Oppressed, prisoner, weak, evil and (expletive) rag head are all names that Areej Ahmed, a doctoral student studying special education and a part-time Arabic instructor, has heard directed at her during the three years she’s been in the U.S.
Although she dresses modestly, her choice to wear a hijab often causes people to stare and some to call her names.
Those words were more intimidating when she spoke broken English, but now Ahmed said she is unafraid to stand up for herself because she is able to explain what the hijab is and why she wears it.
The hijab can be viewed in many different ways, Ahmed said. It can be anything that is used to separate two objects. Additionally, a hijab can refer to either a headscarf or an entire Muslim ensemble.
“In my opinion, it is beyond even a scarf,” she said. “I believe hijab is much more than clothes; it is the separation that God requires to keep yourself from being seen by a man that is not family.”
Personal experience plays a key role in how people perceive the hijab, Ahmed said.
Michael Lupsa, a senior studying communications, developed his perception of the hijab by growing up in a Romanian family and interacting with many foreigners.
He said women in Romania wear headscarves for different reasons. Because of his familiarity with headwear, he was never surprised when a woman chose to wear a scarf.
“It wasn’t until I moved to Cleveland that I began to see how weird or different people saw hijabs or scarves,” Lupsa said. “Generally, people would talk about it, but I was never bothered by it.”
On the other hand, Erin Tracy, a freshman studying mechanical engineering, believed that hijabs separated women from their rights after reading an article online.
“I thought it was sad that the Muslim faith would require women to wear a veil that separates them from God and their rights,” she said.
Tracy said she wanted to research the hijab after hearing it is actually seen as a symbol of protection and was glad to learn more.
The hijab is more individualistic than most people believe, said Omar Kurdi, a practicing Muslim and freshman studying political science.
“It is a form of self-expression to tell people that you are a Muslim or practice Islam,” he said. “Depending on if you are in a more-liberalized city or a rural part of the country, the social norms could pressure you, but you aren’t really forced.”
Bilge Sulak, a doctoral student studying counselor education and supervision, considers herself a practicing Muslim, but she chooses not to wear a hijab based on her upbringing in Turkey.
The Turkish government does not allow you to wear a hijab if you have a government job or go to a university, Sulak said. Her family educated her about the importance of the hijab, but she is free to choose not to wear one.
Ahmed and Sulak are roommates, and even though they both practice Islam, Sulak said Ahmed receives weird stares during some of their outings. Ahmed blames the different treatment on media and generalizations.
“It would be a shame to generalize all students as lazy or all Christians as KKK members based on one person just as it is a shame to generalize all Muslim women as oppressed,” she said. “But people do.”
It is interesting when people look at Islamic women and call them oppressed, said Shani Salifu, a graduate student studying instructional technology.
“When people look at a Catholic nun dressed from head to toe in a garment, they call them holy,” he said. “But when people look at Islamic women, they call them oppressed. It’s a figment of their imagination.”
Although the media contribute to misconceptions, Ahmed believes that people can learn the truth.
“We are in the information age,” she said. “If we can interact with people and honestly clarify misconceptions, we can change how people perceive the world.”
ao007510@ohiou.edu
