UK Muslim women ‘concerned’ over negative attitudes toward hijab

British Muslim women attending the UK’s largest Islamic convention have expressed their concerns after a survey found half of Britons believe Muslim women are pressured into wearing the hijab.

Held annually at Oakland Farm in Alton, Hampshire, the Jalsa Salana attracts more than 40,000 participants in the Ahmadiyya Muslim community from across the world.

As the event concluded on Sunday, a number of Muslim women in attendance reacted to the findings of a recent YouGov polling commissioned by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community which found that 49% of respondents believe “most British Muslim women who wear a hijab do so because they feel pressured by their family or community.”

‘Disappointed’

“I was very disappointed, but maybe not all together surprised,” Munazzah Chou, 40, said.

“I think the scale was quite eye-opening, because it’s quite a significant proportion.”

Ms Chou, who works as an ophthalmologist in the NHS, added: “The misconceptions about Muslim women in particular are slightly insulting toward the intellectual capacity of Muslim women.

“People make choices every day that we don’t understand: as a doctor, I see patients and we offer them treatments, and they often make choices that we wouldn’t recommend, but I never jump to the conclusion that they’re being coerced.

“I know that my choice to wear hijab is just based on my religious belief.”

Referring to the Jalsa Salana convention, she added: “There are 20,000 women here who would have a different journey towards wearing their hijab, but I think every single one of them would tell you how this is not a coercive practice.

“They’ve done it out of personal choice, and all from possibly slightly different, nuanced reasons – but all out of free will.”

Syeda Ahmad, 23, said the polling results made her feel as though Muslim women “keep having to have the same conversations and make the same points over and over again”.

“We do make our own choices, and we are fully thinking human beings who are able to do that ourselves,” she said.

“I feel like the results are maybe a reflection of a certain kind of attitude towards Muslim women that is more concerned with telling us how we feel and what we need, as opposed to asking us.”

Hijab bans

University student Unaizah Ahmad, 25, said she felt “concerned” over the polling results.

“When there are calls made for hijab bans, I wonder if this is the mentality that is playing in the background and plays a role in people,” she said.

“And in my experience, it’s the complete opposite.

“My hijab is completely my own choice. My religion, the way I practice it, is completely my own choice.

“I’ve never felt coerced or pressured to do with it.

“To people who hold that belief: I would encourage them to speak to Muslim women who wear a hijab, and hear it from them instead of giving in to preconceived biases.”

In June, Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said there should be a “national debate” on banning the burka.

This came as former party chairman Zia Yusuf resigned following an internal row, in which he described a question asked to the Prime Minister by the party’s newest MP, Sarah Pochin, about banning the burka as “dumb”.

Syeda Ahmad also further raised concerns over how these renewed calls for a ban on face-covering clothes will impact upon Muslim women and girls.

“If you’re actually concerned about Muslim women and how we might be feeling, one of the worst things you can do is project your own prejudices and assumptions onto us,” she said.

“We’ve seen in other European countries that have introduced things like hijab bans or burka bans – we know from research that only serves to alienate Muslim women.

“It restricts them from places of education. It restricts them from places of work.”

Wearing face-covering clothes is currently banned in seven European countries – France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria and Bulgaria – while other countries have enacted partial bans.

“A great thing about Britain is that there are no bans like that,” Ms Ahmad added.

“That’s why you’ll find Muslim women in this country working in all manner of professions, as confident people.”

She added: “Religion is personal to people.

“They decide what they want to do, what they want to follow, how far they want to follow it, and there’s no punishment for not wearing a hijab in Islam.

“Crucially, Islam allows you to make a personal choice.”

‘Misunderstanding’

A spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community said the survey’s results “highlight a persistent misunderstanding about Islamic teachings on modesty and women’s choices”.

The YouGov survey of 2,130 adults in Great Britain in mid-July asked people if they felt different groups of immigrants by religion generally have a positive or negative impact on the UK.

While 41% said Muslim immigrants have a negative impact, the proportions feeling this way were much lower for other groups.

Just under a quarter (24%) of respondents felt Muslim immigrants had a positive impact on the UK, lower than for any of the other religions stated.