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Throughout history, women have been victims of oppression no matter what religion or background they come from. They have learned from a young age, that their appearance is important to fundamentally be happy in their life. The topic of oppression in woman leads to controversial discussion not only to scholars but women of all parts of the world. How a woman presents herself through appearance and clothing targets her in a society obsessed with each other’s business. In today’s society, whether we can help it or not, men are treated differently than women. There seems to be different “rules” associated with the acceptable ways they should dress as opposed to the strict rules that apply to women. Women who are westernized
Almas is the perfect example of a westernized Muslim: she doesn’t wear the Hijab yet she stands by her religious beliefs and does not show her legs or arms and respects her dad. Other Muslim woman might think that Almas is not a true Muslim because she in fact does not cover her hair or her body. In fact, Farza’nah, one of the participants in Ruby’s focus group has said that “a woman’s beauty needs to be concealed, because beauty brings a lot of other things…freedom , the kind that we see here”(Ruby 37) I personally don’t understand this statement, as I was always taught that I should embrace my beauty and become an individual. However, in some places like Montreal this individuality is questioned. Two Muslim girls were suspended from school for wearing the Hijab. (Kawaja). In nations like Saudi Arabia, women are forced to cover their bodies from head to toe and this includes wearing the veil, by law and tradition. If caught otherwise they will be punished for their actions. But what about personal freedom? A freedom to express one’s own independence? Now in France this freedom is also lost, but from the completely opposite view point. They have an anti-Hijab law that forbids girls to wear the Hijab in public school.(Kawaja) Neither Saudi Arabia nor France are right in what they’re doing as a