I found a report on website of the Eastern Echo, the student magazine for Eastern Michigan University, about a female student who wore a "burka" for a semester as a kind of academic project. 'No one wanted to be near me' is the story of what Zoe Piliafas did as part of a survey of people's attitudes to the garment and people who wear it. She did this under the supervision of two political science professors, and received one "credit hour".
I got linked to this story through a sneering write-up on one of Robert Spencer's blogs. This woman isn't Muslim, although it appears she pretended to be one and adopted the name Zhooda (is that Persian?). It appears that she did not have a positive view of her subject matter before she started, but that her worst experience was other people's reaction:
"In one sense, Zoe's project began with a women and politics class in which we discussed some of the human rights issues during the Taliban control of Afghanistan, and other countries with similar practices, including 'honor killings,'" Martin said. "Zoe's interest was in women's rights." "I wanted to say that you can't breathe underneath this, which you can't," Piliafas said. "I wanted to say that this is so inhibiting I couldn't run, which you can't. I wanted to say that you can't feel the sun on your face. You can't. You can't feel the wind on your face ... And you don't realize how much you miss those things until they're completely taken away. "There isn't just a dress and then something you put over your head," she said. "There's something that goes on your arms ... and then you have the dress and then you have a headband that pulls your hair completely back so ... it never would be shown. And then you have a scarf that goes over all your hair and then you have a veil. So you have three layers of clothing on your head. "But at the same time," she said, "Everything that I wanted to go in and say negative about this, I ended up finding more -- not positives -- but more negatives in the opposite direction. How people treat people dressed like this."
I'm not sure what she put over her arms before she put "the dress" on. Perhaps a woman who dresses anything like this could explain - I suppose most women would wear their normal clothes, then a long, loose overcoat, followed by the veil (which may be a one-piece or, as in Piliafas' case, a two-piece), then the veil or niqab.
In the last college I went to, there were a number of women who wore the niqab - as there are in a lot of British universities. Most, but not all, were of the "Salafi" tendency, and many wear the veil due to a personal religious commitment rather than due to family pressure. I'm sure they have found ways of dressing this way that makes it as comfortable as possible given that they wear it indoors and out; this includes, for example, using decent fabrics. I've seen both niqabs and head-veils on offer in some Islamic shops which are made of cheap and nasty synthetic fabric which looks ugly as well as no doubt not being very comfortable. And as for being inhibiting so that you cannot run, anything that stops you running is to do with the bottom half of your garment, not your head or face veil. I've seen women in dresses which stopped them opening their legs wide enough to walk properly, who didn't cover their heads or face.
Also, I question the wisdom of having a non-Muslim woman do this survey, even if she took a Muslim identity. There are lots of women willing to wear niqab and to do it for the right religious reasons, fi sabeel-illah. While women being forced to dress like this is not unknown, a more common phenomenon in the west has been Muslim immigrant parents (and the state) pressurising young women not to wear hijab. It's likely that the very aspect Piliafas named as a disadvantage - people "not wanting to be near her" - is the very reason some women wear it; they want to keep off unwanted, particularly male, attention. Bear in mind that the Muslim women who wear it have Muslim friends who do want to talk to them. If you are not a Muslim and you wear this, you will be confusing and alienating even your normal friends. So of course you will have nobody to talk to.
Perhaps a better survey would have been a more conventional question-based survey, aimed at a cross-section of women who wear the veil anyway - whether or not by choice. That would have resulted in a fairer assessment than the experience of one woman, who is not Muslim, who appears to have been hostile to the idea of the veil anyway.
(Update: Umm Zaid has comments on this here, which she couldn't post on my blog for some reason.)
very good points about wondering what the student dressed like before as well as whether or not she may have been wearing synthetics. There is nothing more comfortable than modest clothes made out of natural fabrics. My mother lives in a TROPICAL climate. She's not Muslim, but even she knows that a long-sleeved linen shirt and long pants are more comfortable than shorts and a tank top. Salam
She's probably talking about arm guards. If you wear a dress with wide openings at the wrists, then some Muslim women wear sort of like 'socks' for the arms. I've worn them a couple of times but usually I don't bother, as the type of clothes I wear cover my arms up to my wrists anyway.
