(SEATTLE SPECTATOR) –
President Emmanuel Macron’s “anti-separatism” law bans Muslim women under 18-years-old from wearing a hijab. Avoid headscarf, in public or in school, as well as allows police to harass and arrest them for such actions.
Amina Mujtahid, an Arabic lecturer at Seattle University who identifies as a Muslim woman, explained that this political decision is nothing new.
“They are simply playing with politics”, Mujtahid said. “It’s like a game––a game with nasty, harmful, very harsh decisions.”
Amina Ibrahim, former president of the (MSA), and recent graduate of Seattle U’s class of 2019, the hijab is an essential part of her identity. It is a way for her to observe the faith of Islam through modesty. “I feel like my scarf is a reminder to myself of what I believe in,” Ibrahim said.
“My decision to wear a headscarf really came from me wanting to outwardly express what I felt from the inside my love for my religion as a Muslim person.”
However, the new ruling in France seems to disregard these viewpoints, focusing instead on establishing secularism. In addition to this push for religious equality, it is also an attempt to create gender equality for Muslim women.