THE DYNAMICS OF MUSLIM WOMEN IN MINORITY AREAS: PERCEPTIONS OF HIJAB USAGE
Keywords:
Hijab perception, motivation for wearing hijab, muslim women in minority areas
Abstract
The hijab, as a symbol of identity and modesty in Islam, often becomes a subject of debate involving religion, culture, and individual freedom while facing challenges such as discrimination and stereotypes in predominantly non-Muslim societies. This study aims to explore the perceptions, motivations, and self-views regarding the hijab among Muslim women living in minority regions. Using a qualitative method, the research involved 20 Muslim women who consistently wear the hijab in their daily lives. Data were collected through a survey consisting of three closed-ended questions and analyzed using pie charts to illustrate the distribution of responses. The findings reveal that the majority of participants (55%) view the hijab as a symbol of identity, with personal comfort and individual preference (55%) being the primary reasons for wearing it, followed by social factors and family expectations (30%). Moreover, the hijab is perceived as a tool for reinforcing self-identity and coping with social pressures, despite its association with challenges such as discrimination and prejudice. This study provides insights into the profound meaning of the hijab for Muslim women in minority areas, highlighting its role not only as a religious symbol but also as a crucial element in shaping personal and social identity.
References
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Antunes, A. C. (2022). The hijab project: Troubling conceptions of agency and piety through community-engaged art making. Social Sciences, 11(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11020039
Arab, Z. (2022). ‘When have dolce and gabbana ever cared about the hijab?’ Social media, fashion and australian muslim women’s perceptions and expression of hijab. Religions, 13(11), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13111115
Anwar, K., & Surawan, S. (2024). Traditional Versus Digital Media in Predicting the Impact of Islamic Religious Knowledge on Life Satisfaction and Well Being. International Journal of Arts and Social Science, 7(3), 119-133.
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Carmichael, N., Redlinger-Grosse, K., & Birnbaum, S. (2021). Supporting a sense of inclusion and belonging for genetic counseling students who identify as racial or ethnic minorities. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 30(3), 813–827. https://doi.org/10.1002/jgc4.1381
Dell’isola, D. (2022). Discrimination against Muslims, the role of networks and terrorist attacks in Western Europe: The cases of United Kingdom, France, and Italy. Rivista Italiana Di Scienza Politica, 52(1), 118–133. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipo.2021.22
Halim, A. A., Razif, N. F. M., & Paad, N. S. (2022). Media and the issue of hijab and veil across european countries. Journal of Al-Tamaddun, 17(2), 203–211. https://doi.org/10.22452/JAT.vol17no2.16
Hashem, H., Ghani, M., Hirani, S., Bennett, A., & Awad, G. H. (2022). Solo status, religious centrality, and discrimination among American Muslim women. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 88, 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022.03.005
Hodge, D. R., Zidan, T., & Husain, A. (2023). Are females who wear the hijab more likely to experience discrimination?: A national study of perceptions among American Muslim women. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work. 33(5) https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2023.2211786
Jain, R. (2023). Hijab controversy: Revisiting discourse on school uniforms. Sociological Bulletin, 72(4), 446–461. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380229231196730
Karaman, N., & Christian, M. (2020). “My hijab is like my skin color”: Muslim women students, racialization, and intersectionality. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 6(4), 517–532. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332649220903740
Karaman, N., & Christian, M. (2022). “Should i wear a headscarf to be a good muslim woman?”: Situated meanings of the hijab among muslim college women in America. Sociological Inquiry, 92(1), 225–243. https://doi.org/10.1111/soin.12454
Kaskeleviciute, R., Knupfer, H., & Matthes, J. (2024). “I stand up for us”: Muslims’ feelings of stigmatization in response to terrorism on social media. New Media and Society, 0(0), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241236712
Korb, S., Deniz, T. C., Ünal, B., Clarke, A., & Silani, G. (2022). Emotion perception bias associated with the hijab in Austrian and Turkish participants. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 75(5), 796–807. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218211048317
Krotofil, J., Górak-Sosnowska, K., Piela, A., & Abdallah-Krzepkowska, B. (2022). Being Muslim, Polish, and at home: Converts to Islam in Poland. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 37(3), 475–493. https://doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2022.2101714
Kurniati, N. A., Leiliyanti, E., & Putri, L. N. (2020). Authorial Voice on Hijab Discourse in Singapore: Discursive Reading on the Reputed International Journal Article.
