Introduction
The introduction of the hijab happened in Arabic long before Mohammad (Javaid, 2022). The introduction happened via Arab contacts with Iran and Syria, whereby the hijab was a sign of social status. The only females who require not to labor in the field could afford to remain veiled even secluded. Hijab is an item of clothing owing to modern international radical Muslim barbarity, and it has become the centre of interest for social and political debate. Does hijab represent suppression, isolation, victimization, plus subversion? Or is it a representation of religious integrity and identity? Typically, what plus how we put on in terms of clothing is due to personal choice and our culture. Clothing expresses ones’ personality serving a practical purpose hence portraying a sensory system of non-verbal communication that helps space and interaction. Besides, the formation of assumptions from a glimpse involves the development of generalization regarding an individual’s status plus character from minding what’s worn. They result from the viewer’s experiences plus discernments built by external factors. Even the wearer can wish to deflect or direct information concerning them. Therefore, the essay explores whether the hijab is a fashion item that acts to express the cultural values of the wearer and functions as a structure of communication between the audience and the wearer likely to hold a religion, gender, political, empowerment, even social significance globally as a cultural symbol of identity.
Consequently, Muslim females wear hijab out of habit. For example, Indonesia identifies two primary motivations for putting on Hijab: one is an aesthetic expression, and the other motivation is a theological expression. According to Ni’mah 2021, some scholars like Yohana and Ahmadi, Brenner, Dewi, Smith Hefner, and Ramadhini explored the theological background of the hijab-wearing, stating how users figure the clothing as a Muslim woman’s religious responsibility. In contrast to what these scholars found out, authors like Istiani and Rofhani explored the aesthetics of the Hijab (Ni’mah, 2021). It can signify social class even express other identity aspects considering it a fashion item. Therefore, the hijab represents culture and religion (Slininger, 2014). They think of it as comfortable customary clothing, whereby others view it as an important symbol with several years of sexual, religious, political, and social drift within its ruffle. Besides, from clothing, there is an expression of cultural norms even values of a nation. It is hard to separate clothing from cultural society since habits influence it. For instance, throughout history, female attire has reflected social status plus religion, including the political practices of the one wearing the item. As an Islamic notion of privacy and modesty, there is an expression of hijab in female clothing. Hence, the hijab-wearing forgo Islam. Therefore, out of habit, Islamic women wear hijab and see it as a mark of empowerment.
Furthermore, some women see the hijab as a mark of empowerment. Part of Muslim women in the United States might decide to wear hijab out of habit as a means of pride assertion in the face of Islamophobia. For instance, Nazma Khan played a more significant role in celebrating World Hijab Day in 2013 as an immigrant to America from Bangladesh (Jain, 2021). As a result, it draws attention to the world Muslim feminist movements in the Western world that typically go unnoticed, including gender roles. Part of some Muslim women sees the hijab as a sign of empowerment.
Additionally, there has been a debate about the hijab connected to the Islamic gender roles for a long time. However, some women who wear it use it to mirror modern British ones for empowerment (Sadar, 2014). Women of all ethnicities, ages, and economic backgrounds purposefully don the hijab in multicultural Britain. On the other hand, the practice of the hijab became mandatory as free movement for the female gender within Muslims became limited for all, irrespective of social status. Intellectuals and controversial reformers questioned the idea of females’ protective clothing claiming the practices were not Muslimic religion-related however emerged via the Muslim cultures’ customs. Hence, it resulted in the start of feminism, and even Islamic women changed roles. Women reject the sexualization with the ideal of even painting hijab on female bodies by covering them. Hence, they gain a sense of self-respect without adhering to capitalists’ beauty norms, promoting a new version of feminism (Sadar, 2014). Many humans viewed this as the symbol of women’s banishment to a sheltered world. For instance, in the “West, especially France, women wear has become a perceived oppression symbol” (Jain, 2021). Westernized Islamic society’s viewpoint, Muslims were encouraged to remove their hijab under colonial rule and be like European women in the Western world. However, Muslims viewed modernization later as being against their culture regarding gender roles debates.
