I grew up in Lawrence, Indiana a suburb of Indianapolis, and the school system in my town features some of the most diverse schools in the state of Indiana. As a result I was exposed to a variety of different cultures, including Islam, from a young age. In fact, without looking at the numbers, I can say that my high school had more diversity than Butler does. Many of my classmates were of Muslim heritage which meant I had been exposed some of the realities of the Islamic faith as opposed to stereotypes that popular culture and media portrays. Amid all this I still found the PBS Global connection reading to be quite informative. One thing that I found interesting was that Muslim women actually believe it is empowering to cover their heads and there is a “collective identity which is underlined” by covering their heads. Popular culture and media, which view it as oppressive for women, often portray the exact opposite idea of this.
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2 replies on “Women in Islam Response”
Thanks for drawing on and sharing your personal experience in this way! I think that whether a head covering or any other item of clothing is experienced as liberating, oppressive, or uninteresting varies in important ways from culture to culture, often depending in particular on what the article of clothing symbolizes and whether wearing it is imposed.
I think sometimes we become uncomfortable and possibly judgmental about something if we do not understand it or do not engage in the practice ourselves. Wearing a head covering/veil I think is one of those practices that people are quick to judge. Therefore, I agree with you that the documentary and correlating article were informative and helped me better understand the practice. It is great that you were able to connect to your own personal experience and better understand the practice altogether.