Arabs and Islam in America: Wearing a Hijab

Arabs and Islam in America: Wearing a Hijab

Alexandra Duma
Psychology 221
John Jay College

Arabs and Islam in America: Wearing a Hijab

Arabs and Islam in America: Wearing the Hijab

PART I
I chose to step into the life of a Muslim woman for a day. The goal of this role-play was to
experience the standard life for so many Muslim women around the world that choose to wear a head
covering, called a hijab, in public. I wanted to gain a better understanding of a culture that is often
misperceived, especially in the United States. I believe that there is a lot of prejudice and religious
discrimination against Muslims, particularly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. At the
beginning of my preparation, I was very excited to learn how to wrap a hijab around my head and to
really take on my role as a Muslim woman. I was excited to interact with people and see their reactions. I
chose to cover my head with a black pashmina scarf and wear a long dress, to stay true to the modesty
standards of the Muslim religion.
PART II
Once I was outside, I was surprised to notice that my feelings of excitement disappeared. I
suddenly felt like I was standing out, even though I was trying my best not to. I wore the hijab for a full
day, during which I went grocery shopping, I met some friends for lunch and I went to school. The day
went on without any major incidents. Most of the responses I got were subtle or nonexistent. Every now
and then I would catch a curious glance while walking on the street, or the stare of a stranger in the
subway. There were moments when I forgot I was wearing it, and then there were moments when I felt
that my hijab made me stand out. I believe that Muslim women are struggling to prove that there is more
to them than their religious identity. This is a privilege that I was not aware of before this role-play. I feel
like this is something a woman who chooses to cover her head faces everyday: the struggle of getting
people to know the person behind the veil, which in the end is just a symbol.
PART III
Two key concepts that apply to people of different religions (in this case, Muslims) are the
outgroup homogeneity effect and the illusiory correlations. As a result of how we perceive people that we

Arabs and Islam in America: Wearing a Hijab

identify with (ingroups) and people that we categorize as belonging to different groups (called outgroups),
a phenomenon called outgroup homogeneity effect takes place. Outgroup homogeneity effect is defined
as the tendency to assume that there is a greater similarity among members of outgroups than among
members of ingroups(Kassin 172). I believe that my experience is consistent with this theory. Most
people tend to perceive women who wear a hijab as part of a large bloc, where everyone shares the same
beliefs and acts in a similar manner. When people see a woman who wears a veil, they have certain
expectations of how that person is likely to act in certain situations. For example, during my role-play, I
constantly felt that people were expecting me to behave in a modest, reserved manner, rather than having
an extroverted or friendly approach. These mass perceptions result in a greater stereotype, greater
outgroup homogeneity and a generally more biased behavior towards Muslims. Of course, this theory
doesn't apply under all conditions, situations or to all individuals. Personal contact and familiarity of an
individual with someone who is part of a different group, in this case, women who are identified as
Muslims, plays a vital role in whether this phenomenon is likely to occur or not. The more familiar people
are with Muslim women, the less likely they are to expect them to behave in a certain way and less likely
to perceive their religious group as homogeneous. If people don't usually interact with women who wear a
hijab, or don't have personal contact with them often, there is a higher chance that they will be perceived
as individuals looking and acting alike.
Another key concept mentioned above that plays an important role in stereotyping and
discriminating Muslims is the illusory correlation. An illusory correlation is an overestimate of the
association between variables that are only slightly or not at all correlated (Kassin 184). This means that
people have a tendency to overestimate the link between two variables that are not strongly correlated,
leading to stereotyping and discriminating of a specific group. I didn't find my role-play experience to be
particularly consistent with this concept. I believe this is mainly because this theory is hard to observe
with the naked eye. One example of illusory correlation comes from the tragic attack of September 11th,

Arabs and Islam in America: Wearing a Hijab

that has given the belief that the attack was grounded in Islamic fundamentalism as part of a Holy war.
Prior to the attack, most people in the United States had little information and few strong beliefs about
Islam. Unfortunately, after the attacks there was a rise in anti-Muslim bias and discrimination, based in
part on the illusory correlation between a belief in Islam and violent behavior. Again, this concept relies
on the lack of knowledge of the culture and lack of personal contact with Muslim people. If a person
interacts with Muslims often, it is less likely for such false correlations to take place.
PART IV
The purpose of wearing a hijab for a day was to gain a better understanding of what it's like to be a
Muslim woman who wears a head cover in America. I did and I also ended up learning more about
myself. One of my pre-conceived ideas about Muslim women who wear a head cover was that they were
less approachable than other social groups. After wearing the hijab for a day, I realized that a veil
represents a powerful symbol, a symbol of modesty and chastity, but in the end, it is just a symbol and
should never be seen as a mirror to one's personality.
One policy that is unjust to Muslims and Arabs and must be changed, in order to protect the civil
rights of these groups is the PATRIOT ACT. Soon after the September 11th , 2001 terrorist attacks, the
members of the Congress signed the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, a law that is still in full force and effect
today, in order to strengthen security controls. According to a research study conducted by the Institute
for Social Policy and Understanding, ambiguities in interpreting the law have led to misapplication of the
law by government officials as well as abuses by enforcement officers. Even though this law is
threatening the civil liberties of people from all social categories, the most negatively affected by this law
are Muslims and Arab Americans. Incidents include airport profiling, verbal harassment and physical
assaults. It has also led to backlash against Arabs and Muslims, with hate crimes rising more than ever
before.

Arabs and Islam in America: Wearing a Hijab

5
References

Ahmed, A.(2004). The US Patriot Act: Impact on the Arab and Muslim community. Institute for Social
Policy and Understanding. Retrieved from:
http://www.ispu.org/GetReports/35/1901/Publications.aspx
Kassin,S., & Fein,S., & Markus, H.R.(2013). Social Psychology. New York: Houghton Mifflin.