The Hijab in Belgium

A Paradox of Emancipation and Suppression

Belgium does not know how to deal with diversity

Fake Neutrality

Two arguments are widely used — also by many politicians — against the hijab. First, many Belgians are convinced that veiled women isolate themselves from society and show that they do not want to integrate. Second, influenced by France, many Belgians believe that hijab would violate the principle of neutrality and equality. The free choice of Muslim women to wear hijab thus becomes a paradox. Most veiled women do not wear hijab for political reasons, but as a way to express their own identity within society. As such, they show that they want to integrate, but with respect for their own identity. This should be considered as a means of emancipation, of freedom.

However, when a Muslim woman emancipates herself by expressing her religion, this is perceived by the Belgian society as violating the principle of equality and neutrality. By banning symbols of religion, one is supposed to become neutral and thus equal. As if neutrality and equality are the same. As if neutrality depends on material symbols.

Actually, this principle of neutrality violates the right of freedom of religious expression (Articles 9 and 14 of the European Treaty of Human Rights and Articles 18 and 19 of the Treaty of Civil and Political Rights) and opens the path to discrimination. The perception of the majority on hijab — and Islam as such — dominates the perception of the minority. It is quite a paradox that the Muslim woman should be forced to leave her hijab at home as a way to emancipate her. "Emancipation" thus becomes a key to discrimination. In a press release, the Forum of Minorities (Minderheden forum) stated that "the argument of banning the hijab as a way to enhance neutrality, is a fake argument. In a diverse society one has to be aware of the effects of such 'neutral rules' on minority groups." After all, it is the majority that defines what is neutral!

Hijab: My Emancipation

According to Halima Labsir of the Arab European League, an organization to promote Arab and Muslim emancipation, the hijab is not a religious symbol, but a religious practice. "If the state tries to intervene in what is to be defined as a religious practice, it violates the human right for freedom of religion and the principle of the state as a neutral institution. Neutrality means that the state ensures the right of its citizens to practice their religion in the public space, without interfering or choosing sides. After all, the public space is for all citizens of Belgium, not only for seculars or atheists. Moreover, the fact that Islam has become more visible in our cities means that Muslims are integrating in the Belgian society instead of perceiving themselves as merely guests, as the first generation of Muslims used to do. The hijab as a religious practice is a symbol of integration and emancipation."

Actually, this whole discourse on emancipation seems also quite paternalistic. Women's emancipation is not the monopoly of the Western woman. The organization Don't Touch My Veil (Blijf van mijn hoofddoek) states on its website that "we want to struggle for equal representation of women in all sectors of society, together with our Belgian sisters, not through them. A good education and strong position on the labour market are crucial elements in our struggle for emancipation. And Islam plays in this a major role."

Recently the organization published a vacancy on the Web, asking for a "qualified employer": "We are looking for an employer who guarantees that his/her working environment represents the diversity of the society and that employees can wear the veil, since employees who feel accepted by their employer perform better."  

Why Wear Hijab

According to a recent press release of the Platform to Support Allochtonous Girls and Women (SAMV, Steunpunt voor Allochtone Meisjes en Vrouwen), it does not matter why Muslims wear a hijab, but their choice should be respected: "Every one-sided interpretation is a dogmatic one, especially when it happens by outsiders who want to teach Muslims how to integrate, without taking into account the meaning of a hijab for  Muslim women themselves. The question whether they wear a hijab as a religious practice or as contextual tradition is also discussed within the Muslim society. Most women however believe that it is required by their religion."  

Nadia Fadil, a member of the Board of SAMV and a sociologist, points out two reasons why Muslim women wear hijab:

1. Development of Personal Identity. By wearing hijab, many women want to show their religious identity. Through the hijab they show that they are not merely Moroccan or Belgian, but Muslim. For them, it is a way toward integration and a way to revolt against the homogeneous image of being a "real" Belgian.  

Marwa, 31, explains why she decided to wear hijab: "I started wearing it out of solidarity with my Muslim sisters who were denied education or work because of their hijab. I wanted to show that we too are part of the Belgian society.”

2. Religious Identity. For Samira, 23, Islam is a way of being. "The veil is part of the Islamic etiquette. You can't go shopping and choose what you like in your religion. You take it or you leave it. In school I was not allowed to wear the hijab and I never understood why. I was only told that it was for the better. I started reading the Qur'an and the Sunnah and discovered that hijab is part of being a good Muslim. The hijab enables me to move freely and participate in society, although it has become more difficult to find a job."

Conclusion

According to Khadija, the "problem" of hijab finds its origins in the prejudices and fear of the Western society, not in the so-called concerns for integration and emancipation of Muslim women. "The veil reveals one thing, that Western society, and more specifically Belgium, does not know how to deal with diversity. We need to discuss openly and with respect, topics like emancipation and participation of Muslims in society. We need to listen to each other without being paternalistic."

Eva Vergaelen lives in both Egypt and Belgium and works as a freelance journalist, with special interest in gender politics and identity. She wrote a book on female immigrants in Belgium. Eva studied African culture and obtained a master's in governance and development. She embraced Islam in 2004.