Ohio TESOL 2013

Irena Joseph and

Fulwah Bin Sulayyih

Wright State University

Ohio TESOL 2013

VEIL – misleading term, as the strict definition of veil is a covering for the face, whereas in the Muslim context, it is used to describe what Muslim women use to cover their hair.

HIJAB – has a more flexible meaning: ranging from the covering of one's body (including one's hair) to modest behavior.

Ohio TESOL 2013

• To share what I learned about the hijab from Muslim women while teaching an advanced reading and writing course

– Program: LEAP Intensive English Program at Wright State University, Dayton

– Course: Level 4 Advanced Reading and Writing class

– Student population: the countries of the Middle East and East Asia

– Time period: 3 quarters (2011/2012)– Essay Topic: Cause and effect research essay

about prejudice

Ohio TESOL 2013

• Writing Topic: Describe a group of people that are suffering from prejudice, analyze the causes and effects of this prejudice, and discuss possible solutions. To help generate ideas, try to answer the following questions:

1. What does the word prejudice mean? 2. What groups of people suffer from prejudice in your native

country? In the United States? In the world?3. Why do these groups suffer from prejudice? (What are the

causes of the problem?) 4. What happens to these people as a result of the prejudice?

(What are the effects of the problem?)5. What are the solutions to the problem? Who should be

responsible for solving the problem?6. What difference can one person (each individual) make in

solving this problem?

 

Ohio TESOL 2013

• Hijab – a symbol of oppression?• Media influence

“The media often represents Muslim women who wear the hijab as primitive, backward and oppressed by showing images that appear antithetical to women in a democratic Western society” (Selod, 2008, p. 1360).

• Lessons from students: Can hijab be a symbol of something other than oppression?

Ohio TESOL 2013

Ohio TESOL 2013

• A graduate student

• I am from Saudi Arabia

• Studying educational

technology at Wright

State University.

• Why I came to the U.S.?

Ohio TESOL 2013

Ohio TESOL 2013

Ohio TESOL 2013

Ohio TESOL 2013

• It is required of Muslim women and that is obvious in Quran which is the Muslim holy book.

• In Chapter 24 known as an-Nur (the Light), in verse 30, Allah

commands Prophet Muhammad as follows:

Iى ““ ك KزI OكI أ , ذIل KمSهIجKو SرSا فKوSظIفKحI KصIارOهOمK وI ي Iب IغSضfوKا مOنK أ KنI ي Oي KمSؤKمOن Oل قSلK لKمSهI .ل

• Translation:

“Say to the believing men that: they should cast down their glances and guard their private parts (by being chaste). This is better for them.”

Then in the next verse, Allah commands the Prophet to address the women:

ظ�ن� ““ ف� �ار$ه$ن# و� ي�ح �ب�ص� ن� م$ن� أ �ن�ات$ ي�غ�ض-ض ؤ�م$ ل� ل$ل�م- ق-ن# ه- و�ج� ر- ...ف-

Translation:“Say to the believing women that: they should cast down their glances and guard their private

parts (by being chaste)…”

After “hijab of the eyes” came the order describing the dress code for women:

م-ر$ه$ن# “ ر$ب�ن� ب$خ- �ا و� ل�ي�ض ن�ه� ر� م$ ا ظ�ه� ن# إ$ال# م� ي�ن�ت�ه- و� ال� ي-ب�د$ي�ن� ز$ن# ب$ه$ �ي-و ”...ع�لى� ج-

“...and not display their beauty except what is apparent, and they should place their khumur

over their bosoms...”

Ohio TESOL 2013

• In Chapter 33 known as al-Ahzab, verse 59, Allah gives the following command to Prophet Muhammad:• “IنK Oي SدKن : ي IنK Oي KمSؤKمOن OسآءO ال OكI وI ن Iات Iن وIاجOكI وI ب KزI Oيf, قSلK أل zب fهIا الن ي

I Iا أ ي“ zنOهO Kب Oي Iب KهOنz مOنK جIال Iي ...عIل

“O Prophet! Say to your wives, your daughters, and the women of the believers that: they should let down upon themselves their jalabib.”

Jilbab means a wide dress.o The Islamic dress code for women does not

only consist of a scarf which covers the head, neck, and the bosom; it also includes the wide dress.

Ohio TESOL 2013

Hijab represents modesty, an important virtue makes me feel safe and comfortable encourages people to respect me marks me as a visible member of Muslim

community, which I’m proud of

Ohio TESOL 2013

I became more aware of stereotypes against veiled women: Muslim women wear the hijab for various reasons.

“[G]iven the complexity of the Islamic veil, the veil can mean many different types of identity – ascribed, chosen, declared – not only a dominant one” (Bucar, 2012, p. 116).

“Islam asks women to dress modestly but doesn’t force women to wear hijab” (Elham).

Ohio TESOL 2013

• Students are surprised we know so little.

“When I first arrived to the United States of America, I used to be surprised of comments like, “Can you take off your headscarf at home?”, “What would be the reaction of your father or brother if you take off your headscarf?” Part of my surprise was because I actually spent some time trying to convince my father to let me wear hijab, and the other part was due to my assumed expectations about the Western world. I assumed that because we are living in the era of globalization, the Western society’s knowledge about my religion and culture should be better than giving such kind of uninformed comments” (Elham).

Ohio TESOL 2013

• We shouldn’t assume Muslim women who wear the hijab are oppressed.“The theme “women oppression” should be handled with caution when combining it with hijab, as it is not always the case. The best example to reveal this is the second and third generations of Muslim women immigrants. Those generations were born and grown up on the principles of the free democratic Western society, yet they willingly chose to wear the veil” (Elham).

Ohio TESOL 2013

• We should educate ourselves.

“Being able to become close to Muslim people is an excellent step to realize they are as any other religion. Some of them are nice while others are not” (Fulwah).

“If the people understand the purpose of Hijab and why women wearing Hijab, they maybe communicate more easily and in a respectful way with these women. To achieve this goal we have to educate people by many ways and tell them what the Hijab is, and why it is an important part of Muslim women’s life” (Waad).

Ohio TESOL 2013

“The most important person who can quickly remove the prejudice from the society is the person himself who experienced this prejudice. Muslim women wearing hijab should not isolate themselves from the environment. Interacting with surrounding and keep knocking on doors to get good education and look for chances of work is the only way to correct the negative picture that was adopted by the western society about hijab” (Elham).

Ohio TESOL 2013

We should get to know our students, which breaks down barriers and stereotypes better than anything we hear or read.

Ohio TESOL 2013

Ohio TESOL 2013

Bucar, E. (2012). The Islamic Veil: A Beginner’s Guide. Oxford: Oneworld.

Selod S. F. (2008). Veil. In R. T Schaefer (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society 1360-1361. SAGE Publications. DOI: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.libraries.wright.edu:2048/10.4135/9781412963879.n572

Ohio TESOL 2013