Why do Moslem women wear the hijab?

Discussion Points for young people

1. Is it okay to ask questions about the customs of another culture? Why might that be a frightening thing to do?

2. Why do some Muslim women choose to wear the hijab? Why do some choose not to?

3. How is the hijab a form of liberation for the women who choose to wear it? How is it a form of constraint?

4. How does the hijab provide a woman with an identity? Why might a Muslim woman want her religious beliefs to show up-front?

5. What does the need for the hijab suggest about the Muslim view of men? Why has its purpose been misunderstood?

6. Syed says that people evaluate her on the basis of who she is when she wears her hijab, not on her beauty or her clothing. But, she also says, that people sometimes assume that she is stupid, or doesn't speak English well, based on her choice of dress. Does the hijab free a young woman from one form of oppression only to put her in the path of another?

7. In your opinion, does the hijab successfully address the problem of the over-emphasising of women's bodies that Hussein describes in her article? Is a woman's voice stronger if her body is veiled?

8. Does the legal right to go topless empower women or degrade them?