Modern Prejudice
Wearing a hijab makes you no less American
By HEBAH M. ISMAIL

http://www.thecrimson.com/today/article505951.html

“Go back where you came from!”

Growing up, I had heard this phrase yelled at me so
many times that it shook my faith in being an
American. Sometimes I had trouble believing I was
really from the United States, born and bred in New
Jersey.

After Sept. 11th, I heard renewed demands that I would
be better off at “home,” and that I should return
there at once. The irony of it all was that most of
the yells were almost indiscernible due to thick
immigrant accents. From my perspective, I thought I
was already home.

But all this I could forgive. It was only natural that
people who feel hopeless in the presence of so much
loss and suffering would need a way to vent. And I was
an easy target. If yelling at me, a Muslim clad in a
hijab (an Islamic head scarf), to “go back home”
helped people deal with their loss, then by all means,
let them yell until their throats got hoarse. By that
time, I knew full well that I was an American. A few
people yelling at me furtively before I could see
their faces was not enough for me to question my
identity.

And while all the anonymous “recommendations” did not
faze me, one completely casual exchange with a high
school teacher did.

During my senior year of high school, a teacher I had
known for four years asked me off-hand where I had
learned my English. He was so impressed that I managed
to rid myself of all traces of an Arab accent. After
an awkward pause, as it slowly dawned on me that no,
he was not joking, and yes, he really thought I was an
immigrant, I had to explain to him that I had been
born 10 minutes away from the school building. The
reason my English was so accent-less was because I
really was an American, even with my hijab on.

Do many people refuse to believe that I cannot be an
American simply because I wear a hijab? Sadly, the
answer is yes. And I’m not alone.

There are an estimated 7 million Muslims in America of
varying ethnic backgrounds. American Muslims can be
found in all 50 states, in every walk of life. Many of
the women wear hijabs, garb that has attracted a lot
of attention, and some of it negative. In 2002, it was
estimated that 13 percent of reported discrimination
incidents against Muslims involved a woman in hijab.

Part of the problem is that not many Americans know
what Islam really is. With so many people claiming to
act “in the name of Islam”—including extremists from
both sides of the political spectrum—it is hard to
know what Islam stands for. And the media does not
help. Most mention of Muslims and Islam includes
terrorism and oppression.

That is why the Harvard Islamic Society (HIS) has an
annual Islam Awareness Week. Over the course of the
next week—Feb. 27 to March 5—HIS hopes to give the
Harvard community a closer look at our religion. We
will try to inform our peers of common misconceptions
about Islam. We want to share how our beliefs affect
our lives as Americans and Harvard students.

I wear my hijab as I recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
I pray in the stacks of Widener. Next time you come
across me—or anyone who shares my faith—walking in the
yard or having a meal in a dining hall, don’t walk
past. Stop and say hi.

Hebah M. Ismail ’07, a Crimson editorial editor, is a
psychology concentrator in Eliot House.






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