Maghfirah, M. (2020). Representation of muslim women as seen in american advertisements: Ability, egalitarianism, and resistance. Afkaruna, 16(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.18196/aiijis.2020.0110.1-21
Mohsin Khan, M., Azhar, Z., Zain Ul Abiden, M., Ullah, K., & Akram Rana, M. (2023). Veiled identities: Unraveling the perceptions and motivations of female students on wearing hijab. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 7(1), 300–308.
Molokotos-Liederman, L. (2021). Veiling in fashion: Space and the hijab in minority communities. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 36(1), 179–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2021.1873565
Muhamad, S. H., Raihanah, M. M., & Hashim, R. S. (2023). Spaces of hope: Third space identity in selected muslim chick lit. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, 23(3), 190–204. https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2023-2303-11
Murrar, S., Baqai, B., & Padela, A. I. (2024). Predictors of perceived discrimination in medical settings among muslim women in the USA. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 11(1), 150–156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01506-0
Navarro-Granados, M., & Cobano-Delgado Palma, V. C. (2024). Young muslim perceptions of their socio-educational inclusion, religiosity, and discrimination in Spain: identifying risks for understanding. Social Sciences, 13(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030156
Paz, A., & Kook, R. (2021). ‘It reminds me that I still exist’. Critical thoughts on intersectionality; Refugee Muslim women in Berlin and the meanings of the hijab. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 47(13), 2979–2996. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2020.1757417
Perempuan, J., Dan Jender, A., Mitha, N. I., & Yumitro, G. (2024). Muslim discrimination in India (Case study: Community response to the ban on the wear of the hijab for indian muslim women in educational environments). Marwah: Jurnal Perempuan, Agama Dan Jender, 23(1), 29–44. https://doi.org/10.24014/Marwah.v23i1.18994
Rahbari, L. (2021). In her shoes: Transnational digital solidarity with muslim women, or the hijab? Tijdschrift Voor Economische En Sociale Geografie, 112(2), 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12376
Rahbari, L., Dierickx, S., Coene, G., & Longman, C. (2021). Transnational solidarity with which muslim women? The Case of the My Stealthy Freedom and World Hijab Day Campaigns. Politics and Gender, 17(1), 112–135. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743923X19000552
Rehman, I., & Hanley, T. (2023). Muslim minorities’ experiences of Islamophobia in the West: A systematic review. Culture and Psychology, 29(1), 139–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X221103996
Rizcha, F. R., . M., & Rustam, M. R. (2024). I lost my muslim identity: A study of indonesian muslim women workers in Japan. International Journal of Religion, 5(4), 276–286. https://doi.org/10.61707/devss946
Rumaney, H., & Sriram, S. (2023). Not without my hijab: Experiences of veiled muslim women in India. Human Arenas, 6(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-021-00193-3
Sabah, T., Khan, I., & Amin, M. (2021). Hijab and challenges to muslim women in the western sphere of influence. Karachi Islamicus, 1(1), 72-85. http://karachiislamicus.com/index.php/ki/article/view/11
