. It is a choice a woman makes for many personal reasons and as such should be respected. I don't think we are going to see Muslim women burning their headscarves for liberation the way American women burned their bras in the sixties. That's not going to solve the problems of education and economics that plague all members of both sexes in many Muslim countries. I don't think outlawing hijab in schools or the workplace is a step forward for women either. Rather it's a step backward when one's personal choice is taken away by public law.

Whether or not Muslim women should wear hijab or be subject to religious traditions concerning the veil is the business of Muslim women. They are the only ones who can make an informed decision about what is right for them and when or if it is time for change. Education will bring changes about in time, but I won't be surprised if it has little or no effect on a woman's choice to wear the veil.