Muslim Women Talk about Hijab
Question 1
The woman displayed in the video has covered her head with a hijab. The hijab covered her head as well as chest. The video discusses the role hijab plays in Muslim women’s lives along with Islam (Panetya, 2011). Also, in the video, different Muslim women who have lived in Dubai for sometimes give their views regarding the meaning of hijab and whether they support or disagree with wearing a hijab.
Question 2
The video shows sine signs of modernity in Dubai. One key sign of modernity in Dubai shown in the video is that being a Muslim does not mean that one must be veiled (Panetya, 2011). All the interviewees are Muslims, but not all of them are veiled. Besides, Islam is more cultural rather than cultural (Panetya, 2011). For instance, Sunny argues that she does not consider herself religious. The reason behind this is that she came from a family that put more emphasis on cultural practices than religious ones. To her, religious is irrelevant. She identifies herself with Islam with cultural practices embraced by her family.
Question 3
From the video, women describe the meaning of hijab. They claim that a veil reveals the identity of a Muslim woman. In Islam, a woman must cover her head for her to be recognized as a Muslim. Nowadays, non-Muslim women who cover their heads are considered virtuous, unlike covered Muslim women who are considered oppressed (Panetya, 2011). Hamdan notes that a covered Muslim woman is respected as well as elevated as per Islam religion. She further challenges recent laws that are meant to ban the veil claiming that this practice has been existed since the 1980s and should be respected.
Question 4
Furthermore, the video shows how women differ in their views regarding their religion. Hala claims that a niqab misrepresents the Quran and takes away the identity of a Muslim woman (Panetya, 2011). Somalia supports her opinion, adding that covering herself with a niqab does not restrict her from participating along with enjoying her life (Panetya, 2011). To them, a niqab is not important in their lives as Muslim women. Besides, Susan claims that in her country, societal pressures make women veil (Panetya, 2011). Also, Manar says that her father forced her to veil and because she agreed to his request, she started to veil.
Question 5
In addition, women in the video react differently towards a law the French government adopted to ban veils. The reason behind banning veils is because the French government believes that the veil symbolizes subjugation and inequality (Panetya, 2011). However, Hadman opposes this decision by claiming that a Muslim woman with a veil is recognized and respected; hence, this law undermines the identity of Muslim women.
Question 6
In my opinion, the video displays a few problems regarding the role of the veil in a Muslim woman. The video shows how different countries across the world differ when it comes to veiling (Panetya, 2011). Some wear a hijab for religious purposes while others for cultural purposes. I think that the video should have demonstrated how the veil reveals the identity of a Muslim woman. The veil should be used to reveal the meaning of a Muslim woman instead of oppressing or undermining them.
References
Panetta, C. (2011). Documentary: (Un)veiled: Muslim Women Talk About Hijab. Woman News Network (WNN). Retrieved 12 March 2020, from https://womennewsnetwork.net/2011/07/07/doc-muslim-women-talk-hijab/