I was born in a Catholic family and converted when I was 15 years old, almost 4 years ago. I am the only Muslim in my family.
When people see me walking around with my headscarf, they would never think I’m Colombian. They probably think I’m from a Muslim country like Morocco or Lebanon. Many people think I’m Turkish, which is actually funny as my future husband is Turkish.
The questions are always the same. “Where are you from?” “What are you doing in Tampa?” and the classic “Why are you wearing a headscarf if your family is not Muslim?”
Islam was my choice, as is the headscarf. I only wear headscarves on Fridays to go to the mosque, and then for the rest of the day until I get to my dorm.
“Headscarf” is only a word and it’s only a piece of cloth that you put over your head. It generates, however, great controversy.
Now, all around the world, everyone thinks they have the right to talk about headscarves as if they understood exactly how Muslim women think and feel about the issue.
Even though I wish I could wear the headscarf “full time,” it’s still difficult because of my parents. Even if they accepted my conversion and respect my belief, they don’t agree with me wearing a headscarf.
Four years ago, they thought it was subjugating and diminishing. Now, they fear mostly the discrimination that I can be victim of if I wear it.
Even if American society is pretty open compared to other Western societies, there are still many stereotypes that you have to face when wearing a headscarf. The one that comes up the most is that by being a veiled woman you are showing submission to men. I really don’t understand it.
I can’t associate wearing a headscarf with being submissive to men. I just don’t see the relation between them.
Women can as well be victims of men without wearing the headscarf.
How many women per year die in the US out of domestic violence? And how many of them wear headscarves?
There is the idea that behind every woman wearing a headscarf there is either a father or a brother forcing her to—well, neither my dad nor my brothers make me wear the headscarf. And this is the case for most Muslim women.
Of course, there are some women that are forced to cover up; however this is not the majority. The cases of forced women make, as usual, much more noise than those of the women who are deprived of their right to wear it.
Other people argue that headscarves interfere with integration. I don’t see how this can happen either.
Integration does not mean that every single person has to be the same. Integration is learning how to value and respect the differences among people.
The headscarf does not isolate women, despite what many would like to think. When I’m wearing my headscarf, I’m exactly the same person that I am when I don’t wear it. I talk, I make jokes, I laugh.
Well, it’s true that some people refuse to talk to you, or if they do, you can tell that they feel uncomfortable by the way they look at you or the way they talk to you.
But, hey, that’s not my business after all, and people who feel uncomfortable just because of a piece of cloth need to relearn the meaning of the word “tolerance.”
The headscarf is nothing more than a piece of cloth. That’s pretty much it! Yet, it has generated heated debates all over the world!
For Muslims, wearing the headscarf symbolizes obedience to God and modesty; it guarantees that you will be judged by the content of your ideas, not by your physical appearance.
Headscarves do not prevent you from going to school or having a job, except in the cases where the schools or employers oppose it.
The choice to wear it comes only from the person who’s going to wear it—not her mom, dad, brothers, sisters or friends. The right to wear it is nothing more than freedom.
Currently there are two countries that have applied a headscarf ban: France and Turkey. Turkey, a Muslim country, forbids women to wear headscarves at school, university and work in general. France forbids it in public schools and jobs in public institutions.
This same debate has taken place in other European countries where some politicians and feminist activists have taken the mission of “freeing” Muslim women.
But I don’t need to be freed, thank you. I’m as free as I can be, as free as the law allows me to be.
Carolina Medllin can be reached at colaya@ut.edu.
@ Questioner
You know when u had questions about faith in your childhood, I dont think they were well answered. This I can say after seeing that you are still not free from your prejudice. Your exposure to bias in the media has only added to your confusion.
As a muslim I would say, I would not argue on my faith with you. It is something to be felt. I am a convert myself and I saw peace in Islam unlike the image which the media has popularised. This is what struck me the most.
If people say wrong things about my faith and God, I just pity them, for they are ignorant of the faith and its knowledge. If you say bad things to me, I will not curse because I fear my God. My God says I should not call names to people who are ignorant and the rest. It is upto the God to choose and guide whom he wills. So if people misinterpret my religion I do not call them names. I show tolerance–a virtue, my prophet Muhammed (sws) showed and asked us to follow. Had Islam been spread by sword, people would have ceased being Muslims in the countries where Islamic occupation ended. But people have chosen to hold on to the faith. Yes God does have a right to be angry. He is the boss after all! Just because your mind cannot comprehend such a majestic figure doesnt mean you can question God by saying that he is like this when he ought to be like that!
And yes, my God does punish when I do wrong and that is what stops me from doing wrong. At the same time I know he is th most-forgiving and that is when I repent with hope.
Torah is also the book of my God which was sent through a different prophet. So we respect everybody’s faith and views because my God commanded so.
Assalamualaikum (may peace be upon you)
That’s a crock. The submission to God is from the heart, not your looks nor physical presentation of that and where is men’ submission? If what you claimed and others like you claim, then all who wear the hijab would be automatically pure of heart while those who don’t are automatically evil or sinners.