Fabric choice is uber-important. She can seriously cut out some of those layers of fabric too. The niqabi women I know don't tie their hijabs close under their throat because the face veil covers that area. She also doesn't neeeeeeed the headband if she has the scarf or headcover on correctly.
I stayed in Yemen (in the capital Sana'a) where all Yemeni women cover from head to toe, w/o exception (at least in the capital). Old/rural women wear a sort of cotton patterned sheet covering all their face and then an enveloping piece of material all around their body that looks like a cotton Persian rug. Modern Sana'a women wear all black dresses, black scarf and black niqabs. About 50% cover their eyes as well with a gauze top layer. I wore it a few times to try and fit in, but I got pegged as a foreigner anyway (dunno what I was doing wrong).
I tell you this, over there it is no hassle at all. If you go and buy fresh squeezed juice at a road-side stand, the seller knows to give you a straw, so you can drink under your niqab. Women weave in and out of busy markets wearing it. I even regularly saw women on the top of their (flat) roofs, hanging out their washing whilst wearing the full gear. You get used to it.
I wouldn't wear niqab here in the Western world though - it's just way too scary for Westerners. Like you say - she was 'on her own', and I wonder if she followed other rules of adab. I mean, it would look absolutely ridiculous for a niqabi woman to be drinking a wine in a bar etc.
Why the disapproving tone? I've just skimmed through the article and I think it's commendable that she wore all those clothes for a whole semester. It's hard for Muslims to wear the niqaab, much less a non-Muslim who is not used to wearing so many layers. Plus to purposefully put yourself in a situation where you know you'll likely be stared at and discriminated against...that takes real guts. I'd love to meet this woman and talk to her about her experiences.
OK, not that it isn't a commendable and brave thing to do for a non-Muslim but I was under the impression she only wore it on campus.
Assalaamu Alaykum,
It's not clear whether it was just on campus or not. Either way, it was a cool thing to do. At least I think so! :-)
Take what I say with a grain of salt, of course. This is the sleep-deprived and very hyper Safiyyah talking. The girl who promised herself she'd stay away from blogs and hasn't yet succeeded. Any advice?
When she's talking about the whole burqah thing, isn't she talking about the particular style worn in Afghanistan and not a separate jilbab-hijab-niqab thing? Perhaps her description of the outfit she had to wear and how to put it on involves that one-piece thing (hence called "the dress") and not the typical dress that Muslim women in other countries would wear?
My experience wearing niqab for a year in the US was mixed. I loved the privacy aspect of it, but it became very cumbersome after I had children. I used to wear a hijab with a tie-on or elastic half-face niqab. The forehead-velcro ones always seemed like it would be too scary for non-Muslims to look at. Then I went to Syria and wore the local style which is to take one's hijab and cross it over the face (over or under the nose depending on preference) and pin it on the other side. The culture of the niqab there is totally different. It's not about preventing anyone from seeing your face ever, it's about 99% of the time privacy. But if you're in public and you need to drink or wipe the sweat off your face, you just sort of turn away and lower it for a second. People there are respectful and they don't look. If you're at a picnic and you're 100 yards away from men, you lower it without worrying if they'll see the shape of your face from far away.
I find that in the West when most people adopt niqab they do it as an all-or-nothing thing and consider it a horrible thing if any man anywhere at any time saw their lower face for even a half a second. Also because non-Muslims are not used to seeing a woman covered that way and they don't have the idea of respecting a woman by not looking at her, if a woman was to uncover for a moment to drink or whatever she would find herself assaulted with stares. One of the reasons I now believe it was cumbersome when I had children was because of this all-or-nothing aspect of it, I felt I couldn't lower it for any reason, ever, even for a moment, even in a place where it was unlikely a man would see me.
