When a Westerner encounters a veiled Muslim in public, some common assumptions held toward the headdress is that it is a symbol of oppression and inequality. Out of my love and respect for foreign cultures, I decided to take a second look at its history to uncover the reasons it sustains such negative connotations.

The garment was originally intended to represent Muslim faith, which revolves around the Quran, the holy scripture of Islam. Women used veils to cover their bodies and hair, which is considered to be an extension of female sexuality.

Abdallah Saud Hamood Al Qassabi, sophomore mechanical engineering major, elaborated on that idea and said, “Women in Islam are very valuable to the extent that her husband and family are the only ones who may look at her beauty, while others are not allowed to do so.”

It wasn’t until the Egyptian Feminist Movement in 1923 led by upper-class Hareem Huda Sha’arawi, that this piece of fabric took on a whole new meaning.

At the height of the feminist movement, Sha’arawi took off her veil in public, and women amazed at her brazen attitude and applauded her for it. I think that the act of taking the veil off was more of a metaphor for leaving the limitations of the past behind, rather than a sign of repulsion of the veil itself.

A piece of fabric is only a piece of fabric until it is given meaning to it.

Thanks to this fearless movement, Muslim women now have the right to become educated and can choose whether or not they wear the veil.

Zumuruda Ibrahim Abdullah Al Ghdani, sophomore chemical engineer, chooses to wear a veil on campus.

“I wear it because of my religious beliefs, and secondly as part of a family tradition,” Al Ghdani said. “It also keeps men from seeing my hair.”

Currently, there are many variations of the veil. Some popular ones include the Hijab, Al-Amira, Shayla, the Khimar, as well as the Chador. The Niqab leaves an open slit just for the eyes and the Burkah is the most concealing of all, covering the body while a mesh fabric conceals the eyes from the outside.   

Because of cultural exposure that technology leads to, an evolution of the original black veil has occurred. Designers such as Waad Mohammed Ali have made a lucrative business out of designing novel elegant looks for Abayas, a cloak commonly worn by Arab women.

Prominent designers such as John Galliano and H&M are using inspiration from the Middle East to incorporate into their collections.

Nowadays, Middle Eastern women have more sartorial options to choose from.

In retrospect, the best way to fight the prejudices toward the veil is to respect religious freedom and to remember that different core values are not necessarily wrong.