out of the girls/women who wear head coverings in this book, i don't get why yall are mad at the ONE girl who doesn't want to wear it. the afghan one may not wear a hijab but she still grows up to maintain her faith by covering her hair AND her feminist convictions. the first girl just wants more than that, and it's literally normal. it happens to many girls all the time. it's one of the most normal things ever.
is the "hijabi girl takes off her covering and is liberated" trope overdone and worthy of critique? definitely. i hate that trope. but consider the context before judging. the point of this work is that different women cope differently and thrive differently. the first wife pursues her dreams while playing the system and happily being a hijabi. the japanese grandma doesn't seem to follow any religion but still spouts conservative ideology. religion can be used as a tool of oppression, but oppression doesn't need it to work.
also, i need yall to realize that choice matters here. muslim women who protest the depiction of hijabis letting down their hair often have the ability to choose for themselves. their families don't make them wear hijabs, and they choose to wear it because they WANT it. they can leave the religion at any time. they are, by definition, liberated, but salma isn't. she doesn't like the hijab because she doesn't have a choice to not wear it. she doesn't like the hijab because she sees it as a barrier between her and her male friend, between her and the opportunities she could have gotten, and so she wants it gone. that's the difference.
i relate to her because i was raised buddhist. leaving the religion is not a crime punishable by law or by hell, but my family takes the choice of leaving it away from me. growing up, the risk of disownment was at the back of my head, and you think that wouldn't breed resentment even against the most peaceful and nonviolent religion ever? i would've happily been a buddhist if i had been allowed to choose it, but i didn't. so i want out even though millions want to become a buddhist. liberation is the point.
out of the girls/women who wear head coverings in this book, i don't get why yall are mad at the ONE girl who doesn't want to wear it. the afghan one may not wear a hijab but she still grows up to maintain her faith by covering her hair AND her feminist convictions. the first girl just wants more than that, and it's literally normal. it happens to many girls all the time. it's one of the most normal things ever.
is the "hijabi girl takes off her covering and is liberated" trope overdone and worthy of critique? definitely. i hate that trope. but consider the context before judging. the point of this work is that different women cope differently and thrive differently. the first wife pursues her dreams while playing the system and happily being a hijabi. the japanese grandma doesn't seem to follow any religion but still spouts conservative ideology. religion can be used as a tool of oppression, but oppression doesn't need it to work.
also, i need yall to realize that choice matters here. muslim women who protest the depiction of hijabis letting down their hair often have the ability to choose for themselves. their families don't make them wear hijabs, and they choose to wear it because they WANT it. they can leave the religion at any time. they are, by definition, liberated, but salma isn't. she doesn't like the hijab because she doesn't have a choice to not wear it. she doesn't like the hijab because she sees it as a barrier between her and her male friend, between her and the opportunities she could have gotten, and so she wants it gone. that's the difference.
i relate to her because i was raised buddhist. leaving the religion is not a crime punishable by law or by hell, but my family takes the choice of leaving it away from me. growing up, the risk of disownment was at the back of my head, and you think that wouldn't breed resentment even against the most peaceful and nonviolent religion ever? i would've happily been a buddhist if i had been allowed to choose it, but i didn't. so i want out even though millions want to become a buddhist. liberation is the point.