The Truth Behind the Veil
Research into the Misconceptions of the Islamic Faith
Andrea Bodine, Olivia Earenfight, Madeleine Hodur, and Drew Waddington
Abstract
Myths and Misconceptions About Islam
The use of the veil among Muslim women has caused an
increase in discussion and debate in today’s society, so we
sought to discover the “truth behind the veil”. For our
project, we interviewed people of the Muslim faith on our
campus, and surveyed students throughout the Loyola
community in order to learn what misconceptions exist on
campus, provide truths, and hopefully dismantle stereotypes.
. We focused our research on the history behind the veil, the
main attitudes towards the veil, and the weight the the
practice carries in society today, particularly in regard to the
way our perceptions of the headscarf are shaped by the
media.
Myth: Islamic women are oppressed, which is commonly
thought due to their participation in the tradition of the veil.
Reality: In Islamic law; they can choose their own careers,
own property and land titles, and have the freedom to
choose a husband (254-56). In this view, Islamic women are
actually liberated by their faith and in effect, their veil if
they choose to participate in the practice. The majority of
the literature demonstrates that Islamic women often feel
liberated by their veil. Muslim women believe that “the veil
can become a symbol of liberation,” (Honicker, 89) because
it brings them closer to God. Also, the involvement in this
particular practice can allow women of the Islamic faith to
have “opportunities to exercise agency and achieve real
gains,” (Rozario, 369) in their society. The veil is a means to
display Muslim women’s liberation of choice and activism
through their religious practices.
Survey
This survey was distributed to # of Loyola Students
Our Interviews
Our interviews can be seen on the television screen.
Cherry Abdou ’15
Different Types of Headscarves in Islamic
Culture
Zahara Kazmi ‘17
Myths and Misconceptions About Islam
Myth: the majority of Muslim women in American wear the
headscarf.
Reality: For many American Muslims this is not the case. In
America, veiling practices are not as widespread among
American Muslims as the american public believes. “About
a third of Muslim American women (36%) report always
wearing the headcover or hijab whenever they are out in
public, and an additional 24% say they wear the hijab most
or some of the time.
Four-in-ten (40%) say they never wear the headcover”
(Muslim Americans). Overall, more U.S. Muslim women
say they never wear the hijab than do Muslim women in
most of the predominantly Muslim nations surveyed by the
Pew Global Attitudes Project in 2010. This illustrates how
many Muslim women have agency and choice in the
adoption of veiling practices.
Myth: Veiling practices are a way for men to sexually oppress
women by covering their bodies to keep them for themselves.
Reality: Muslim women often see it as empowering because
they are not viewed as sexual objects but judged by their
character. “Islam emphasizes modesty. No person should be
perceived as a sex object. There are certain guidelines both for
men and women that their dress should neither be too thin nor
too tight to reveal the form of the body” (Reflections of an
American Muslim).
RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2012
www.PosterPresentations.com
There are many different
types of headscarves and
veils that are use in
different parts of the world
based on culture as well as
religion. The word hijab
comes from the Arabic for
veil and is used to describe
the headscarves worn by
Muslim women and also
refers to dress codes which
refers to the principle of
modesty and which
includes behavior as well
as dress.
These scarves come in a myriad of styles and colors.
The type most commonly worn in the West is a square
scarf that covers the head and neck but leaves the face
clear. The hijab has different legal and cultural
statuses in various countries and the choice of which
one is worn is often based on the cultural accepted
norms of the region.
References
Our Results
Our survey resulted in the following data:
• Of students surveyed, 53% of males and 59% of females
(58% overall) believe that there is little religious diversity on
Loyola’s campus.
• 75% of males and 68% of females, 71% of all students
surveyed, believe that the Loyola community fosters freedom
of expression.
• 52% of all students asked, 58% male and 50% female, agreed
with the statement that they have friends at Loyola of a
different religious faith.
• 42% of Loyola students surveyed do not have religious
conversations often as compared with 30% who do.
• 63% of males and 73% of females (69% total) surveyed
believe that the Islamic veil is a way to express one’s identity
as a connection to the Muslim faith.
• 53% of Loyola males and 51% of Loyola females believe that
the Islamic veil is not a form of oppression of women. Only
14% of students surveyed overall believe it is.
• 58% of everyone surveyed, 65% of males and 54% of
females, believe that religion is not oppressive in general.
• 58% of males and 60% of females, 59% of the total
population surveyed, are comfortable discussing the topic of
the Islamic veil.
• 56% of male students and 74% of female students believe
that the media presents the Islamic veil as oppressive. Only
5% of total survey participants thought this statement was
false.
• 83% of all students (78% of males and 86% of females)
surveyed believe that the media presents Muslim women as
oppressed.
• Ahmed, Leila. Women and Gender in Islam. Connecticut: Yale
University. 1992. Print
• Akbarzadeh, Shahram and Smith, Bianca. “The Representation of
Islam and Muslims in the Media” Monash University. November
2005.
• Davary, Bahar. “Miss Elsa and the Veil: Honor, Shame and Identity
Negotiations.” Indiana University Press 25.2 (2009): 47-66. JSTOR.
Web. 29 March 2015.
• European Court of Human Rights. French ban on the wearing in public
of clothing designed to conceal one’s face does not breach the
Convention, 1 July 2014. BBC. Web. 29 March 2015.
• European Court of Human Rights. Case of Leyla Sahin v. Turkey, 10
November 2005. HUDOC. Web. 29 March 2015.
• Gurbuz, Mustafa E., and Gulsum Gurbuz-Kucuksari. "Between Sacred
Codes and
• Secular Consumer Society: The Practice of Headscarf Adoption among
American College Girls." Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs 29.3
(2009): 387-99. JSTOR. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
• Honicker, Nancy. “Taking the Veil.” Best Spiritual Essays of 2011.
Collection of essays edited by Philip Zaleski. Pen.. 2010: 85-89. 28
Mar. 2015.
• McCarthy, Justin. “Trust in Mass Media Returns to All- Time Low”
Gallop Poll. 2014.
• "Muslim Americans: No Signs of Growth in Alienation or Support for
Extremism:
• Religious Beliefs and Practices." Pew Research Center for the People
and the Press RSS. N.p., 29 Aug. 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
• "Reflections of an American Muslim." Reflections of an American
Muslim. Islam USA, 30 Mar. 2015. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
• Rozario, Santi. “The New Burqua in Bangladesh: Empowerment or
Violation of Women’s Rights?” Women’s Studies International Forum
29. (2006). 368-80. Science Direct. Web. 28 Mar. 2015.
• Saad, Lydia. “TV Is Americans’ Main Source of News” Gallop Poll.
2013.
• Syed, Khalinda T. “Misconceptions about Human Rights and Women’s
Rights in Islam.” Interchange 39.2 (2008): 245-57. Google Scholar.
Web. 09 Feb. 2015.
Contact Information
Andrea
Bodine: albodine@loyola.edu
Researchers:
Olivia Earenfight: omearenfight@loyola.edu
Madeleine Hodur: mfhodur@loyola.edu
Andrew Waddington: arwaddington@loyola.edu
Faculty Advisor
Fabio Mendez: fmendez1@loyola.edu