A young man wears a U.S. flag on his yarmulke at an interfaith religious service in Southfield, Michigan. (© AP Images)

U.S. Life and Culture (a State Dept./IIP webpage)

30 November 2006

(U.S. official discusses her adherence to Muslim dress codes)

Washington –- Although the subject of religious dress codes has sparked debate in several European countries, there appears to be no similar controversy in the United States, says a U.S. government official.

According to Seema Matin, an American Muslim who works for the U.S. Department of State, wearing the hijab (traditional headscarf) favored by many Muslim women is unlikely to elicit comments in the United States, primarily because the country always has embraced people of different backgrounds, faiths and cultures. In an interview with USINFO, Matin offered her perspective on how the principle of religious freedom –- and a broad-ranging acceptance of diversity in general -– has shaped the social climate of the United States on expressions of religious belief.

With its history of welcoming immigrants from every corner of the globe, the United States has managed to absorb and integrate successive waves of newcomers with wildly divergent traditions, thus insulating it to a large degree from the sort of cultural tensions now seen in some parts of Europe. In such places as England, France, Germany, Holland and Italy, a woman’s decision to wear the hijab -– or, more controversially, a full veil called the naqib, which hides the face and has only a slit for the eyes –- often raises questions of whether Muslim immigrants have difficulty assimilating into Western society. In some countries, notably France and Holland, rising sentiment among the populace has produced government policies that seek to restrict the wearing of religious garb in public in an attempt to encourage European Muslims to blend in with their non-Muslim neighbors.

In the United States, where freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Constitution, there are very few laws limiting the wearing religious garb. Some of those laws are intended to safeguard against the fraudulent use of identification documents, including official photographs for passports, visas and driver’s licenses, which require that the face be fully visible. In those cases, requirements apply equally to all individuals, including citizens of other countries traveling to the United States on a U.S. visa. Other laws restrict wardrobe choices based on health or safety concerns. But again, these restrictions apply equally to all individuals and set objective standards for clothing that are not related to the religious significance of the garment.

CONTEMPORARY MUSLIMS CHOOSING TO WEAR THE HIJAB

Ironically, many Muslim women who were born and raised in Western countries now are reclaiming the hijab that their immigrant mothers and grandmothers had disdained as symbols of backwardness, Matin pointed out. Her own history serves to illustrate this trend, she added. Born and raised in the United States, she began wearing the hijab in the mid-1990s, over the objections of most of her relatives. “No woman in my family had done it, and many tried to talk me out of it,” she recalled. Her parents, who emigrated from Pakistan and belonged to the educated upper class in their native land, initially were troubled by her decision, yet now they support it, she said.

Wearing the hijab, said Matin, is a daily reminder of the Muslim principles by which she strives to live, so it helps “to make me a better person.” Also, since “modesty is important in Islamic culture, the hijab is the minimum” required by Muslim dress codes for women, she said. Among her circle of family and friends, however, “”there’s a full spectrum of opinion” on whether Muslim women should cover their heads, she acknowledged. “I have cousins who don’t cover, and others who do. But I don’t know anyone who covers her face.”  Muslim women who wear the face-covering naqib represent only a tiny minority in Western countries, she stressed.

Non-Muslims often misinterpret the hijab’s meaning, Matin observed. “I am bothered by the perception [among many Westerners] that the Muslim headscarf symbolizes female oppression,” she said. “To me, [adopting the hijab] was a journey. It was probably one of the best, most liberating decisions of my life.”  Westerners should understand, she said, that the growing popularity of the hijab among educated Muslim women reflects a renewed commitment to Islam as an integral part of their identity.

In the United States, citizens are so accustomed to different varieties of religious expression that there are no restrictions on wearing the hajib in schools, offices or other public places, said Matin. “In many other countries, I wouldn’t be able to attend school or work in an office while wearing a headscarf,” she said. For example, Turkey –- a predominantly Muslim nation –- does not allow headscarves in government offices and universities, and France has banned headscarves -– along with the Jewish yarmulke and the Christian crucifix –- from public schools.

Yet, although Matin is comfortable wearing the hajib in public, she also said she feels an obligation to smile or otherwise be friendly and approachable with non-Muslims, “so that others don’t feel uneasy with me” when they notice the hijab.  As a Muslim, “I have a duty to promote a positive image of Islam,” she added.  Besides, Muslims in the United States “are just as American as anyone else,” and outward manifestations of religious faith should not prevent anyone from being a fully integrated member of the larger society, Matin said.

OTHER RELIGIOUS GARB WORN IN UNITED STATES

Muslims are not the only devout people who make their presence known in the United States. In countless U.S. towns and cities, it is not uncommon to see the yarmulke (Jewish skullcap) being worn by observant Jewish males (and occasionally females), or to see Catholic priests and ordained ministers from other Christian denominations wearing clerical collars.

And throughout the country, nuns from different religious orders typically cover their hair with a short veil not unlike the Muslim hijab, and Christian lay people wear crucifix pendants, and Hindu women wear the colorful Indian sari that often has been associated with their faith.

Americans are equally tolerant of fashion choices that have cultural, rather than religious, significance. The elegant kimonos worn by some Japanese Americans or long kaftans worn by both women and men from Africa and Asia might attract attention – or admiration – but rarely encounter any legal restriction.

For more information on living in the United States, see U.S. Life and Culture.