Not every headscarf is created equal

about to go in Blue Mosque, Istanbul

Hello readers!  I am in Greece now, working on my dissertation.  But all the while I am still reflecting on Turkey and my experience there. 

Just to give you a quick overview about some of the people we met (whose pictures unfortunately I mostly cannot post to protect their privacy), here is a short synopsis.  Muslim women scholars, high school students, women who had escaped domestic violence, Syrian priests/monks/nuns, women artisans of scarves, women artisans of tiles, and refugees and asylum seekers in Turkey.  (See previous post).  For now I'll tell you about the first of the women we met---women scholars of religion, right up my alley.

Blue Mosque, Istanbul.  Impressive, right?

Muslim women scholars: We met with three muslim women scholars of religious studies.  One is a professor and two are PhD students (I resonated with them, let me tell you).  Reading the brochure they have on the program, it was interesting: if I had inserted "Bible" wherever they said "Quran", the brochure could have been for any graduate program in the United States---putting the text in its historical context, assessing its place in culture, learning historical-critical methodology, etc. 

The most memorable part of the conversation for me was about headscarves.  Go figure!  I learned a very important thing: Not every headscarf is created alike.  Muslim women wear (or don't wear them) for lots of different reasons.  For women women from traditional households, a headscarf enable them to go anywhere and do anything with honor.  For instance, they can go to work, wear western clothing, do errands and get an education if they only put a scarf on over their heads.  Why not?  So they do.  Other women are more secularized and just don't want to do it, so they don't.  Often I would see a woman in a headscarf with stylish jeans and peeptoe leopard print shoes.  And the best part---with a headscarf, no one ever has a bad hair day.

Blue Mosque, Istanbul, through an archway.  I tried to be artistic.

Another interesting component of the headscarf issue that the women explained is this: the way they wear headscarves is not traditional.  The way one ties a headscarf, the pattern that is chosen, and how much of the face and hair shows is all important.  These women are wearing headscarves in new ways---which is an act of defiance against "tradition".  It is a new trend among very conservative Muslims to not let any of the hair show, and to cover all around the face so that really only the forehead, eyes, nose, mouth and chin show---like a wimple.  These women resist such a movement, and wear their scarves in a different way.  Very interesting!  I keep trying to think of a Christian parallel, but none comes to mind.  We do have people that wear special garments, but it is not required of every Christian, but only those who have taken special vows.  Certainly within those groups there are many levels of expectations, resistance, and accommodation, but it is not the same as every woman in a religion facing such a choice.  Your thoughts?

Blue Mosque interior, featuring our awesome guide, Inci

One other interesting note: Because Turkey is a secularized government, it has been illegal for the past 60+ years for women in public service jobs (university, government, etc.) to wear headscarves at work.  This law recently changed, but I'm not clear to what degree. It certainly opened my eyes up to the variety of ways countries who are majority Muslim do business very differently---just like the way the United States, Germany and Italy all have very different governments and ways of handling cultural issues.

The three women we met were quite hospitable, friendly, and well-spoken.  I could not have asked for a better introduction into the world of Turkish women.


* Little side note--here is a picture of me about to go into the Blue Mosque, and some of the Blue Mosque itself.  It was an outstanding place of worship.  You will notice that Inci (pronounded "In-jee"), our fabulous Turkish tour guide, is NOT wearing a headscarf.  They're pretty lax about it in the Blue Mosque, and she doesn't roll with the headscarf idea.  But I did, partly because when in Rome...