Moreover, there are perceptions of the hijab as a Muslim representative in the Western world. For example, in March 2021, voters approved legislation in Switzerland meant to ban face coverings (Ni’mah, 2021). There was a push for a more restrictive policy on Hijab by France in a different scenario. Whereby private organizations in France were allowed to prevent workers from putting on political, religious, and even philosophical signs in a Court of Justice in a judgment on 14th March 2017of, the European Union in charge of interpreting EU law in the interest of neutrality. However, it wasn’t just a religious symbol to many Muslim women but a way of being. Therefore, the anti-headscarf legislation acted as a turning point for integration and acceptance in French society in Muslim women’s lives to help them have a chance to be heard and seen. Islamic women representative in the Western world involves the perception of the hijab.
The hijab has given Muslim women a choice to be heard and seen. For example, in a conference held in Indonesia in 2017, religious Muslim female scholars comprising participants from Pakistan, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia issued an invalid ministerial decree (Ni’mah, 2021). The binding was against sexual abuse, child marriage, including environmental destruction. Thus, Islam is a multifaceted religion like any other religion; hence, females discover how they can be heard and seen.
There is a political meaning to the Hijab style of women candidates to be seen and even heard. Women participants tried to build positive individual images via their choice of hijab style (Ni’mah, 2021). For instance, most women candidates wore the hijab in the 2019 elections in Indonesia. Ninety-three percent of female contestants wore hijab out of the one hundred and five women candidates who contested the seats for Regional People’s Representative Council in their formal photographs used by the images they distributed through the media and General elections Commission (Ni’mah, 2021). Different hijab styles signify other religious affiliations in Indonesia that have co-existed since colonial times. For example, Christina wishes for civilians to identify her as she was young and active and who was a hard worker. Thus, she chose a light brown hijab style paired with a white top. It was in accord with her party’s color of clothes worn by presidential candidates, allowing her recognition with her alliance. Her approach confirms that the hijab style can have ideological and political implications that candidates must consider in an electoral contest. Christina instrumentalized her hijab to clarify her religious identity, which she found necessary since she was running for the non-Islamic political alliance that she finally won. Therefore, the approach of wearing the hijab and her political success strengthened the argument. The argument was about the hijab being a fashion item that expresses the user’s cultural values and functions as a communication framework between the audience and the user. Women participants tried to build positive individual images via their choice of hijab style, demonstrating a political meaning to the Hijab style of women candidates.
Conclusion
Therefore, the essay explored if the hijab is a fashion item that acts to express the cultural values of the user and functions as a structure of communication between the audience and the user likely to hold a religion, gender, political, empowerment, even social significance globally as a cultural symbol of identity. Female clothing has mirrored social status, including religion. Nonetheless, the item wearer’s political practices especially involve privacy and modesty in female attire expression of hijab. Besides, some Muslim women figure the hijab as a sign of empowerment connected to gender roles. The hijab plays a role in representing Muslim women in the Westen community. It has provided them with a choice to be heard and seen, providing them with a political meaning to the Hijab style of women participants. The implication of the argument on hijab clothing acts as the principle of modesty plus behavior and dress expressing the cultural values plus functions as a communication structure between the user and even the audience clarifying religious identity via instrumentalized hijab. Therefore, demonstrating the meaning of the hijab style in a global society.
References
Jain, K. (2021). Why do some Muslim women feel empowered wearing a hijab, a headscarf? The Conversation.https://www.google.com/amp/s/theconversation.com/amp/why-some-muslim-women-feel-empowered-wearing-hijab-a-headscarf-155110
Javaid, A. (2022). History of hijab in Islam: Why do Muslim women wear hijab? https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/history-of-hijab-in-islam-1644244440-1
Ni’mah, Z. (2021). The Political Meaning of the hijab style of women candidates. Journal of Current Southern Asia Affair. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1868103421989071
Sadar, P. (2014). Muslim feminists reclaim the hijab to fight the patriarchy. The Conversation. https://www.google.com/amp/s/theconversation.com/amp/muslim-feminists-reclaim-the-hijab-to-fight-the-patriarchy-31126
Slininger, S. (2014). Veiled women: Hijab, religion, and cultural practice. https://www.eiu.edu/historia/Slininger2014.pdf
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