I also blogged a long time ago about how a woman who wears niqab in the West or in a Westernized setting IS inhibited from fresh air and sunlight and exercise, and that's one of the problems of wearing niqab in a country that doesn't recognize women's right to separate space or where women aren't allowed to go outside, period. But in many Muslim countries there are allowances made for these things, women-only parks and recreation places, and like I said the freedom to go to a park and just lower it for a bit. In Arab countries they also have the tradition of houses with courtyards (the "bayt arabi" or "Arabic house") and private gardens which ensured women's health as well. The problem is that with increasing Westernization and urban crowding, and economic pressures that make most families unable to afford the old-style houses, many of these traditions are dying. Women are increasingly living in cramped apartment buildings and public lands and farms and rural areas are being paved over for more apartment buildings. What all this really means is that the niqab is not the problem, it's the society's lack of respect for and accomodation of women.
So I haven't worn niqab in the US for about 5 years now but I still wear it in Syria.
Like Maryam said, I also see it as a scary concept for Westerners who don't understand. To cover any other part of one's body is not a big deal but one's face is their whole identity and ability to relate to other people and I think ppl here have a hard time wrapping their minds around it. Also because most niqabs are black,it creates problems. I wore black niqabs and had children in the grocery store call me a "scary monster" or a "ninja" or just outright cry and panic. (That was the most painful part for me.) A friend of mine used to wear a white hijab and white niqab and a little child once saw her and told his mother "look, Mama, an angel!"
Very sleepy so apologies if any of this is incoherent.
As Salaam Alaikum
I'm trying to digest the 'burqah' thing, when are people going to grasp the difference between niqab and a burqah. I'm also not getting all that she put on her head, three layers? Maybe she should have got some fashion advice before she went off on her venture.
I'm also wondering in her experiment of how her attitude changed, hence how she was reacted to in some cases, such as people talking down to her, and not given a chance for a lead role. Perhaps w/ the fake accent and her lack of self confidence played a larger role in this than she realizes.
I happen to be a large supporter of the view that a few yards of cloth doesn't hinder a woman. The idea that clothes can prohibit us and oppresses us is rediculous. Can't run? HA my kids once though that until they found out mama can chace them down quickly. Can't breath? I'm with Umm Zaid, she didn't die did she? Obviously she could breath.
The reason why Muslim women choose to veil in the West is an important factor which doesn't deter most. And without such conviction her self esteem would be crushed to begin with, she would feel fustrated, angry, ect and blame it souly on the garments. This not being the norm for veiling Muslim women. Her mindset going in wasn't helping her at all.
Yes of course veiling women in the West have to contend w/ the prejudice, hatred and rude comments coming from Non Muslims. But they are in most cases better able to deal with it, not just why they wear it, the community support and their life outside of the veil.
And I would also agree that Muslim women really need to give their own voice, views and experiences with veiling and anything else related to Muslim women. For most this experiment will be a 'see it does oppress women' failing to see its the actions of others and at times ourselves, not a few yards of cloth, that oppress women.
When I go abroad I like to adopt the clothing style of the older women. Very few of the younger generation cover their faces and of those who do, they wear the black, three veiled, Saudi ensemble. I think it rather a shame they don't wear the traditional niqaab of the area as it's just as covering and would be an opportunity to uphold a tradition. I applaud all those sisters whom Allah has strenghthened with the courage to cover their faces in the West. Ya Allah, make me one of them!
why do you have to cover your face? give me a break.
Women are equal--they do not have to have seperate places to exist--to enjoy--to live. Why don't men abide by the same rules. It's control. It's jealousy. It's not love and respect for yourself. The west gets blamed for everything--you guys are as judgmental of the West as the West is on you. Open your eyes and seeyour judgement--a young woman took it upon herself to experince an aspect of your culture and all you can do is ridicule. Talk about lack of respect. Her article addresses possible prejudices that may result from your choice of address--obvioud she cares enough about this culture that she is trying to bring attention to the lack of respect that some women must feel. But instead you ridicule her--she took time out of her life to experince your culture--and you shoot insults at her efforts. Not understanding but insults--what are you teaching. Is Islam about insulting one's efforts to understand? Is Islam really about a woman covering herself from head to toe? Where does it say that in Koran?
why do we cover our faces?
