Why some don the Hijab & some don't
Technorati tags: Religion, Islam, Hijab, Documentary, Siapa Aku
Updated: Documentary trailer in the full post
A good write-up and Q&A with Norhayati Kaprawi, director of the 50-minute documentary "Siapa Aku?" (Who Am I?), exploring the Hijab, or head-cover for Muslim women.
Many people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, take it for granted that it is required by Islam, when in fact there are differing opinions.
"Siapa Aku?" is an interesting documentary, and this write up an eye-opening conversation with the director who made it, just so that the subject matter is discussed openly.
Why Some Women Wear a Hijab and Some Don’t
“I am passionate about women’s issues,” says Ms. Norhayati, who herself once wore the hijab but no longer does. Her first documentary, “Mencari Kartika” (“In Search of Kartika”), told the story of Kartika Shukarno, a young Malaysian Muslim woman sentenced by a religious court to six strokes of the cane and a fine for drinking beer in a hotel bar. A day before the caning was due to be carried out last April, the sentence was commuted to community service.
In her new documentary, Ms. Norhayati interviews Muslim women — young and old, urban and rural — in Malaysia, as well as religious scholars and celebrities in Kuala Lumpur and Indonesia about the hijab, also called the tudung.
The pressure to wear one is a dominant theme: “I think this conformity is the most dominating factor on why women in Malaysia wear a tudung,” Shamsul Amri Bahruddin, director of the Institute of Ethnic Studies at the National University of Malaysia, tells Ms. Norhhayati, adding that those who don’t can expect to hear from the lady next door every day, saying “you will go to hell or your hair will be burnt in hell.” Often, he adds, the women don’t understand the Quranic verses surrounding the reason for the hijab.
(documentary trailer in the full post)
