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I just wanted to let everyone know that this thread is for a project I am doing in my Religion class. If you guys would like to know more about Islam in the United States I encourage you to look through this thread I have created!
Historically, the hijab has been associated as a symbol of women's oppression in the Middle East. Over time and place, the meaning of the hijab has transformed into a symbol of activism in the hands of Muslim American women in the United States.
In this thread, I have included the various ways in which Muslim American women have challenged the meaning of the hijab in order to fight for women's rights within the faith of Islam.
Ilhan Omar is the first Muslim hijabi congresswoman in the United States. To her, "The hijab means power, liberation, beauty, and resistance."By wearing the hijab she hopes to encourage other women to embrace and exercise their rights.
https://en.vogue.me/culture/ilhan-omar-first-somali-american-hijabi-congresswoman/
https://en.vogue.me/culture/ilhan-omar-first-somali-american-hijabi-congresswoman/
Safiya Abdallah is the founder of a modest clothing brand "Dulce by Safiya". She believes that the hijab "exists to give women the choice of who is able to see her beauty". This challenges negative stereotypes of the hijab and the definition of modesty.
https://en.vogue.me/culture/hijab-dulcebysafiya-modesty-video/
https://en.vogue.me/culture/hijab-dulcebysafiya-modesty-video/
Zahra Lari is the first figure skater to compete in a hijab. To Zahra Lari, the hijab is part of who she is. Zahra hopes that being the first hijabi figure skater will encourage other Muslim hijabi women to be confident enough to participate in sports.
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/nike-launches-the-first-sports-hijab-and-uae-ice-skater
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/nike-launches-the-first-sports-hijab-and-uae-ice-skater
Ibtihaj Muhammad is the first hijabi women to compete in the Olympic Games. She wears her hijab in hopes to be a role model and represent a more positive narrative of the Muslim community.
https://en.vogue.me/culture/ibtihaj-muhammad-hijabi-olympian/
https://en.vogue.me/culture/ibtihaj-muhammad-hijabi-olympian/
Halima Aden is the first model to walk international runways in a hijab. To her, the hijab "symbolizes modesty and gives me a sense of power". Halima Aden hopes to use her platform to represent her community and give them a sense of power.
https://www.vogue.com/article/halima-aden-sports-illustrated-rookie-first-model-in-hijab
https://www.vogue.com/article/halima-aden-sports-illustrated-rookie-first-model-in-hijab
Amani al-Khatahtbeh is the founder of the blog/website http://Muslimgirl.com . She created http://muslimgirl.com in order to create a platform where Muslim women could be heard on topics of identity and faith.
https://en.vogue.me/culture/amani-al-khatahbheh-interview-muslim-womens-day/
https://en.vogue.me/culture/amani-al-khatahbheh-interview-muslim-womens-day/
Malala Yousafzai is the youngest Nobel peace prize winner. She is known for her immense work for women's and girl's rights to education through various ways including her non-profit organization the "Malala Fund".
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/malala-yousafzai
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/malala-yousafzai
Neelam Hakeem is a hijabi rapper. Not only does she challenge the definition of modesty through her choice to wear the hijab as a rapper, she also uses her platform to rap about political and social injustices in regards to women's rights.
https://en.vogue.me/culture/hijabi-rapper-neelam-hakeem-interview/
https://en.vogue.me/culture/hijabi-rapper-neelam-hakeem-interview/
Asra Nomani is a Muslim author who has chosen not to wear the hijab. She believes that the hijab should be abandoned along with all of its historical associations with women's oppression pointing out that the Quran doesn't explicitly require it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/12/21/as-muslim-women-we-actually-ask-you-not-to-wear-the-hijab-in-the-name-of-interfaith-solidarity/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/12/21/as-muslim-women-we-actually-ask-you-not-to-wear-the-hijab-in-the-name-of-interfaith-solidarity/
Asma Hasan is a lawyer who has chosen not to wear the hijab. She argues that the Quran simply asks for women to be modest in their appearance. This seeks to challenge the idea that you can only be modest wearing when a hijab and strips it of power.
https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/islam/2004/05/girls-just-want-to-have-fun.aspx
https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/islam/2004/05/girls-just-want-to-have-fun.aspx
Whether these women choose to wear the hijab or not, they all stand united in challenging the meaning of the hijab and fighting for women's rights within the faith of Islam.