Well, one thing muslim women are beautiful.. thats why.
so you have to cover your face? i dont get it? so if the lord makes a beautifuul day--one filled with sunshine and perfect temperture--should we stay inside bec it was never intended to be seen and enjoyed? so are muslim women beautiful or arab women--all women--or do you just have to be a muslim? the entire arab world are controling women---i say--keep the muslim faith--but stop the control
Taliban restrictions and mistreatment of women include the:
1- Complete ban on women's work outside the home, which also applies to female teachers, engineers and most professionals. Only a few female doctors and nurses are allowed to work in some hospitals in Kabul.
2- Complete ban on women's activity outside the home unless accompanied by a mahram (close male relative such as a father, brother or husband).
3- Ban on women dealing with male shopkeepers.
4- Ban on women being treated by male doctors.
5- Ban on women studying at schools, universities or any other educational institution. (Taliban have converted girls' schools into religious seminaries.)
6- Requirement that women wear a long veil (Burqa), which covers them from head to toe.
7- Whipping, beating and verbal abuse of women not clothed in accordance with Taliban rules, or of women unaccompanied by a mahram.
8- Whipping of women in public for having non-covered ankles.
9- Public stoning of women accused of having sex outside marriage. (A number of lovers are stoned to death under this rule).
10- Ban on the use of cosmetics. (Many women with painted nails have had fingers cut off).
11- Ban on women talking or shaking hands with non-mahram males.
12- Ban on women laughing loudly. (No stranger should hear a woman's voice).
13- Ban on women wearing high heel shoes, which would produce sound while walking. (A man must not hear a woman's footsteps.)
14- Ban on women riding in a taxi without a mahram.
15- Ban on women's presence in radio, television or public gatherings of any kind.
16- Ban on women playing sports or entering a sport center or club.
17- Ban on women riding bicycles or motorcycles, even with their mahrams.
18- Ban on women's wearing brightly colored clothes. In Taliban terms, these are "sexually attracting colors."
19- Ban on women gathering for festive occasions such as the Eids, or for any recreational purpose.
20- Ban on women washing clothes next to rivers or in a public place.
21- Modification of all place names including the word "women." For example, "women's garden" has been renamed "spring garden".
22- Ban on women appearing on the balconies of their apartments or houses.
23- Compulsory painting of all windows, so women can not be seen from outside their homes.
24- Ban on male tailors taking women's measurements or sewing women's clothes.
25- Ban on female public baths.
26- Ban on males and females traveling on the same bus. Public buses have now been designated "males only" (or "females only").
27- Ban on flared (wide) pant-legs, even under a burqa.
28- Ban on the photographing or filming of women.
29- Ban on women's pictures printed in newspapers and books, or hung on the walls of houses and shops.
"Oppression", why do you insist on submitting a false URL when you can in fact leave the URL space blank? Also, you talk about the Taliban as if they were still in power. They have not been for well over three years, unless you were not listening in October/November 2001 ...
Given that this is about what women wear in the west, and not what they wore in Afghanistan under the Taliban or any other regime, why do you bring up the irrelevance of Taliban policy, the vast majority of was not called for by the Shari'ah and some of which was actually against it?
Comparing the Taliban to all of Muslim experience is like comparing the Puritans to all of Christian experience.
I *am* a Western woman, so Western culture is *my* culture. I happen to be a Muslim and Islam is *my* religion. My religion has a dress code which is interpreted differently according to culture. So Afghan women may wear burqas, Saudi women may wear abayas, Pakistani women may wear shalwa khameez, Malay women may wear jilbab and Australian women may wear scarves, shirts and skirts. Some cover more than others, but it's all a part of the Muslim dresscode which is part and parcel with the religion. Men also have a dress code which is variously interpreted. Go tell a Tuareg man he is oppressed because he veils his face in public.
But you know - I love Italian food, Japanese horror films, Persian carpets, Irish humour, South African a capella choirs. Why can't - in this age of wonderful multiculturalism - dress in the flavours of any and every culture from the vast and diverse Islamic world?
