{"id":3423,"date":"2015-12-17T08:40:55","date_gmt":"2015-12-17T14:40:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/?p=3423"},"modified":"2016-08-09T09:52:52","modified_gmt":"2016-08-09T15:52:52","slug":"on-the-hijab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2015\/12\/on-the-hijab.html","title":{"rendered":"On the hijab"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Posting\u2019s been light due to busy-ness at work and at home, but here\u2019s something to share with you:<\/p>\n

No doubt you\u2019ve read the \u201cparty line\u201d about the Muslim hijab, that it\u2019s a wholly-optional free choice that some Muslim women make as an expression of their faith. \u00a0And, true, there are surely many Muslim women who feel they\u2019ve freely chosen it, or have come on their own to believe that God calls them to wear it. \u00a0But how optional is it? \u00a0And how mainstream is it, among American Muslims, to believe and teach that women have a free choice in the matter?<\/p>\n

I did some looking around.<\/p>\n

At the\u00a0Masjid An-Noor mosque in Bridgeport, Connecticut, here\u2019s the dress code for girls<\/a> in their religious ed program:<\/p>\n

Full Length Dresses, or skirts with full length sleeves.
\nLoose, full-length pants;
\nHijab to cover hair
\nNice to have Abaya or niqab<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At the MAYA (Muslim American Youth Academy) school in Dearborn<\/a>, their school handbook states:<\/p>\n

Required regular uniform includes:
\n\uf0b7 Jumper, white\/black shirt, and black pants\u2026NO LEGGINGS (2-8)
\n\uf0b7 Jumper, white\/black shirt, and socks\/tights\/leggings (K-1)
\n\uf0b7 Wearing white\/black scarves at all times (grades 3-8)
\n\uf0b7 Black casual dress shoes (no heals)
\n\uf0b7 Long socks or tights must be worn (no ankle socks)
\n\uf0b7 No make-up or nail polish is allowed
\n\uf0b7 No excessive jewelry; a maximum of one ring per hand will be allowed<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And, by the way:<\/p>\n

\uf0b7 Hair, neck and ears must be covered at all times<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here\u2019s the dress code<\/a> of\u00a0the Islamic Foundation School<\/a> in Villa Park, Illinois:<\/p>\n

Light blue one piece hijab (optional up to grade 4, required 5th grade)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

and, beginning in 6th grade,<\/p>\n

Umta (head cap) to be worn underneath scarf<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh, and<\/p>\n

No bangs should be showing at anytime<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At the MCC Academy<\/a> in Morton Grove, Illinois, the Uniform Policy<\/a> requires that girls wear a scarf beginning in 5th grade; the scarf is a white scarf purchased from the school, and covers the hair, as can be seen from the picture on their web page. \u00a0Oh, and girls are required to wear a long tunic<\/a>, rather than a shirt, beginning in 4th grade.<\/p>\n

(The tunic, by the way, is to be purchased from the designated school uniform provider, eastessence.com, which has a page full of links<\/a> to uniforms of other Islamic schools in the U.S., all requiring long tunics or abayas.)<\/p>\n

At the Islamic School of Irving<\/a>, hijab is required starting in the third grade<\/a>. \u00a0And middle and high school girls are required to wear a<\/p>\n

Solid Black Abaya: (no colored embroidery, sequins, beads or decorations of any kind;\u00a0minimal black embroidery)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And after clicking through all the other, prior hits, I finally came to the Islamic School of Louisville,<\/a> where the school handbook mentions nothing more than a fairly ordinary uniform policy of navy\/white clothing, and whose photo gallery<\/a> shows girls mostly with heads uncovered. But is this the exception that proves the rule? \u00a0They are different than all the others I looked at in that they only have a preschool and an elementary school, not a middle or high school.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s as far as I can go when I\u2019m overdue to log on and start work.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s my point?<\/p>\n

Not to jump into a fit of \u201cMuslims are bad!\u201d, of course. \u00a0Mostly, I was looking around with an eye towards other things I\u2019ve been reading and thought it was worth sharing.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posting\u2019s been light due to busy-ness at work and at home, but here\u2019s something to share with you: No doubt you\u2019ve read the \u201cparty line\u201d about the Muslim hijab, that it\u2019s a wholly-optional free choice that some Muslim women make as an expression of their faith. \u00a0And, true, there are surely many Muslim women who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[301],"class_list":["post-3423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-hijab"],"yoast_head":"\nOn the hijab<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Posting's been light due to busy-ness at work and at home, but here's something to share with you: No doubt you've read the "party line" about the Muslim\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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