About the Hijab
By Zhaoluan He
San Diego — In Arabic, the word hijab denotes a barrier or partition. But for most Muslims, hijab has no relevance to restriction or patriarchal oppression. On the other hand, hijab represents their religious affiliations and ways to approach the Islamic God. Hijab also connotes modesty, choice, and liberation.
However, hijab may accompany with the stereotypes of oppression, mystery, and discrimination. To dispel the stereotypes about the hijab, five Muslim students from UC San Diego share their personal experience of choosing to wear hijab or not, along with their opinions on what is the meaning of wearing hijab.
Reem Motaweh, 22, has been wearing hijab for 11 years, which is half of her life. “Hijab to me is a form of modesty. For me, it is a daily reminder of who I am as a Muslim,” said Motaweh. “It is nice to have something that is so visible to portray yourself every single day.”
Motaweh grew up in Superior, Colorado. She later moved to California for school. Motaweh is now studying economics at UC San Diego. Besides reconciling her intensive academic life, Motaweh is also active on social media platforms where she presents her Muslim identity and expresses her religious belief through fashion culture. In 2017, she cooperated with the popular digital media company, BuzzFeed, to produce the video “9 Halloween Hijab Looks” on YouTube. It has received more than six hundred thousand hits and comments. In addition to BuzzFeed, Motaweh also works with different brands, like Ipsy, and creates the digital lookbook “How to Style a Hijab.”
At the age of 19, Motaweh started her online clothing shop About That Wrap (ATW). ATW is a monthly subscription service for $30 per month and provided subscribers with hijabs or headscarves. With her goal of providing modest clothing for Muslim women and other female consumers, Motaweh later added clothing to her shop.
“After graduation, I want to focus on myself as a brand and ensure Muslim representation in social media,” Motaweh said. “More people get to meet me, or any of my friends can see, oh, she is a Muslim girl, and she wears hijab. She is not oppressed, and she is actually living her life and not being forced to do anything.”
Ramsha Rehman, a human biology student at UC San Diego, started wearing hijab when she was in 5th grade. At first, Rehman simply wanted to try it on so she didn’t need to worry about her hairstyle and whether she looks pretty or not. Rehman didn’t realize the meaning of hijab until she was in 8th grade.
“I think hijab gives me protection. It just makes me feel so comfortable. And I wanted to represent my religion,” Rehman said. “Now I am wearing it to represent my religion. It is just so natural, and that built up throughout the years.”
While hijab provides her with protection, it can’t shield Rehman from others’ judgment all the time. Recalling her experiences in community college, Rehman said she had encountered discrimination by others because of her identity. “They were saying, ‘people should go back to their countries,’” said Rehman. “Now when I am walking in Library Walk, I was thinking that maybe I am wearing hijab and people walking there are maybe judging me because of the past experiences. It took me some time to be out and be myself.”
As a transfer student, Rehman tries to adapt to the new study environment through her involvement in various organizations such as the Muslim Student Association and the Sixth College Transfer Student Organization. Besides trying to bond with her fellow Muslims, Rehman also wants to help other transfer students get used to the intense academic paces in the UC system.
“It is difficult. And it is not the same as the community college. It gets overwhelming, and you can feel the pressures,” Rehman said. “I feel like maybe I can provide the sources to help other transfer students.”
Rehman wants to forward her enthusiasm for helping people to a future career as a doctor. “When I go through Med school, I feel like I can help Muslim people through my career,” Rehman said. “But not just limited to Muslims, it is to help anyone who is in need.”
Mariam Abdul Shakoor, a communication student in UC San Diego, believes hijab represents respects of oneself. “Hijab is not only wearing the veil on the top of your head, but it is also respecting yourself,” Shakoor said. “The meaning of hijab is to wear it and have the character. Be nice to everyone, respect to others, be kind and become a good person.”
Shakoor said the media misrepresents Muslim communities through the portray of a few extremists such as the Taliban and ISIS, which don’t practice Islam correctly. As a result, Shakoor has encountered mistreatments. “People were waiting for the elevator with me,” said Shakoor. “But when I went in the elevator, no one was going inside.”
Shakoor thinks that people haven’t correctly understood real Muslim culture, but just know Muslims by how the media has portrayed them. Shakoor said she wants people to know that women are not suppressed in Islam. “Our religion says that men and women are created equally, and a woman and a man have the choice to choose which path to take.”
Shakoor wants to further explore and learn more about other cultures and religions through her studies. After graduation, Shakoor wants to pursue a career in the medical field to help more people in need and practice her religion. Shakoor believes that Muslims should let others know more about their religion. “To my fellow Muslims, let’s raise our voices but in a very calm and loving matter where we teach other people about our religion,” she said. “Because our religion is very beautiful.”
Nadia Keddo grew up in San Diego and now studies human biology at UC San Diego. As a non-hijab Muslim, Keddo believes Islam is a region of choice, and she chooses not to wear hijab. “In Islam, nothing can be forced. And nobody can force you to do anything,” Keddo said. “I am just not comfortable wearing hijab, and then sometimes I wish I did. But everything is you and your relationship with God. So, it can’t be anybody on the outside forcing you.”
Keddo believes that Muslims are a minority in the United States, who have been marginalized and isolated. Many parents of Muslim students are first-generation immigrants in the U.S., just like Keddo’s parents. Muslim students who are American-born like Keddo are often the first generation to receive formal education and have access to the workforce.
After graduation, Keddo wants to become a physician assistant and become part of the educated and professional Muslims.
“I definitely like to increase the number of educated and professional Muslim out here, even just for the community outreach,” said Keddo. “If I can become a professional physical assistant, I can also do volunteer work in my community and give me group a positive representation.”
Ateyib Ahmed studies computer science at UC San Diego. As a Muslim man, Ahmed believes hijab represents modesty and religious identity. “The main purpose of hijab is to show modesty,” Ahmed said. “For me, wearing hijab is one way to commit to Allah. Hijab is not just a symbol; it shows religious identity. People know you are a Muslim if you wear hijab.”
Ahmed said people misunderstand that hijab is only for Muslim women, but hijab is also for men. To some extent, the criteria for wearing hijab are the same for both genders. For example, the hijabs can’t be see-through, and they can’t be tight. For Muslim men, women’s hijabs represent reminders of lowering the male gazes, eliminating fantasies, and showing respects for women.
For Muslim women, wearing hijabs may face prejudice and discrimination because people lack understandings of real Muslim culture. Ahmed said when his sister came to the United States in her 6th grade, she was being bullied by her classmates because she was wearing hijab. Ahmed told his sister that she should use actions to dispel others’ misconceptions. Ahmed said, “they don’t know what kind of person you are, so show them what type of person you are, as a Muslim.”
Ahmed wants to promote Islamic culture and reduce people’s stereotypes on Muslims by actively participating in the local volunteering activities. Ahmed said he joined the local program in downtown San Diego to distribute food, clothing, and other daily necessities to the homeless people. “Even a small event will make such a big difference,” said Ahmed. “People will know what they see from you as a Muslim that is different than how the media has portrayed.”
After graduation, Ahmed wants to set up his technology company in his country, Ethiopia, to help his fellow Muslims with his education and experience. “I want to try my best to live as a Muslim,” said Ahmed. “And to my fellow Muslims, remember to be free and be yourself. Don’t be afraid of being a Muslim. And don’t forget what you are supposed to do as a Muslim. We should spread love and peace.”
For those Muslim students, hijab is a personal choice of connecting with their religion and committing to Allah. Hijab does not embody restriction or patriarchal oppression. It is a way to represent religious identity and modesty as well as to show the most authentic self.