So are you telling me that no where in the Middle East women are forced to cover themselves? Saudi Arabia. They can't vote, go outside without a male relative so on so on. In Iran women have been fighting for equality and have very slowly gained ground. What is wrong with pointing out injustice? I am an American women that knows and will point out that women are all too often objectified and get paid 75 cents to the male dollar--that is unfair--that is unequal treatment. But when someone points a finger in another direction trying to bring attention to women in the world that are being treated unequal--you ridicule her. This is not about a piece of cloth--this is about women's rights. We need to stand together instead of holding alliances to clothing or relegion--but fight for a common cause. At least acknowledge that the mid East needs to come a looooonnnnng way to gain equality--as does the West! If a young woman does an independent study--trying to bring attention to some equalities within a culture--dont critisie her on a stroy that still hasnt been told be her. What do you really know about her. If an Arab or who ever made an effort to understand my culture and had negative and positive things to say in regards to it, i would not disregard her, instead I would try to learn or at least acknowledge her efforts. Not tear the very little I do know about her down. Shame on you! I ancitpate once again a mindless defnese of your actions, instead of an acknowledgement of a possible error in judgement.
Hi all,
A huge sackful of brownie points to Zoe :):) I'd never have the guts to do anything like that.
Can anyone clarify if wearing the whole niqab (apologies if it's the wrong term) is followed by all the schools of thought or not. From what I can gather the Hanafi school seems to be the most liberal in this sense.
Regards
I just had to say that I always find it interesting that in a society (like Canada) where we supposedly have the freedom to dress as we like, Muslim women face so much discrimination and harassment. It is obvious that we only have the freedom to dress as the majority deem acceptable.
I also find it interesting that people get uptight about your behaviour the most when you relate it to religion, as if doing something for God is wrong.
Yes, many people do awful things in the name of God, but that doesn't make it representative of their religion. I mean, the KKK think they are good Christians. Is that so? Those in the Crusades thought they were good Christians too. And, unfortunately for us Muslims, there are Muslims who think that killing innocent people makes them good Muslims.
I wish we human beings would spend more time talking to each other and trying to understand each other, rather than spewing insults and hatred. Unfortunately this is not the case, but I am pleased to find places like this where, even if people disagree, they take the time to talk it through.
I stopped leaving comments on the internet a long time ago, but I felt moved to do it today (although I'm supposed to be looking for another new Eid outfit, which includes a nice, new, breathable . . . you guessed it . . . niqab!).
Keep on keepin' on. Peace to all.
I read through all the comments written here, and would like to add a few of my own. First of all, I am a non-muslim woman living in California. I am in the process of conducting a similar, yet not as extreme experament of my own. What started as a project assigned in my cultural anthropology class to go and experience something from another culture and report about it has become much more than that. As a long-time Buddhist, going to visit a Mosque would be a completely new experience for me, but I wanted to learn about what Islam was about and why Muslims dressed the way they do and many other things, so this is what I chose. I contacted the mosque and told them I wanted to visit and I must say that they were so warm and welcoming and answered all my questions. I also contacted several muslims on the interenet to ask their advice on what to wear, how to act, etc. at the mosque. It was reccomended that I wear modest clothing and a hijab as a sign of respect, so I went to an Islamic clothing store to purchase a hijab. The lady at the store was very nice as well, and I enjoyed shopping for the hijab. I decided on a pretty pink 2-piece hijab with an embroidered design on it. I decided to start wearing it then and there to see how people reacted to me wearing it. I put it on and drove home on the freeway, and since it was ruch hour by this time, people had a lot of time to stop and look at me, though people would usually glance and then pretend not to be looking any more.
My visit at the mosque was great, everybody there was so nice and helpful and I have to say that Muslims are the nicest people I have ever talked to.
All of this inspired me to wear the hijab everywhere for another week in order to see what it is like to be a muslim woman in Orange county. For the most part, people seemed to go out of their way to be nice, or they would just ignore me all together, but I did get a few negative comments, mostly from old people.
