Oh My Veil

Ellen DeGeneres made TV history in 1997 when her character on her sitcom “Ellen” revealed she was gay. The disclosure of her sexual preference drew many oohs and aaahs, and despite being hailed as courageous and transparent by some, her show did suffer, and so did her reputation as a comedian. Instead of being recognised as an artist with an incredible sense of humour and admirable creativity, Ellen was known as the “gay, short haired comedian”. In fact, the “Ellen” show lost some audience, and was even banned in some conservative countries (it was no longer aired on Jordan TV for instance). Nearly twenty years later, people still refer to her as such.

What was considered as controversial back in the nineties has now become common, if not predictable, news. It is no longer a shocker. What is considered as such is the decision of western citizens to embrace Islam as a religion.

Reading the English version of El Pais newspaper last night, the first article that was posted on the daily’s page was a story about a Madrilenian young lady who works at a fast food restaurant, and whose decision to convert to Islam won her the star story of the leftist newspaper. No, the ISIL was not the opening story, not the stagnating economy, not the high unemployment rates, nor the lack of government formation for the second cycle in a row. It was about a girl who decided to convert to Islam.

The story starts off with a photograph of a young scarf-wearing woman, draped in dark and loose garments, and sitting in a dark room, whilst gazing outside a window. It must be underlined however that the girl does not actually wear a hijab in her everyday life (for professional and cultural/social reasons). Nonetheless, the writer decided to depict the convert’s appearance in a shabby attire, and mention the Islamic hijab and traditional wardrobe (or what is perceived as such) a total of nine times in the article.

It is fully understood that the radicalisation and the Islamisation of the western society is a threat to the Western-way-of life: such threat ranges from a mere distortion of cultural values to a real and dangerous threat to national security. Not only are young Europeans affiliating to the notorious ISIL and embarking on journeys to fight alongside the other mujahedeen in Syria and Iraq, but many of these brainwashed and fundementalised youth are taking part in internal attacks and plots against their own citizens. Watching out for such cases is empirical if this phenomenon or radicalisation is to be stopped; in the same vein, reporting on such cases and disseminating information on such incidents is enlightening and constructive. Nonetheless, the story being referred to in this article makes no connection between the girl’s decision to convert and the pressing socio-political realities that must be addressed, begging the question of “what is the whole point behind the article?”

Should the article intend to portray a more peaceful and tolerant face of Islam- an Islam which the West can live with and can be tolerated, then perhaps mentioning the word Hijab for nine times, the reference to the probable reprehension, the insistence on the web of secrets that must be woven, the emphasis on the cultural judgement, and the reminder of the inability to voice one’s own decision to embrace a doctrine or a theological line of understanding of the world within a liberal and a democratic society, renders the entire article pointless.

Why was not the girl pictured out with her friends having fun? What was she not seen having dinner with her boyfriend’s family? Why did she not talk about her understanding of Islam and the way she lives it and integrates it in her every day routine? Where is the part that talks about the ideological grounds, upon which a young European living in an increasing agonistic society, which might shed some light on a religion that is feared by many? Fortuitous is that all stories on converts follow the same logic of “garments, coming out, and oh my God the society will shun me?”

Every article, every piece of writing, and every scribbled notion must deliver a message or present an argument. What the El Pais article failed to do is to associate the story with a message; what it succeeded in doing is entrenching the idea that the Muslim community in Spain and elsewhere in Europe is destined to be culturally distinct, closed up, disassociated from the European way of life, and a constant potential threat to liberal ideas and women’s rights. Practising Muslims in Spain might always feel as cultural aliens – and reporters sympathising with this reality might only be unknowingly ameliorating such cultural separation. Muslim women will always be veiled...Muslim men will always be bearded, and Ellen will always be gay. It does not matter whether you are a doctor, a comedian, a teacher, or a fast-food restaurant waiter... thou shall always manifest the cliché.