By Rasha Almaqaleh
At the bus stop, one nice
evening, I was standing waiting for the bus. There was an Italian lady waiting
for the bus, too. We started a spontaneous conversation about the arrival time
of the bus. Then, we talked about other stuff like work and family. She told me
about her daughter and grandchildren. Then out of the blue, she pointed at my
scarf saying "Take this off! It’s not good!" I smiled at her and said:
"Why? I wear it as Mary did!” She seemed a little bit confused and
embarrassed. She repeated:” Maria? La Madonna?” I nodded my head, “Yes.” Then, she
remained silent until the bus arrived!
Unfortunately, the western
media have always presented a distorted image of
Muslim women. They have made hijab a sign of oppression and
ignorance. This negative image has made many Muslim women who live in the west
face prejudices and stereotypes all the time. Some of them even feel
embarrassed and offended. The funny thing is, while roaming in Europe and
especially in Italy, the Catholic country, I’ve seen many statues and paintings
of Mary and many female saints wearing hijab! All of them are well respected
and appreciated. Isn’t this an annoying double standard in the western
conscience?
If the Western mind fails to
respect the veil of Muslim women, it should at least try to see it as a piece
of clothing such as sleeved and sleeveless shirts, mini and maxi skirts, long
and short dresses, and other different fashion styles. Therefore, I am free to
wrap the scarf around my neck or put it on my head. Everyone is free to choose
the style they prefer and can decide what they want to wear.
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