I've got to say that wearing a burqa must have been quite the experience. If I think about how odd it felt and how I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb in hijab, it must have been very interesting to wear the burqa. I give her a lot of respect for doing this.
One thing I do have to say about my own experience wearing muslim garb: It is true what they say about it being liberating. I am not one to dress provocatively, but even so I still always get stares and whistles from people and I hate it. I never understand why, because I do nothing to provoke this and usually wear just jeans and long jackets in the winter or other fairly conservative clothing, but when I was dressed in muslim clothes, I did not get any of this, and I felt like for the first time in my life I was not being looked at as a sex object but for who I am.
first off Mabruk (congradulations)Heather on your experience. I hope your 'project came out much more postive even perhaps you may even become muslim. You can contact me at carbohydrate_junky_help@yahoo.com
On to The topic at hand...I am trying to say this with all the kindness I can. Because I am an american muslim. By that I mean, I am american born, my whole family is. Yet I choose Islam as my religion. I wear niqab, I wear jilbabs/abayas and I wear gloves. And, I am proud to wear them. I wear them by choice. I wear them to Please my Lord and your Lord.
I feel sorry for Zoe because she began wearing the hijab of a muslimah (muslim women) to spite the muslimah. She began to wear it so she could get the negative feed back and that's just what she got. She wasn't seeking good in it so, she got what she wanted.
Had she placed herself amongst the muslimahs who wore it and loved their religion. Had she stood next to me at a bus stop or had I seen her in a store, I would have embraced her like many other muslim women would have.
She put herself in a negative setting. for the entire sememster doing her report did she visit one masjid? Did she contact one muslimah for support no. She put it on with spite. She surrounded herself with ppl that hated it.
When I first put on khimar alone my so called friends- nonmuslims Hated it. And, If they hated something that only covered my hair, how were they friends to me. I left them off.
some of her problems could have been simply be solved. If i couldn't breath in her niqab she could have bought a new one of lighter fabric. It's true that we have to wear clothes under our overgarments but, she seemed to be wear too much. She could have picked a nice summer dress, a light khimar and then her over garment. then niqab. If she had educated herself as to why, we wear niqab then her time may have been eased for her. She may have actually learned something.
Let zoe come with me. And, I will teach her somethings. She shouldn't have felt that way. I'm not saying that she won't get stared at, I'm not saying ppl won't hiss. Because the ppl are ignorant and ignorance should be enlighted or excused. But, what I'm saying is that zoe wouldn't have felt so alone, Allaahu Alim ( God knows best).
As salaamu alaykum
Subhan'Allaah.
I take another stance on zoe's experience. I still feel sorry for her. But, I hadn't read her side of the story(actually i hadn't noticed the link ) and as a muslim I am ashamed of that. Because we are not to speak unless we hear both sides/all sides of a story.
She dealt with alot. those kids throwing snowballs. How rude, I know her feelings were hurt.
I want to apologize if my first posted sounded negative.
I hope the Zoe understands that the hardship of the religion doesn't come from within the religion. It comes from the ignorance of ppl not knowing the religion. A lot of ppl don't know and don't care about the character of the men b/c they see what they can not see of the women and form an opinion.
They don't know that just as the women are shy in front of the men and cover the muslim man is obligated with the same; he has to cover himself, he sound not speak to the women. Alot of ppl don't see and understand that.
And just as zoe said she was still herself within, under the clothes. We sisters in Islam are still ourselves. It's just that our clothes are an extension to us. Because as muslim we take our religion as our way of life.
I hope that my post shed a minute amout of understanding...
anything that I have said of Good has come from Allaah and anything that I have said wrong came from myself and the shaytaan.
Any sister looking to know about hijab. please contact me at carbohydrate_junky_help@yahoo.com
All e-mails from brothers will be disreguarded and replied with a reminder of the book and the Sunnah than counted as spam. please no e-mails from men.
If a male has any questions let a female relative contact me.
I just heard from Heather Hopkins, who commented on this post back in February 2006. She has become a Muslim, alhamdulillah! You can read a brief comment she wrote to me here.