16 April 2007
Muslim Women in America a Diverse Group, Scholar Says
Abdrabboh cites freedom to make choices about religious observance
Washington – The diversity of Muslim women in America “is a testament” to the freedom of choice they are able to exercise in their religious observance, says Fatina Abdrabboh, a graduate student of Islamic studies and international security at Harvard University in Massachusetts.
Abdrabboh, who wears the hijab (traditional headscarf), said American culture allows everyone to be “who you want to be and whatever you want to be.”
Speaking in a State Department-sponsored webchat April 16 with participants from the United States and 17 other countries, Abdrabboh said Muslim women vary widely in their background, religious expression and political beliefs.
“The diversity of Muslim women in American is a testament to the extent to which they have agency and choice in their religious observance,” said Abdrabboh.
“For the vast majority of Muslim women who wear hijabs in America, there does not appear to be any problems, both in the university and in the workforce,” she said, noting that women who wear the hijab are employed by the federal government, corporations “and every sector of the work force, from teachers to service providers.”
“In fact, many young Muslim women in America take pride in their choice to cover their hair, and the freedom to express such a choice in this country,” she said. (See related article.)
Abdrabboh, the head of the Muslim Student Organization at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan. In June 2006, she participated in a 10-day State Department-sponsored traveling speaker program in Niger to discuss her research on Islam and life as a Muslim woman in America.
She said there are some 2,000 mosques in the United States and a Muslim population estimated at 7 million to 9 million. They include immigrants from the Middle East, South Asia and elsewhere, their children and grandchildren, and African-American Muslims.
“These all contribute to the richness and complexity of the identity and psyche of the American Muslim woman,” Abdrabboh said.
She also cited the wide variety of U.S. Muslim women’s groups dealing with humanitarian issues, prevention of domestic violence, gender equality and other challenges. “Most important, there are a rising number of women-initiated and women-led federations,” Abdrabboh said.
“I think it’s crucial that Muslim women all over the world learn from other women’s struggles and combine efforts,” she added. Abdrabboh also stressed that “the struggle for women’s equality is not a Muslim thing” and that “gender justice is a principle that we should all strive to perfect.”
Many Americans are very interested in learning about “Islam in general, the Middle East, Arab and Muslim culture,” she said, “and [I] have managed to entertain this opportunity engaging everyone and anyone who is curious.”
According to Abdrabboh, there are advantages to being a Muslim woman in the United States, including the opportunity to answer the many “social, political and intellectual questions” that Americans have. Because the United States offers the opportunity for free expression, Muslim women have the ability to dispel myths and stereotypes, she said.
Abdrabboh also cited rising interest in Arabic classes at Harvard and other institutions. This includes various dialects “from Levantine Arabic to colloquial Egyptian Arabic” as well as modern standard Arabic and classical Arabic, she said.
A transcript of Abdrabboh’s webchat and information on upcoming webchats, including one with the publisher of Azizah magazine, are available on USINFO's Webchat Station.
See also "U.S. College's 'Coexistence House' Promotes Religious Tolerance," “American Muslim Woman Shares Views on Life in United States” and Muslim Life in America.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