Salahshour, N., & Boamah, E. (2020). Perceived discrimination as experienced by muslims in New Zealand universities. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 40(3), 497–512. https://doi.org/10.1080/13602004.2020.1819130
Surawan, S., Kailani, N., & Muslim, A. (2023). The Veil: A Phenomenon of Urban Society and Religious Identity. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Literature and Muslim Society, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.22515/islimus.v8i1.6274
Surawan, S., & Pertiwi, E. M. (2023). Hijab sebagai Self Control terhadap Penetrasi Korean Wave. Jurnal Kajian Islam Interdisipliner, 8(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.14421/jkii.v8i1.1343
Susilo, D., Sugihartati, R., & Santos, R. R. T. (2023). Muslim minority in Manila: Ethnographical studies of minority expression on the archipelago. Al-Jami’ah, 61(2), 419–440. https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2023.612.419-440
Syed, I. U. (2020). Hijab, niqab, and the religious symbol debates: Consequences for health and human rights. The International Journal of Human Rights, 259(9), 1420-1435. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2020.1826451
Tasneem, G. (2023). Media framing on hijab in the western media and societal challenges for muslim women: A public policy discourse. Al-Qantara, 9(4), 60–66. https://doi.org/http://alqantarajournal.com/index.php/Journal/article/view/332
Thijssen, L., van Tubergen, F., Coenders, M., Hellpap, R., & Jak, S. (2022). discrimination of black and muslim minority groups in western societies: evidence from a meta-analysis of field experiments. International Migration Review (Vol. 56, Issue 3, pp. 843–880). SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183211045044
Tohari, A., & Raya, Moch. K. F. (2021). The meaning of religious moderation on the resilience of muslim minority in balinese hindus. Journal of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Societies, 5(1), 77. https://doi.org/10.30821/jcims.v5i1.8686
Wee, H. L., Karkkulainen, E. A., & Tateo, L. (2023). Experiences of epistemic injustice among minority language students aged 6–16 in the nordics: A Literature Review. Education Sciences, 13(4), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13040367
Wijayanti, V. S. (2023). Procedural justice, stigma teroris terhadap komunitas muslim di Australia. INNOVATIVE: Journal Of Social Science Research, 3(2), 13434–13444. https://doi.org/http://j-innovative.org/index.php/Innovative/article/view/1509
Zain, M., Aaisyah, S., Alimuddin, A., Abdillah, A. M., & Fauzi, M. F. B. (2023). Hijab discourse in Indonesia: The battle of meaning between sharia and culture in public space. Samarah, 7(3), 1661–1681. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i3.19383
Anand, A. (2023). Hijab is our right an analysis of Muslim girls’ Veil ban protests in India. Embodied: The Stanford Undergraduate Journal of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, 2(1), 1-10.
Antunes, A. C. (2022). The hijab project: Troubling conceptions of agency and piety through community-engaged art making. Social Sciences, 11(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11020039
Arab, Z. (2022). ‘When have dolce and gabbana ever cared about the hijab?’ Social media, fashion and australian muslim women’s perceptions and expression of hijab. Religions, 13(11), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13111115
Anwar, K., & Surawan, S. (2024). Traditional Versus Digital Media in Predicting the Impact of Islamic Religious Knowledge on Life Satisfaction and Well Being. International Journal of Arts and Social Science, 7(3), 119-133.
