Wearing a hijab in solidarity, is not solidarity

 So, a friend of mine, sent me a reddit post about cops in New Zealand wearing hijabs in the mosque to show solidarity and respect to Muslims. He asked me a very good question, how is this solidarity? Well, I’m going to state this plain and simple its not. It shows that one culture is still ignorant of the religion that it likes to off and on target as terrorist. I actually appreciate New Zealand’s response to the horrendous terrorist attacks; I hope they act this way for all groups that may get attacked. However, wearing a hair veil does not equal Islam.

When we associate Islam or Muslim women with a hair or face veil, we create a stereotype. Many Muslim women do not wear veils of any kind, only in prayer, how is wearing a veil in solidarity to many Muslim women who do not veil? When the Jews of Pittsburg or Paris were attacked, why did no one wear a yammacka or hair veil / wig then? Why is it that the Western world has to associate Muslim women with hair veils? Now there is nothing wrong bringing a scarf to a mosque to wear just in case you feel uncomfortable without it. There are some mosques who do have dress codes before entering, these are often in places like Turkey or Egypt. Who have dress codes to prevent tourist from walking in a place of worship with nothing but a bikini or shorts on. Islam isn’t the only place of worship that requires a modest dress code, Churches like the Vatican or in Romania have dress codes. Some Indian temples require women to wear saris and etc. So, this idea of dressing up to respect a religion is totally okay. The problem with wearing a hijab to show solidarity in a mosque, shows ignorance. Honestly, Muslims are not going to go up to a woman who is trying to be respectful and tell her “Heeeeyyyyy, you don’t have to wear that if you don’t want to.” So, wearing a religious piece of clothing in a religious institution isn’t showing solidarity, your being respectful to the place of worship. The cops who wore the veil, don’t deserve a cookie, they didn’t even need to wear the veil while sitting in the mosque.

Muslim women who do veil, face huge amounts of discrimination. Veiled women (whether it’s a face or hair veil), aren’t just discriminated in Western Countries, but also in Muslim dominated ones alongside Eastern countries. Chinese Muslim women can’t even wear a hijab or even practice Islam. Turkish students can’t wear hijabs and a hijabi woman was elected by the people to the parliament and was not allowed to be sworn in because of her hijab. Girls all over the Western world, have their hijabs ripped off by strangers, attacked or killed for looking like a visible Muslim. Laws are passed in places like France that wont allow Muslim, Jewish, or Christian women (and Sikh men) to practice their faiths openly by wearing hair veils. On the other spectrum are Muslim women in places like Saudi Arabia, Iran, or Afghanistan that honestly don’t want to wear any veils and would like to take them off. These women face different degrees of extremism, richer Saudis and Iranians do not wear hair veils on vacations outside of their countries. Many do take them off while visiting neighboring or European countries. Iranian history of the veil is far more complicated, but many fought just to wear colors and patterns in public and many are now fighting to wear nothing.

Christian woma praying, veiled.

I could also go on a really long tangent about how Muslim women are not the only ones who veil either. They aren’t, Christian women and Jewish women also veil, face veil and hair veil. Many Christian woman have expressed wanting to wear hair veils but are to be scared of what people may think. Pagan women, also hair veil and may not do so because of being associated with Muslims and getting attacked on the street.  Its all good and dandy to want to show your solidarity to Muslim because of a mass shooting, but what about showing solidarity to all those people who veil? How about showing solidarity to Muslim women by realizing the struggles that they face by wearing and not wearing it the veil? Or better yet stop making laws that discriminate veiled individuals and realize that the hair veil does not equal Islam. Yes, Muslim women like myself wear one but that doesn’t mean my best friend who follows the Norse tradition is a Muslim because she wears a hair veil. Women veil and when you show solidarity by preventing laws that discriminate against the numerous religions that have both male and females veiling, then we can talk about solidarity.