Is the hijab and the West compatible?

[ElHenni]

With the spread of clampdowns on the Hijab across Europe what is your opinion about its existance in Europe over the next 10 or 20 years? Are they both compatible

[pandora]

I personally do not see any incompatibility between the Hijab and life in the west or anywhere else. Regardless of the motives that women have for wearing the Hijab (aside from the religious motive, some do it for convenience as they cannot afford spending time and money on their hair, others wear it as a political statement…etc), these women should have the freedom to wear whatever it pleases them, it is a freedom that no one should give up.
It is against human rights to deprive people of the freedom to practise their religion and express themselves. It is against the freedom of expression that so many defend when it comes to insulting Islam and Muslims. I thought it was weak of our Muslim scholars to advise women of taking off the Hijab after July 2005, fearing for their safety. Should people have been asked to change their skin colour in the sixties? Should women have been asked to change their sex in pre-feminism movement era? It is people who have problems with the Hijab that have to start changing and not the people who want to wear it. It is unconceivable to force people to give up something that is a part of who they are especially that it causes no harm to anyone.

[nouha]

yes it is compatible..

i wear hijab and it has never gotten in the way of me achieving nay of my goals...

ive even been sky diving with it

[ElHenni]

Well I cant speak of a personal experience where I wore a Hijab.

I have however wore my Gandora and lahfaiya when traveling and sometimes in and around the UK and suprisingly people havent been bad at all. Keeping in mind that I wear the Sahrawi gandora which is obviously very large and extremely wide I am always happily suprised at peoples reactions. Also keeping in mind that we wear a 3.5 foot lahfaiya as well, but obviously customs like to have a rumage through it (as I believe they should cus you dont know what nutters are out there).

If I am traveling to Algeria or any other Arab country I always wear my gondora cus it just makes the journey so much more comfortable.

I remember once in transit there was this old man going back to Algiers, he had the truban, the massive gandora, then on top of that he had a qashabiyya on with a kind of thick thick thick brown cloth draped over his shoulder (if anyone knows what thats called pls say so as I havnt really seen it b4) then he was walking with his long wooden stick , I was looking up to him and im 6ft2. He was about 80 years old and you could tell thats what he had been wearing everyday for the whole of his life, I guess hajj was scared of the European cold, hehe.

[k_s]

Main problem is: Getting jobs I mean real jobs, it can be quite hard if you wear a Hijab.

[myriame]

i think that depends where u are and what kind of job....

[ElHenni]

I agree, certain fields dont cater or certainly arent encouraging ladies with Hijabs to work in them.

For example, its very rare you see a lady with a Hijab working as a lawyer, Doctor (I have seen women who were doctors and Mutahajiba though), Big business, media (first Hijaabi columnist was only employed earlier this year).

Even as University Dr's of Profs you hardly see ladies wearing Hijabs.

Its a shame.