Tag: mini review

My Hijab, My Identity by Sadaf Farooqi

Rating: 2 stars

First Impression: Two wrongs don’t make a right.

The Review:  I was very excited to finally be able to read something by Farooqi. I’ve been following her blog for a while and she has written thirteen books. In the beginning of this manifesto of sorts, Farooqi says that her book is for people who are wondering about hijab, either because they want to wear it themselves or because they wonder why others wear it. Personally, I chose to read it to see if I could strengthen my own arguments. I often fail to properly vocalize my reasoning, so I figured I might be able to borrow some of her arguments. Due to the harshness of the book, however, I think My Hijab, My Identity does more to turn people away from hijab than to invite them towards it.

 

All throughout the book, Farooqi claims it is unfair for people to make snap-judgement about hijabis. She says that, contrary to popular belief, hijabis are often educated women with sovereignty over their own bodies. Farooqi does not, however, offer the same generous generalization of non-hijabis. She more or less argues that the more women show skin, the less self-respect they have. She seems to argue that they are blind and cannot see how right hijab is.

 

I also found it problematic how often Farooqi related her hijab to interaction with other men. She mentioned men so frequently you’d think they were the reason she wears hijab rather than God. I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad reason to wear hijab, but I’m displeased that she generalized that reasoning to hijabis as a whole. All of the problematic arguments, combined with the poor writing style, are enough to keep this list firmly off my recommendation list. To be fair, though, I’m giving the book two stars because it’s largely opinion based and I don’t want to be known for judging opinions. If Farooqi used arguments that could easily be proved or disproved, then I might give stars based on the logic of the argument. As it stands, My Hijab, My Identity  is just a 45 page rant.

If you do want to read it, find it on Amazon.