Revisiting the hijab

I had a fairly unclear understanding of the purpose of the “Hijabi for a Day” event prior to Tuesday’s class. I understand now that its purpose was to allow students of all backgrounds to perhaps get a glance of the perspective of Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab. I understand that women across the world are often subject to discrimination. This issue was raised again in class on Thursday when somebody mentioned the news of an Iraqi woman recently murdered in Lakeside, California (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46874835#.T3YKZDEgfnk). I found this to be especially troubling because I grew up in Lakeside. It has been my home for much of my life, and while I have always been aware of the racial tensions in the area, I suppose that in my absence I hoped it would have changed by now. It scares me to think that my little sister might be subject to some of the same discrimination and racial slurs that I was when I lived there.

If anything, all of this made me regret my decision to not participate in the hijabi event. When I heard about the event, I chose not to do so as I couldn’t look past the novelty of it. My initial thoughts were not of the symbolic purpose of the event, but rather the idea that it might be something cool. I find myself being cautious in participating in events surrounding social justice or social awareness because I don’t want my participation in such things to be part of a trend. I want it to mean something.

In the end, I think these types of events are important. They do serve a purpose in at least getting people to acknowledge that others are often subject to certain judgments based on characteristics such as race, class, gender, or religious beliefs. In class, the discussion of the hijab led us to a discussion on morals and whether or not certain symbols that reflect one’s beliefs should be protected over others. I’m not sure that we as a class came to a conclusion about this, but I’ve tried to determine my own stance on the subject. I realized that as much as it pains me to say it, symbols like a cross, a hijab, or even a peace sign should not be protected anymore than the confederate flag, a swastika, or a “God hates fags” sign, though this isn’t always upheld in our society.

This makes me question who is truly protected by our society and/or laws. If my opinion deviates from a collective societal voice, should my expressions of my opinion not be protected? If not, can we really expect our society or our laws to be fair and non-discriminatory?