Babacan, M. (2023). “Were you treated differently because you wore the hijab?”: Everyday Islamophobia, racialization and young Turks in Britain. Ethnicities, 23(1), 64–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687968221126196
Carmichael, N., Redlinger-Grosse, K., & Birnbaum, S. (2021). Supporting a sense of inclusion and belonging for genetic counseling students who identify as racial or ethnic minorities. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 30(3), 813–827. https://doi.org/10.1002/jgc4.1381
Dell’isola, D. (2022). Discrimination against Muslims, the role of networks and terrorist attacks in Western Europe: The cases of United Kingdom, France, and Italy. Rivista Italiana Di Scienza Politica, 52(1), 118–133. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipo.2021.22
Halim, A. A., Razif, N. F. M., & Paad, N. S. (2022). Media and the issue of hijab and veil across european countries. Journal of Al-Tamaddun, 17(2), 203–211. https://doi.org/10.22452/JAT.vol17no2.16
Hashem, H., Ghani, M., Hirani, S., Bennett, A., & Awad, G. H. (2022). Solo status, religious centrality, and discrimination among American Muslim women. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 88, 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022.03.005
Hodge, D. R., Zidan, T., & Husain, A. (2023). Are females who wear the hijab more likely to experience discrimination?: A national study of perceptions among American Muslim women. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work. 33(5) https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2023.2211786
Jain, R. (2023). Hijab controversy: Revisiting discourse on school uniforms. Sociological Bulletin, 72(4), 446–461. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380229231196730
Karaman, N., & Christian, M. (2020). “My hijab is like my skin color”: Muslim women students, racialization, and intersectionality. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 6(4), 517–532. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332649220903740
Karaman, N., & Christian, M. (2022). “Should i wear a headscarf to be a good muslim woman?”: Situated meanings of the hijab among muslim college women in America. Sociological Inquiry, 92(1), 225–243. https://doi.org/10.1111/soin.12454
Kaskeleviciute, R., Knupfer, H., & Matthes, J. (2024). “I stand up for us”: Muslims’ feelings of stigmatization in response to terrorism on social media. New Media and Society, 0(0), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241236712
Korb, S., Deniz, T. C., Ünal, B., Clarke, A., & Silani, G. (2022). Emotion perception bias associated with the hijab in Austrian and Turkish participants. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 75(5), 796–807. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218211048317
Krotofil, J., Górak-Sosnowska, K., Piela, A., & Abdallah-Krzepkowska, B. (2022). Being Muslim, Polish, and at home: Converts to Islam in Poland. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 37(3), 475–493. https://doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2022.2101714
Kurniati, N. A., Leiliyanti, E., & Putri, L. N. (2020). Authorial Voice on Hijab Discourse in Singapore: Discursive Reading on the Reputed International Journal Article.
Maghfirah, M. (2020). Representation of muslim women as seen in american advertisements: Ability, egalitarianism, and resistance. Afkaruna, 16(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.18196/aiijis.2020.0110.1-21
Mohsin Khan, M., Azhar, Z., Zain Ul Abiden, M., Ullah, K., & Akram Rana, M. (2023). Veiled identities: Unraveling the perceptions and motivations of female students on wearing hijab. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 7(1), 300–308.
Molokotos-Liederman, L. (2021). Veiling in fashion: Space and the hijab in minority communities. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 36(1), 179–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2021.1873565
Muhamad, S. H., Raihanah, M. M., & Hashim, R. S. (2023). Spaces of hope: Third space identity in selected muslim chick lit. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, 23(3), 190–204. https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2023-2303-11
Murrar, S., Baqai, B., & Padela, A. I. (2024). Predictors of perceived discrimination in medical settings among muslim women in the USA. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 11(1), 150–156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01506-0
Navarro-Granados, M., & Cobano-Delgado Palma, V. C. (2024). Young muslim perceptions of their socio-educational inclusion, religiosity, and discrimination in Spain: identifying risks for understanding. Social Sciences, 13(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030156
