Islamophobia and Hijab

Initially, I didn’t have a vivid understanding of the notion around Islamophobia and to what extent this phobia is affecting the daily lives of certain individuals. However, after watching an interview of three Muslims I’ve completely changed my perception of this issue as this is a huge problem that should not be overlooked, in fact, 3 in 5 adults have classified Islamophobia as a significant problem that revolves around our society today.

The direct definition of Islamophobia is a fear of the Islamic religion, more specifically, the fear of Muslims who adhere to the values and beliefs associated with the Islamic religion. The definition of Islamophobia states that it is also a type of racism that has been rooted in our society; This definition is significant as individuals need to realize, recognize, and accept that islamophobia there, due to stereotypes that have been integrated into our society. The sort of racism faced by Muslims has immensely impacted the day-to-day lives of individuals, despite their age, gender, or even career, numerous Muslims have all encountered unfair situations due to the religion that they adhere to. For instance, individuals who have a “Muslim” name are less likely to be called back for a job interview, whereas individuals with more common European or American names would have a higher chance of getting allocated to the job position.

The hijab is the Islamic standard of modesty that prohibits women from exposing their hair to individuals that are not classified as their family members. Although some individuals are given the choice to wear the hijab, other individuals may be obligated to wear this piece of religious clothing as they come from a family that strictly adheres to the beliefs and values of the Quran, a sacred Islamic book that is believed to have been written by God. There has been a misconception that has been formed around the hijab that the Quran directly states women to veil themselves from head to toe apart from one eye; However, out of the 600 plus verses, only 3 verses are associated with the way women should dress. These three verses state that women should dress in two ways, one being, their function in society, and the other being the society’s custom. The quran itself does not directly state that women need to be veiled, hence hijab does not refer to women having to veil themselves, however, words such as “barriers” and “separation” that are stated in the Quran are believed to be associated with the hijab.