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Pakistan diaspora and the politics of the Hijab
The suggestion of violent disputes between a 16-year-old girl in Mississauga and her father over her desire to show her hair and live a “normal” lifestyle raises questions about tensions between parents and children in the Muslim community…But members of the community – particularly young Muslim women – say the tension can exist both ways.
…research into the readership of her publication shows that the decision to wear the hijab – the traditional Muslim headscarf – is almost always a choice the girl makes on her own.
Text from here
Complex, sordid and tragic. And, I wonder what would the head honcho of Al-Huda (these days based in Canada) has to say on the sad story of a girl who died at 16? What is this obsession with the Hijab when you live in a non-Islamic country. There is no consensus on this within Islamic jurisprudence. As my friend Asma (who sent this story) said: ”Is this more important than hayya - the inner modesty; and the ability to discern the right from the wrong?”
December 26th, 2007 at 4:24 am
Salaam,
This truly was a tragic case.
There is unanimity amongst the fuqaha of the West and those who study fiqh al-aqaliyat that forcing hijab is prohibited though they also agree that hijab is wajib. I know with experiences from friends that the hijab is a very personal decision and personally I have known people on different sides of the divide. In the end it comes to your relationship with Allah.