Mariam Gomaa Research Paper

American Muslim Hijabis fight for social consciousness and social justice, advocating for cultural diffusion rather than the removal of a symbol of cultural identity. She concludes, “This more than a fabric its choosing to be different and a nonconformist and wearing it with pride”(Gomma). This is an act of empowerment, and liberation from societal popular expectations in regards to “beauty,identity,race, and culture”(Gomaa). Women like Mariam Gomma exemplify the points that the hijab is a choice, and doesn’t limit their potential or ability whatsoever.These sources paint a different narrative from the ostracized and victimized American Muslim woman that is oppressed by the hijab, but of strong, empowered women moving forward to fight for their rights and their identity in our culture liberated by the hijab.

This result from the ostracization from society is not a new one, mirrored in the revolutions for civil rights by people of color, women, non heterosexual citizens and anyone that isn’t apart of the dominant group. Anna Mansoon McGinty, a professor in the Department of Geography, Women 's Studies Program, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee writes in her article, “Emotional geographies of veiling: the meanings of the hijab for five Palestinian American Muslim women ”,“The first decade of the twenty-first century has witnessed a wave of activism among American Muslim women in the USA…. In response to racialization, discrimination, and exclusion, Arab and South Asian Americans and Muslim Americans in general have become more visible participants.... in public discourses on civil and racial justice. (Naber 2008, 2; see also Cainkar 2009; Nagel and Staeheli 2008).”(qtd. in Mansoon McGinty 683). The hijab is not oppressing these women in any way but inspiring them to be active parts of the