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The Daily OrangeUnderneath it all
Muslim students on campus decide whether wearing head scarves brings females closer to religion
By Adeniyi Amadou
Posted: 12/2/08, 3:14 AM EST Section: Feature
Lamya Sahraoui walked down the street on a brisk Tuesday wearing oversized glasses, with a billowing pink head scarf cascading over her black North Face parka. As she made her way to class, the wind whipped, the fresh covering of snow blowing past her hijab.
She sang softly to herself, lost in the rhythms of her iPod nano, unaware of or indifferent to the occasional stares.
Sahraoui is part of a burgeoning subgroup at Syracuse University: Young Muslim American women and proud followers of their Islamic faith.
The hijab, the Islamic style of dressing in which a woman covers her head and neck beneath a scarf, is perhaps the most visible manifestation of a Muslim woman's faith.
Both devout and modern, these daughters of Muslim immigrants, many of them American-born-and-raised citizens, blend their Islamic faith with their American culture.
Traditional dress
The word hijab comes from the Arabic word "hajaba," which in English means "to cover."
The look of the head scarf varies in size and shape depending on the culture and the person. Some women tie them tightly under their chins. Others drape them loosely around the face and neck and over their shoulders to a shawl, while in some cultures, women wear the niqab - the full (traditionally all-black) gown and face-covering common in Saudi Arabia, where Islamic dress codes are strictly enforced, Sahraoui said.
Although the hijab and orthodox dress are gaining in popularity, especially among young women who strongly believe in the practice, most American Muslim women do not cover their heads, said Asma Gull Hasan, a prominent Muslim feminist.
One reason is that many say they do not see the hijab as a Quranic requirement.
"I personally do not believe that hijab is required by Islam or by God," Hasan said. "I believe it is a cultural practice, which is why the practice of hijab pre-dates Islam in some cultures.
"However, if there are Muslim women who feel that God is asking them to wear the hijab, I
She sang softly to herself, lost in the rhythms of her iPod nano, unaware of or indifferent to the occasional stares.
Sahraoui is part of a burgeoning subgroup at Syracuse University: Young Muslim American women and proud followers of their Islamic faith.
The hijab, the Islamic style of dressing in which a woman covers her head and neck beneath a scarf, is perhaps the most visible manifestation of a Muslim woman's faith.
Both devout and modern, these daughters of Muslim immigrants, many of them American-born-and-raised citizens, blend their Islamic faith with their American culture.
Traditional dress
The word hijab comes from the Arabic word "hajaba," which in English means "to cover."
The look of the head scarf varies in size and shape depending on the culture and the person. Some women tie them tightly under their chins. Others drape them loosely around the face and neck and over their shoulders to a shawl, while in some cultures, women wear the niqab - the full (traditionally all-black) gown and face-covering common in Saudi Arabia, where Islamic dress codes are strictly enforced, Sahraoui said.
Although the hijab and orthodox dress are gaining in popularity, especially among young women who strongly believe in the practice, most American Muslim women do not cover their heads, said Asma Gull Hasan, a prominent Muslim feminist.
One reason is that many say they do not see the hijab as a Quranic requirement.
"I personally do not believe that hijab is required by Islam or by God," Hasan said. "I believe it is a cultural practice, which is why the practice of hijab pre-dates Islam in some cultures.
"However, if there are Muslim women who feel that God is asking them to wear the hijab, I
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Maria
posted 12/02/08 @ 5:08 PM EST
In the late 80s, some Muslim women, many of them Asians, wore the hajib with their jeans. I was kind of shocked because I never had seen such a combination before. (Continued…)
nomadofthehills
John Vanek
posted 12/03/08 @ 10:41 AM EST
Just about all of us reading this article have grown up in the post 9/11 era.
However, why should that change anything? As students attending a university, we should be more educated than the general public. (Continued…)
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