Pakistan diaspora and the politics of the Hijab
The suggestion of violent disputes between a 16-year-old girl in Mississauga and her father over her desire to show her hair and live a “normal” lifestyle raises questions about tensions between parents and children in the Muslim community…But members of the community particularly young Muslim women say the tension can exist both ways.
…research into the readership of her publication shows that the decision to wear the hijab, the traditional Muslim headscarf is almost always a choice the girl makes on her own.
Text from here
Complex, sordid and tragic. And, I wonder what would the head honcho of Al-Huda (these days based in Canada) has to say on the sad story of a girl who died at 16? What is this obsession with the Hijab when you live in a non-Islamic country. There is no consensus on this within Islamic jurisprudence. As my friend Asma (who sent this story) said: “Is this more important than hayya – the inner modesty; and the ability to discern the right from the wrong?”
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Salaam,
This truly was a tragic case.
There is unanimity amongst the fuqaha of the West and those who study fiqh al-aqaliyat that forcing hijab is prohibited though they also agree that hijab is wajib. I know with experiences from friends that the hijab is a very personal decision and personally I have known people on different sides of the divide. In the end it comes to your relationship with Allah.
very sad incident..
ok well this gurl should have known how lukky she is to be muslim…and if she just had a little bit more knowledge of what the hijab would have done for her then she might have not gotten killd..the dad just wanted her to be safe of the hell fire and thats all…but at the same time i dont think that he should have killed her, no father would have done that especially over the hijjab.. the gurl must have been under peer pressure, even if she didnt show it one could know, i was too but i pushed that away cus those people wont be there forever and i started wearing the hijab, but when under peer pressure one can do things out of the ordinary,, and she probably did otherthings that her father didnt like thats whay he killed her,,, but i dont know thats my oppinion
It’s an amazing experience to have read your blogs. I look forward to reading again your next article. Thanks…
Here is different diaspora story
Against the Grain- paperback and E-book
http://www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk/bookstore/bookdisplay.aspx?bookid=304942
He started life in the simple world of a Kashmiri village. Here, each day was the same as ones gone before. Then one day, his parents announced that he is to go and live with relatives in England. They hoped for him to have a better life. Little did they know!
We are taken on a journey with the boy as he becomes man in the newly developing multi-cultural world of the 1970s. We are given a glimpse into his life lived against the grain.
With him, we encounter John Steinbeck, Bruce Springsteen and much more besides. We learn about his community as it becomes a part of the British landscape.
With him, we also go on a faith adventure….
This is a wonderfully written story, full of human interest. Britain has long been multicultural but few of us understand what it is like to stand in the migrant’s shoes. Rich in insight, uplifting in spirit, full of hope; this is a book for those who want to better understand contemporary society.
It is crucial to judge this book by its cover. It goes against the grain because there are few Pakistanis who can articulate the issues as well when it comes to being abruptly uprooted from one culture only to “make-a-go-of-it” in another. It goes against the grain because the author retains links to his heritage, while achieving full assimilation into British society.