Effects Of 9/11 On Muslim Women

According to an American study on the PTSD effects of 9/11, 86.3% of Muslim American women have experienced hate crimes. Contrastingly, 54.9% of Muslim American men experienced hate crimes following 9/11. The majority of both perpetrators and victims of hate crimes tends to be male. However, Muslim women provide an exception to the rule because, by covering their hair with a veil, many of them display their religious status at all times and thus become easier targets of Islamophobic attacks. Logically, it might seem that Muslim women in the United States should opt out of veiling to preemptively protect themselves from hate crimes. Nonetheless, many Muslim American women continue to veil. A sampling of Muslim women reveals firsthand accounts

In a YouTube spoken word piece entitled, hijabi Aqeelah explicitly claims liberation as a reason for why she veils. She defines “liberation” as “being viewed upon [her] intellects… [her] qualities, [her] actions, [her words].” By covering her hair, Aqeelah maintains that she frees herself from shallow appearance-based judgment and can instead be judged by her character. Likewise, American hijabi Andrea Mikulin refers to wearing the hijab as “a liberating experience,” for it allows her to “[opt] out of the sexualization of women… by the way [she] dresses, by covering [her hair].” Mikulin views not having her appearance sexualized by men because she veils as a boost to her confidence and self-respect. Similarly, scholar Pamela K. Taylor defines her decision to wear the hijab as “an unambiguous rejection of the objectification women by men, by advertisers, by the beauty and fashion industries and Hollywood.” She further discusses how such objectification takes a toll on the women who it affects, leading to devastating eating disorders. According to Taylor, choosing to wear the veil was one of the most feminist statements she could make, as it allowed her to rebel against societal dictations of her appearance. The aforementioned three Muslim American women view veiling as a beneficial personal choice, for it allows them to liberate themselves from judgment based on their