BULKHEAD. REFUERZO

Questions regarding employment, ethnicity and age were not asked in a systematic way in the original interview, but they were asked at the end if the information had not been forthcoming in the course of the interview.

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Although fourteen out of the forty-two women were engaged in some form of

employment, the twenty-eight that answered No included fourteen students. Therefore a more accurate reading would be that fourteen were employed, fourteen were

students and fourteen classed themselves as housewives.

Employed

Yes 14

No (including 14 Students) 28

The fact that one third of the interviewees turned out to be students was not

un-expected, as at least ten of those interviewed were under twenty-five. However, not all of the under twenty-five year olds were students, and the figures reflect the fact that some mature students were interviewed. It also reflects the fact that access to some of the Muslim women was through the student community.

From the self-descriptions recorded in the data it can be seen that the sample of women came from a range of backgrounds and ethnic groupings including:

Malaysian, Qatari, Saudi Arabian, Iranian, Bangladeshi, Italian, Moroccan, English, Omani, Mauritian, Somalian, Kenyan, Canadian, and French, but the majority were of Pakistani ethnic origins which would be expected given the profile of the Muslim community in Britain.

Ethnic Origin Number

Bangladeshi 6

Canadian 1

English 3

English/Libyan 1

French 1

French/Algerian 1

Indian 1

Iranian 1

Italian 1

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Kenyan 1

Malaysian 1

Mauritian 1

Moroccan 4

Moroccan/Greek/Austrian 1

Omani 1

Pakistani 13

Qatari 1

Saudi Arabian 2

Somalian 1

From the sample table it was reassuring to find that although the women were not selected by ethnicity, the interviewees came from a wide selection of ethnic

backgrounds. From the data gathered it supports that the research achieved one of its aims in being able to capture some of the diversity of Muslim women in Britain.

British resident

Number British Number

Yes 36 Yes 35

No 5 No 6

Awaiting residency

1 Awaiting

residency

1

It was not thought polite to directly ask the women in the political climate at the time, whether they considered themselves to be British, so these categories were filled in according to the responses that the women gave during the interviews. The five women, who were not British residents, were students that were here just for their studies. Only the French Muslim expressed herself as French, but living in Britain.

The woman that fitted into the ‘Awaiting residency’ category was an Iranian Muslim who had applied for permanent residency in Britain.

175 Age

Under 25 12

25 – 39 20

40 + 10

The women interviewed were from a variety of age ranges. They were asked at the end of the interview whether they were under 25, 25 – 39 or 40+, as it was felt to be inappropriate to ask them outright how old they were. Many were happy to volunteer this information and ages were often discussed during the course of the interview. A minimum of ten women, from each age category, were interviewed to obtain some representative spread of the perspectives of these age groups. As the sample table was compiled it showed that the twenty-five to thirty-nine category contained the most women. This was mainly due to the fact that it was this age group that attended the women’s groups at the mosques and the activities at the Women’s Associations.

Age Hijab No hijab Occasional

Under 25 12 9 2 1

25 – 39 20 12 8 0

40 + 10 4 5 1

When the ages were compared to the degree of covering, it showed that it was the younger Muslims who were wearing the hijab, and that they were the easiest to find, due to the fact that they could be identified as Muslims by their dress. Many of those in the twenty-five to thirty-nine age category expressed the view that they were thinking more about their religion and had considered covering, but thought that they would do so in the future when they were older. Surprisingly it was women of forty and over who wore the hijab that were the hardest to find.

At the end of each interview the women were asked to volunteer any information that they thought should be known about the hijab, but had not been mentioned during the interview. This often revealed a deeper insight to the lives of the women as it gave them a chance as Muslims to explain their feelings about the hijab and the wearing of it in Britain. Mrs CA (occasional wearer, 40+) expressed in her view that: I have seen women shopping who cover and wear tight clothes, it is not right. Mrs BI (new

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wearer, 25-39) explained: I am wearing it not because I have been asked to wear it.

My husband was a bit surprised when I put it on. I am not following the teachings of a religious leader. Some asked why have you gone over to the other side. To me it was an increased act of faith. The women were able to offer their own opinions on the hijab and the way it is seen in society. They were also able to comment on the way that some Muslims wear it and the way that wearers and non-wearers think it should be worn.

5.9. Summary

It is clear that the interview questions took the women on a journey from the present into the past and back again. The women interviewed were all Muslims and were empowered by being able to describe for themselves what they were wearing and from where they had obtained their form of dress. Some similarities and differences were found by others who had carried out research with Muslim women showing how the experiences of the women are not always the same.

The data gathered for my research revealed five different types of wearers: the long-term wearers, the new wearers; the non-wearers; occasional wearers; and the past wearers. Included in the new wearers were two specific categories of women, the converts and those who had experienced a renewed interest in Islam.

It was discovered that even those women who wear the hijab do not wear it all of the time, but are governed by rules as to when it can be removed. The hijab can be taken off in front of certain men that it is not permissible to marry, although it was found that some of the women wore it all of the time, even in the house, through habit or their own choice.

Some of the women explained that there was no specific dress code when it came to the wearing of the hijab, and there was no requirement for all Muslim women to look the same. However, the rules about what to wear were identified as being in the Qur’an and all of the interviewees regardless of their type of dress knew this.

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Those questioned felt more respected by all men and women when they wore the hijab, they felt protected from what they perceived to be unwanted attention and their communities were pleased when they wore it. The women did feel that they received more hostility post 9/11, but some expressed the fact that some people were hostile to them anyway, so had not really noticed any difference.

Therefore it has been identified that the reasons behind the wearing of the hijab and the decisions made by the women are a complex mix. The information given by the women offers a fascinating insight into their lives and how they have grown and developed during their lifetime, the decisions they have made and the factors that play a part in these decisions. It is now imperative to further analyse the data to see what far reaching conclusions can be made.

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179 Chapter Six: Themes

6.1. Introduction

When the data was analysed further it was clear that there were five distinct themes emerging: Religion/religious community, Education, Family/friends, the Clothing industry/fashion and 9/11. These were all important to the women and played a significant part when it came to their decision making with regards to the hijab.

These factors will be examined in the following sub-sections and linked back to the literature review to see if there are any cases of convergence or divergence between others that have written about the wearing of the hijab and my research. The women interviewed for this research were not famous Muslim women living in the spotlight nor were they women who had made the news headlines for any reason. They were

‘ordinary’ women who lived in Britain, many of whom worked, some had husbands and some were bringing up their families. Even though they may be considered to be

‘ordinary’ women, to me these were the women with whom I really wanted to speak, in order to find out what their lives were really like and why it was that they had decided to wear the hijab. Were they really oppressed women who did not make decisions for themselves? Or was there something else going on?