Mohammad conquered by the sword and was a impious man and yet he is worshiped as God himself which is idolatry.
Christ was and IS LOVE and IS our Lord. Christ NEVER used the sword and demonstrated TRUE SUBMISSION to GOD when he died on the cross for everyone, not Mohammed.
Perhaps the bastardization of the old Abrahamic texts is where you get that from…The new Covenant sent by God in the form of our Lord Jesus Christ completely changes that, and if you can’t see that, then too bad for you….
“In addition, Holy Quran, which is Muslims’ book, it is a book of science that scientists could not until this day discover the scientific secrets that mentioned in Holy Quran from thousands of years. The book is full of theories and scientific facts, which is not received until today
”
This is demonstrably false. Other holy texts, such as the Torah and the Vedic teachings can also be used to “demonstrate” scientific “facts” by selective reading and interpretation of verse.
In truth, it is not so. A zygote is not a “clot of blood” and semen do not come from the tailbone. The Koran is not a scientific manual except to those who would prefer an interpretive Kabuki dance of interpretation over data and understanding.
“which includes a social system that is based on equality
”
Islam is a patriarchical system of rigid sociopolitical control. It is no more based on “equality” than Stalinism.
Questioner,
I would like to tell you a little a bout Islam
Do you know what Islam means? It means surrender to God and following him through uniting him. It is devotion and obedience to him and obedience to his messenger, which is Muhammad, peace be upon him because he reported to his Lord. That is why it called Islam because Muslim gives his command for God and acknowledges him, unites him, worships him alone without anything else, and does his orders through leaving the prohibitions and standing at God’s borders. Although Islam cannot be described its all meaning, I’m going to describe some of them.
Islam is a religion of science and humanity, sincerity, honesty, tolerance, equality, and advanced thought and mind of an enlightened. It is a religion calls for modernization, research, follow-up, renewal embedded in various kinds of science, and the conquest of space and the sea. In addition, Holy Quran, which is Muslims’ book, it is a book of science that scientists could not until this day discover the scientific secrets that mentioned in Holy Quran from thousands of years. The book is full of theories and scientific facts, which is not received until today
The true Islam is a religion that requests Muslims to learn and know, to educate and create, tolerate and love, and respect others whether it was a child or old, a poor or rich, a dark or white. Further more, Islam is an integrated constitution of the life system, which includes a social system that is based on equality, an economical system that is based on justice, a political system that is based on consultation, and a humanity system that is based on mercy. Islam is a religion that has answers for all questions.
To conclude, Islam is a simple word in terms of its alphabets, but I is great and high regard in terms of its significance and its meaning in Muslims’ hearts. Islam is the light that lit the dark hearts and chests. It is a soothes that heals the diseases of the soul. It enlightens and filters the mind from the reside of ignorance and superstition. Islam means peace and security. It is the peace of mind for those who live under it. Islam is a religion of moderation and it is far from the terrorism. Islam means to surrender and absolute with total submission for individual God without any partner. So what miserable souls that do not know the true meaning of Islam?!
Turkey is not a “Muslim country”. Its constitution explicitly says its not.
One thing that has always confused me are converts to Islam. What is it in Islam that attracted you to it at such a young age? When I was younger, I too questioned my parents faith, and looked into many alternatives – prodded on by my mother who wanted me to find my path.
I read the Koran in translation – Pickthall (an English convert). I did not find much beauty in it. To me, the idea of a wrathful Allah who curses the non-believers with hellfire was disappointing. I direct you to Surah 111, in which Allah’s eternal words curse Abu Lahab and his wife. An entire chapter of the Koran devoted to one person’s eternal punishment!
111. al-Lahab: The Flame
1 The power of Abu Lahab will perish, and he will perish.
2 His wealth and gains will not exempt him.
3 He will be plunged in flaming Fire,
4 And his wife, the wood-carrier,
5 Will have upon her neck a halter of palm-fibre.
The New Testament was about forgiveness – and this Surah stood in stark opposition to my own beliefs about forgiveness. Who was Abu Lahab to have earned the eternal wrath of the divine? Was he like Hitler? Was he so powerfully evil that in the eternal book of Allah’s words he should be so singled out for revulsion?
In truth no. Abu Lahab was Mohammed’s uncle, and an early critic of Islam. Discovering this … pettiness … in a book supposedly written from the words of ‘God’ shattered the illusion. A deity is above the desire of petty revenge for a critic’s words. A man is not – and the man-written nature of the Koran was made plain to me. “There is no God but God, and Mohammed’s own predjudices”.
Any ‘beauty’ I found was in those words that were more graciously written in other religion’s texts, particularly the Wiccan Rede’s call toward live-and-let-live. Today I am a staunch polytheist neopagan – and will be first up against the wall according to the Koran’s views on pagans.
I say this not to convert you or to make you question your obviously deeply held beliefs. You know my critiques, I wish to ask what is it about Islam that you found so beautiful? Teach me so I may better understand – an apologia if you will.