Paz, A., & Kook, R. (2021). ‘It reminds me that I still exist’. Critical thoughts on intersectionality; Refugee Muslim women in Berlin and the meanings of the hijab. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 47(13), 2979–2996. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2020.1757417
Perempuan, J., Dan Jender, A., Mitha, N. I., & Yumitro, G. (2024). Muslim discrimination in India (Case study: Community response to the ban on the wear of the hijab for indian muslim women in educational environments). Marwah: Jurnal Perempuan, Agama Dan Jender, 23(1), 29–44. https://doi.org/10.24014/Marwah.v23i1.18994
Rahbari, L. (2021). In her shoes: Transnational digital solidarity with muslim women, or the hijab? Tijdschrift Voor Economische En Sociale Geografie, 112(2), 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12376
Rahbari, L., Dierickx, S., Coene, G., & Longman, C. (2021). Transnational solidarity with which muslim women? The Case of the My Stealthy Freedom and World Hijab Day Campaigns. Politics and Gender, 17(1), 112–135. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743923X19000552
Rehman, I., & Hanley, T. (2023). Muslim minorities’ experiences of Islamophobia in the West: A systematic review. Culture and Psychology, 29(1), 139–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X221103996
Rizcha, F. R., . M., & Rustam, M. R. (2024). I lost my muslim identity: A study of indonesian muslim women workers in Japan. International Journal of Religion, 5(4), 276–286. https://doi.org/10.61707/devss946
Rumaney, H., & Sriram, S. (2023). Not without my hijab: Experiences of veiled muslim women in India. Human Arenas, 6(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-021-00193-3
Sabah, T., Khan, I., & Amin, M. (2021). Hijab and challenges to muslim women in the western sphere of influence. Karachi Islamicus, 1(1), 72-85. http://karachiislamicus.com/index.php/ki/article/view/11
Salahshour, N., & Boamah, E. (2020). Perceived discrimination as experienced by muslims in New Zealand universities. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 40(3), 497–512. https://doi.org/10.1080/13602004.2020.1819130
Surawan, S., Kailani, N., & Muslim, A. (2023). The Veil: A Phenomenon of Urban Society and Religious Identity. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Literature and Muslim Society, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.22515/islimus.v8i1.6274
Surawan, S., & Pertiwi, E. M. (2023). Hijab sebagai Self Control terhadap Penetrasi Korean Wave. Jurnal Kajian Islam Interdisipliner, 8(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.14421/jkii.v8i1.1343
Susilo, D., Sugihartati, R., & Santos, R. R. T. (2023). Muslim minority in Manila: Ethnographical studies of minority expression on the archipelago. Al-Jami’ah, 61(2), 419–440. https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2023.612.419-440
Syed, I. U. (2020). Hijab, niqab, and the religious symbol debates: Consequences for health and human rights. The International Journal of Human Rights, 259(9), 1420-1435. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2020.1826451
Tasneem, G. (2023). Media framing on hijab in the western media and societal challenges for muslim women: A public policy discourse. Al-Qantara, 9(4), 60–66. https://doi.org/http://alqantarajournal.com/index.php/Journal/article/view/332
Thijssen, L., van Tubergen, F., Coenders, M., Hellpap, R., & Jak, S. (2022). discrimination of black and muslim minority groups in western societies: evidence from a meta-analysis of field experiments. International Migration Review (Vol. 56, Issue 3, pp. 843–880). SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183211045044
Tohari, A., & Raya, Moch. K. F. (2021). The meaning of religious moderation on the resilience of muslim minority in balinese hindus. Journal of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Societies, 5(1), 77. https://doi.org/10.30821/jcims.v5i1.8686
Wee, H. L., Karkkulainen, E. A., & Tateo, L. (2023). Experiences of epistemic injustice among minority language students aged 6–16 in the nordics: A Literature Review. Education Sciences, 13(4), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13040367
Wijayanti, V. S. (2023). Procedural justice, stigma teroris terhadap komunitas muslim di Australia. INNOVATIVE: Journal Of Social Science Research, 3(2), 13434–13444. https://doi.org/http://j-innovative.org/index.php/Innovative/article/view/1509
Zain, M., Aaisyah, S., Alimuddin, A., Abdillah, A. M., & Fauzi, M. F. B. (2023). Hijab discourse in Indonesia: The battle of meaning between sharia and culture in public space. Samarah, 7(3), 1661–1681. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v7i3.19383
Published
2024-12-25
How to Cite
Dhea Nuraisyah, Surawan, & Hesty Widiastuty. (2024). THE DYNAMICS OF MUSLIM WOMEN IN MINORITY AREAS: PERCEPTIONS OF HIJAB USAGE. INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR, 6, 241-251. Retrieved from https://conference.unita.ac.id/index.php/conference/article/view/194
Section
Articles
