To Pauline Hanson

Dear Pauline Hanson,
I wear my hijab as if it’s an extension of my body, and I can choose whichever color I’d like to adorn myself with. I am allowed to choose whether or not I want to make a statement with magenta, fuschia, stripes, or stars, or whether or not I’d like to ground myself with beige, black, or grey. What you fail to understand, Senator Hanson, is that there is a world of choice in the hijab—not oppression. I do concede, as Leila Ahmed did, that Islam was created in the confines of a patriarchal society, as were other religions, and that many of its nuances do inhibit women from genuine equality. However, hijabs, niqabs, chadors, and burqas are not vessels that perpetuate these confines. These head coverings are an art, dexterously twisted into beautiful silhouettes, and they are intended to bring a woman closer to her faith. It is not mandatory, it is not oppressive, and you are overstepping your bounds if you feel you have the authority to claim that it does not belong in a courtroom and makes you uncomfortable. I encourage you to visit a mosque during Ramadan and see with your now-myopic lenses how beautiful Islam is. Listen to the call to prayer—the inflections, the way the Arabic flows from his tongue like an estuary, connecting him to the reservoir of his faith. Insha’allah, you will find in your heart its beauty. 
Assalam alaikum, 

Amira Jarmakani

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