It’s unfortunate that the uproar from what I’m about to write will deafen my message before it sinks in. But all conversations, no matter how uncomfortable they may be, must be had. This topic is a sensitive one, and I put a disclaimer that I am not a Muslim scholar, and nor is my knowledge on the subject definite. I’m just a woman who wears the hijab. These are purely my thoughts stemming from my experience and views on the matter.
A few weeks ago, famous Modest YouTube vlogger Dina Tokio (real name Dina Torkia) decided to take off her scarf. It sounds a bit risqué, but all it means is that she made the conscious decision not to wear her hijab regularly. The outrage and response she received not only cemented my opinions on the matter but gave me the courage to finally tell my story.
Coming from a male-dominated society, we women of the Coastal area are, more often than not, forced to cover up not just because Islam deems it so, but because our men have the strongest voice on the subject.
We cover up so that we are not harassed by chauvinistic men, who believe that our bodies are theirs to behold. This is not to say that a woman in a burqa and niqaab (face veil) is safe from the wolf-whistling and hypocritical ‘MashaAllah’.
As a hijab wearer since my early years, I have never been in the habit of securing my scarf tightly around my head. It sits on my head, unsecured by anything other than my awareness of where it sits.
I recently started a new position at a centre that is majority Muslim. In my early days as I walked around the office, my scarf would habitually slip a few inches down the hairline. Then this big, egotistical man would tap me on the shoulder and shove his hand in my face, as if attempting to restore the scarf to a position he deemed fit.
I was appalled and somewhat intimidated. One too many incidences later, I pulled him aside and told him he was making me very uncomfortable.
The controversial thing is that most Muslim clerics would give proper sermons about the goodness of wearing the hijab properly. But the men (and some women) in society take it upon themselves to be the implementers of Sharia. And they would do it with such anger and ferocity that would only make Muslim sisters draw away from the covering. On social media, such people have been nicknamed ‘the Haram Police’.
See:
NO UNIVERSAL CODE
The hijab in Islam not only refers to the head covering but the entirety of modest dressing by Muslim women. All around the world, Muslims wear their ‘hijab’ differently. You will find women in India wearing sarees and covering their heads. You will find women in Turkey in long dresses. Women in the West wear their jeans and long tops. And of course in Mombasa, you will find women in deras, buibuis or even those who wear matching lesos to cover up.
The fact is there is no universal way of interpreting the hijab, and most of us are scrambling to find ways that suit us best. And sometimes we are fighting with ourselves to understand who we are in light of religious fundamentals. The headscarf has never and will never be the barometer of one’s Imaan (faith). We need to learn as a society not to juxtapose piety with the physical displays of religion.
Our Imaan cannot be so weak that the entire Muslim community is bothered by one woman choosing not to wear her hijab.
Dina could be going through her own personal tests that might, God-willing, make her come out of this more devoted and stronger in her faith. The sister down the street who chooses not to wear her hijab should not be the subject of conversation at all gatherings. And most importantly, our men should not harass us on when and how to wear our scarves.
As much as the hijab is a fundamental part of every Muslim woman, the main point to remember is that religion itself is a journey. Each of us is tested differently on the conviction of our devotion. In the end, Allah is the most Merciful, the most Forgiving and He alone stands to judge us on our actions and devotion.