The Silhouette of The Hijab

The Silhouette of The Hijab, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

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inspired by my dear friend laurent

Designldg Laurent
I want to write a few words along this amazing work of photojournalism done by my friend Firoze but I am confused.
I am confused because I am coming from a culture which doesn't understand women wearing a hijab, a few days ago it became officially forbidden to wear it in public in France.
However my adopted country is India where I spend most of my... See More time and there I have friends whom wives, mothers or sisters wear it.
When I talked to those ladies I realized that some of them decided to wear it and sometimes even against the will of their husbands.
As my dearest friend Aleem said if everyone was respecting each others there would be no need for it.
I also think that everyone should be free to do whatever she/he wants or feel.
Women are oppressed all over the world at different levels, it started in the Holy Scriptures with Eve (Hawwâ’- حواء) who succumbed to the serpent's temptation and has eaten the forbidden fruit.
Of course this is was a parable nevertheless today women still have to bear the consequences of this metaphor as if men were forgetting that their mothers are also women...
Education is the only way to emancipate women and to avoid oppression from men.
Sorry to take so much space here, I just felt writing my thoughts while watching those pictures...
Have a nice day everyone.

My reply in gratitude and humility


Thank you Laurent your words are your moments of experience as a person of French origin, but having watched Marziya take to the hijab, I feel differently I think a person has a right to wear the garment of her choice oppression can be inherent even when the person does not wear the hijab, wife beatings , women forced into slavery is an oppression and women s oppression begins the day she gives birth in a mans world where mostly she is treated as a commodity as a mere organ of productivity.

I cannot say much about Sarkozy and France , he has a agenda and France has not been France by only banning religious symbols or the Hijab.

France gave us Liberty Freedom Equality and definitely not racial profiling but than respect to your laws and regulations is part of the ethos of your country.

Public opinion good or bad will always raise its head we live in a free world - freedom of expression is the core of mans humanity and peace .


It also depends on individual Muslim backgrounds a Muslim comes from , luckily at our house the hijab was not an issue nor was it compulsory, my sisters never wore it dont wear it at all but my mother did.

My wife began wearing it as she suffers from an ultra violet ray condition initially than it became part of her traditional spirituality.

My daughter does not wear the hijab only the head scarf, my daughter in laws who are my daughters now wear the hijab as it was part of the heritage of their lives since young they brought it to our house..


So in a way the hijab here in India has a unique uniformity as a Muslim identifying sartorial garb , a garb of modesty.

The complete head to toe covering is the more conservative and is become the flavor of our times.

But for security purposes I think the Muslim woman should let it down willingly while entering a place of a high risk government building..

And I digress as much as the hijab is a garment of Peace it is worn by terrorists to show they are Muslims and as Muslims love to blow up Holy Shrines of Shias or other sect is part of the ideology of Misplaced Jehad and Martyrdom/


And I respect Aleems views , he is a wise person but his thoughts or mine are not part of a majority Muslim society , whose members might ogle at another woman lustfully but keep their own women covered from head to toe..cheek and jowl.

More important than just the Hijab and over blowing its faults and its virtues the fact remains Muslim womans emancipation , education self survival and her place in society with dignity is far more a burning issue I would not be shooting ladies begging on the streets , veiled or unveiled.

I dont sell my pictures nor do I need to gain cookie points.

Being a foreigner or a person who is not a Muslim whose wife or women relative dont wear the hijab it is not part of your tradition or culture and using cudgels of hate to ban or condemn the hijab is unnecessary hate and racial profiling.

These are my personal views and not part of my community or my religiosity.. I echo my pain my thoughts I am opinionated but so are all of you most of the time..

Good Morning from Mumbai.


where the hijab
is not part of
their custom
tradition those that
are not muslims
dont know what
the core essence
of the hijab is
they love to bash it
burn it condemn it
as is where is
a garment of modesty
not a garment of oppression
they deliberately confuse
ignorance is bliss
racial profiling
a thought amiss
respect better opportunities
is more important than all this
the woman within the hijab
has a right to wear what
she wants to wear
you simply
with words of hate
condemnation
a freedom of expression
sartorial or spiritual
cannot dismiss
or place it on a black list
understand the reality
the ancestry of the hiab
before you say something
is my gist
dont wrongfully
give it an ugly twist
let the hijab
the muslim woman
who wears it
mutually co exist

your support
in this regard
we enlist
hope and humanity
irrespective
live and let live