Concealing To Reveal The Informational Role Of Islamic Dress

For example, judging another culture because they do not dress the same as the individual may seem ethnocentric. In the film, “Wearing Hijab” the documentary interviews six muslim women and dispels western rumors about the muslim religion. They decide to wear a hijab as a way of respect and others wear it as statement of confidence. The women talk about how they have been picked on when wearing the hijab. During the documentary, Alice, a mother of a daughter who converted to Islam, originally thought the hijab showed that the culture was dominated by males. The daughter revealed to her that the hijab was a symbol of freedom for her. ( These remarks came from those who didn’t understand what the hijab symbolizes in the culture as a result of ethnocentrism.

In the article, “Concealing to reveal: The informational role of Islamic dress”, David Patel discusses the values of the Islamic religion and how they exhibit them(Patel, 295). Patel talks about how piety is a highly regarded value and how it is important in the marriage market. Piety is used to improve relationships and to eventually lead to marriage, an alliance of families. While this may be true in the east, the western view may see it as “a partnership between individuals”. Western hegemony would show that the view would be incorrect and an affront to love. This may downplay the value of marriage and piety in the society and this view is a result of