前途: A Year in Morocco

This whole issue is a can of worms that I am reluctant to open. However, before I left for Morocco, the first question out of everyone’s mouth when I told them where I was going was, “Are you going to have to wear a headscarf?”

To me, this is a painfully ignorant question that shows a misdirected focus on women’s issues in Islamic countries. Scarfing is a deliberate choice and is usually not imposed or forced on anyone. Focusing on it ignores women’s ability to choose their religion and how they follow it, as well as ignoring other, more serious issues faced by women in the Islamic world, such as widespread street harassment, the difficulties and victim-blame encountered in reporting sexual assault and domestic violence, divorce rights, or women’s ability to access Islamically-sensitive health care (female doctors, family planning, especially in rural areas).

These issues are certainly not unique to the Middle East/North Africa—my sister who works in downtown Seattle probably experiences more street harassment than I do here and there combined—and victim-blame in cases of rape and domestic violence is a rampant problem throughout the world (and for evidence of this you don’t need to look any farther than media speculation about a woman’s past [private] sexual history, character [is she a slut???], and mental health following any accusation of sexual assault). Women’s access to health care in the US was recently threatened by the move to end Planned Parenthood funding. I say this to remind us all that there is serious work to be done, both inside the Middle East and outside of it, on behalf of advancing women’s rights. No one should escape the blame for allowing these issues to continue unsolved.

Whenever I am asked this question about being required to wear a headscarf, I usually answer that there are only two Islamic countries that require all women (foreign and native, Muslim and non-Muslim) to wear a headscarf at all times in public, Iran and Saudi Arabia. In the rest of the Islamic world, non-Muslim women may be asked to cover their heads while touring a mosque out of respect for sacred space (the same way certain dress is not permitted in Catholic cathedrals in Spain). In Turkey and Tunisia, for a long time, women holding government jobs or attending the university were actually not allowed to wear headscarves, although this is changing. Here in Morocco, my students told me that niqab is forbidden on campus.

Let’s review some essential vocabulary:

                -A hijab refers to a scarf which covers the head and neck. It is generally agreed to be modest dress for women, and most women have chosen to wear a hijab to express their devotion to God. I have also met many devout Moroccan women who only cover their heads while they are praying, and otherwise choose to be hijab-less in the street.

                -A niqab refers to a piece of cloth which goes over the nose, and only exposes the eyes. This style is fairly rare in Morocco, but makes a lot of sense when you consider a dusty climate and the need to protect the nasal passages and lungs.

Hijabs also make sense for a lot of climate-related reasons. I have worn one at various times to protect my head, neck, and ears from cold, rain, sunburn, and also to help obscure my identity as a foreigner. The intersection of being a foreigner and female results in a higher frequency of harassment for me, because males automatically assume foreign females behave differently than their Moroccan counterparts. Middle Eastern and Asian women rightly complain about Western men’s tendency to exoticize them, but as I experience this sort of exotification firsthand, I believe that the tendency is more universal (but certainly more harmful when racial and gender intersections enter the into the equation).

But back to health issues, it’s important to note that covering can also be negative for women’s health. Women who cover completely (gloves and full face veil/burqa) have been found to be overwhelmingly Vitamin D deficient, because they do not get enough sun exposure. Vitamin D deficiency, in the long run, causes bone diseases like osteoporosis, as well as muscle aches and weakness. But we have the technology to solve this problem without forcing them to de-veil, it’s just a matter of raising awareness and the ability to access the technology.

So here’s the deal, y’all:

I’ve been an observer at topless beaches in Spain, and I frequently wear miniskirts/ long socks with heeled boots in the US. I have never felt uncomfortable in public spaces in Europe or the US; I never got harassed, or felt threatened or creeped out. Similarly, I feel completely comfortable wearing a headscarf when it makes sense for me to do so.

However, here I have experienced verbal harassment by males when I am wearing loose clothing which covers from wrist to ankle, both when wearing a hijab and when without one. Without trying to sound overly negative, the question I frequently ask myself is: does it make any sense that there I can wear less and feel more comfortable, while I wear more and still feel more uncomfortable and creeped out here?

My conclusion, therefore, is that harassment has nothing to do with dress, and everything to do with males who feel the need to demonstrate their power over women (or possibly their heterosexual-ness) in public. And don’t tell me it is a compliment or that I should be flattered by the attention. I am not, I don’t want the attention, and I reject the idea that anyone besides me should tell me what my appropriate emotional response should be, because it is a form of victim blaming and allows the behavior to continue.

The debate about the oppression of women should not be about mode of dress. In order to accomplish anything substantive, the debate must be about entrenched societal power and privilege structures that allow/encourage males to continue to bully, intimidate, threaten, harass, interfere with, and demean women in public spaces, regardless of their dress.

Or could we maybe just talk about the fact that we never have to have this debate over men’s clothing?

Edit: An excellent related post