The BBC report "Are women in Egypt being discriminated for wearing hijab?" is a lopsided view that needs to be probed into further.
BBC Arabic had its undercover reporters, a married couple where the wife wears a hijab, go to various bars/restaurants in Egypt only to be told that the woman is not permitted on the premises because of her attire. The report, and later a BBC article, sites dozens of bars/restaurants by name and repeats the explanations provided by the bouncers/security for not allowing the veiled woman in. In one incident, the woman is asked not to sit in the vicinity of the bar.
Let's peruse this issue further.
As a general standard, alcohol is categorically considered unlawful (haram) by devout Muslims, and it is unlawful for such Muslims to even sit amongst those drinking alcohol. Simultaneously, an Egypt woman wearing a hijab is generally acknowledged as a fairly conservative person. Her hijab identifies her as pious and modest, someone who would feel uncomfortable being amongst tourists, and Egyptians, drinking alcohol.
What is not very clear is why a conservative Muslim wearing a hijab would want to be in this environment, an establishment mainly serving alcohol, in the first place? Is she trying to prove her right to be there, despite the visit going against her beliefs? Is her act an act of defiance, of superiority, or of confronting the norm?
Veiled women have the right to practice their religion the way they see fit. They also have the right to be treated equally and not be discriminated against. Still, one must wonder how many conservative women, or men for that matter, in Egypt would like to sit in a bar surrounded by those who drink?
Of all the discriminatory and exclusive behaviours against veiled women, this is by fair the least damaging and the least of all aberrations. And this is due to the fact that it is occurring in an environment where conservative women would rather not be.
The West believes that Egyptian women who wear the hijab see no contradiction between wearing the veil and asking for broader women's rights. And Egyptians believe the same: in Egypt, women wearing the hijab have reached the highest levels in society, be it ministerial positions, judicial posts, media anchors, or an astute job such as doctor, engineer, or university profession.
Still women's rights don't necessarily entail sitting in bars; women's rights encompass other more crucial and vital issues of which many are not realized in other countries. Hijabophobia manifests itself in various forms across the word: discrimination, abuse, bias, mistreatment, and lack of opportunity. None of these issues exist in Egypt.
Around the world countless other scenarios exist where veiled women have been subjected to acute discriminatory behaviour in matters that affect their day-to day lives. Such episodes should be scrutinized with deliberation to uphold the rights of veiled women everywhere.
In various societies veiled women are discriminated against quite overtly. In 2018, a judge in Quebec, Canada, refused to listen to a woman's case unless she removed her hijab. The judge told the woman that the courtroom is a secular place and that "Hats and sunglasses for example, are not allowed. And I don't see why scarves on the head would be either." This is what extreme discrimination looks like.
The colonial values that Quebec, Canada, adheres to are worth the critical eye of the BBC rather than the trivialities they conscript around Egypt. Quebec's Bill 21 disproportionately marginalizes women and minorities in particular. It bans Canadians working as teachers, lawyers, police officers, amongst other vocations from wearing religious symbols such as crosses, hijabs, turbans and yarmulkes. However, it obviously affects Muslim women who wear the hijab the most.
France, home to the largest Muslim population in Western Europe, has its own set of discriminatory rules. The examples are endless. France forbids girls under 18 from wearing the hijab. Veiled women find it extremely difficult to find a job while donning the hijab; in fact, many veiled women were dismissed from their jobs since they refused to remove their hijabs. Even though FIFA allows the hijab, France's Soccer Federation forbids hijab wearing women from practising the sport. And recently, President Macron's political party, Le Republique en Marche, withdrew its support for one of the party's own candidates, Sarah Zemmahi, for wearing a hijab in a campaign poster.
Employers int he European Union are allowed to ban staff from wearing religious symbols such as the hijab. Around the world, female athletes have been considered ineligible in sport for wearing a hijab. The Iranian women national soccer team was disqualified from the 201 Olympics because the players wore hijabs.
These are all pivotal and life-changing sacrifices where veiled women are prohibited from leading normal lives, where their rights as human beings are jolted and sacrificed. These are the restrictions that the BBC should be reflecting on and presenting to its viewers and readers.
Let's end this on a positive note. Veiled women have gained much in the last few years, and we should be proud of them and the countries they are affiliated with. When Dina el Ghobashy of Egypt played the volley ball match in Rio 2016 wearing her hijab, long-sleeves and leggings against the German bikini-clad rivals, she made a powerful statement. When Gisela Massa, the first hijab-wearing Canadian tv anchor appears to read the CBC news every night, she makes other veiled women and all Canadians proud.
The original topic that BBC chose to depict is not really worth the investigation it embarked on. However, it is merely yet another skewed view of Western media on Egyptian issues where the aim is for Western media to come across as keepers of the humanitarian torch and be viewed as those who know best.
