{"id":6689,"date":"2016-03-07T17:54:59","date_gmt":"2016-03-07T21:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/?p=6689"},"modified":"2016-03-07T17:56:05","modified_gmt":"2016-03-07T21:56:05","slug":"putting-an-end-to-the-hoe-jabi-shaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2016\/03\/putting-an-end-to-the-hoe-jabi-shaming\/","title":{"rendered":"Putting an End to the Hoe-Jabi Shaming"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Women<\/a>
Women in hijab in front of a mosque in Cairo, photo from wikimedia commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

By Nabah Rizvi <\/strong><\/p>\n

A couple of months ago, I shared an article on my Facebook page about \u2018Hijabi Hipsters\u2019; a new generation of hijabis who fuse fashion with faith by wearing stylish hijab-friendly outfits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWow, that sounds like you!\u201d One of my friends noted. Most of the other people in the thread seemed to agree with him. His comment made me smile. Although I wouldn\u2019t consider myself a hijabster, I was glad my friends thought I was stylish.<\/p>\n

Then, it happened.<\/p>\n

The negative comments started pouring in.<\/p>\n

\u201cUmm\u2026isn\u2019t the point of a hijab to be modest and not attract attention to yourself?\u201d My male atheist friend remarked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYea, I have met girls who wear a hijab with tight jeans and it just doesn\u2019t make sense. How is that even modest?\u201d My female non-religious Hindu friend chimed in.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t wear that with a hijab. It still attracts boys. She is beautifying her face.\u201d My male Muslim friend offered.<\/p>\n

Soon, the entire thread took a dramatic turn and went from praising hijabis for being modest yet stylish to bashing \u201choe-jabis\u201d for making a mockery of an important religious symbol by wearing \u201cslutty\u201d clothes in the name of modesty.<\/p>\n

Throughout the encounter, I sat next to my computer screen, a cup of hot Kashmiri chai in my hand, wondering when I will finally get a chance to live without having to justify my attire to every single person I interact with on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

I am writing this in defense of every girl who has been told that her clothes are not \u201chijab-friendly.\u201d This piece is for every person who thinks (s)he has the right to tell hijabis what they can and can\u2019t wear.<\/p>\n

I became what Muslim women call a \u201cpermanent hijabi\u201d at age 18. Before that, I had a rocky relationship with the garment I chose to wear at age 10 to school only. I was the first female in my family to start wearing it. I had no guidance whatsoever. No one told me I couldn\u2019t wear short sleeves with a hijab, for example, so I proceeded to do just that until I got called out for it at age 14.<\/p>\n

Since I lived alone and didn\u2019t interact with Muslims (especially hijabis) on a daily basis, I wore all kinds of \u201cinappropriate\u201d clothes with my hijab: short skirts, short sleeved shirts, tight skin-hugging pants, etc.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until I started living with my aunt (who had also started wearing a hijab by then) that I finally realized the hijab was more than just a cloth you wear on your head. It was an entire lifestyle that you couldn\u2019t just pull on and off as you pleased.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I wish people understood about \u201choe-jabis\u201d:<\/p>\n