PRESSURE ON MUSLIMAHS – MUSKA JAHAN
Asalamualaikum everyone! In today’s post we are going to be covering an important topic that Muslimahs have to encounter on a regular basis. Unfortunately, in today’s world it is actually a very difficult road for female Muslims that choose to openly display their piety by wearing hijab. We receive a lot of criticism from many sources and it can be very intimidating overall.
PRESSURE FROM MUSLIMS
It’s a little sad to admit, but our fellow Muslims, the people who should be supporting and encouraging us, are doing the exact opposite. I’ve received a lot of “advice” on topics that are actually quite menial. These criticisms might come from good intentions, but it is important to note that many of their comments are very superficial and often, uneducated.
I recently received an email from a man telling me that I should not wear makeup. Do I know this man? Nope. Does he know me? Obviously not, 😀 since I rarely wear anything on my face.
The reason I wanted to bring up this example is because this dude somehow felt the need to Google a list of Muslimah bloggers and send them a mass email. He felt an entitlement to give advice on “makeup,” a very small detail that does not affect anyone, honestly. Using blanket statements, such as “Muslim women don’t wear makeup” and “makeup attracts attention from the opposite sex” are not going to change anyone’s mind. It creates a situation where the receiver of the message feels misunderstood. If a woman feels the need to spend a few minutes before she heads out the door to feel presentable, let her be.
PRESSURE FROM NON-MUSLIMS
In addition to all the madness we receive from our own Ummah, many Muslimahs have to deal with uncomfortable situations from people outside of the religion. As women of faith, we are huge targets for Islamophobic crimes and comments. By deciding to wear the hijab and conceal my beauty, I attract a lot of trolls online that send me comments and make me uncomfortable. Because of this, I have to go out of my way to create a strong comment filter on my YouTube channel to prevent it from becoming an awkward environment for my audience.