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By Shahla Khan, IFN Staff Reporter
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Tuesday, 03 November 2009 |
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Page 2 of 6
The thorns on the vines
It may come as a surprise that most of the challenges encountered by Muslim teens are the same as those faced by the majority of teens in America. Though convincing your parents to buy you the coolest new pair of shoes or trying to figure out how to finish ten chapters of Moby Dick in one sitting the night before the exam may be burdensome for some, it is definitely not the worst of challenges that a Muslim teen can face, especially in post-9/11 America.
On Sept. 8, a 16-year-old Muslim girl of Iraqi descent was allegedly attacked on her way home from her first day of high school in Ann Arbor, Mich.
According to a press release, her family told the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations that the attackers hit the girl numerous times, pulled off her headscarf, and dragged her to a home.
"The constant cracks at Muslims in general are enough to make the girls feel different, misunderstood, hurt, and secluded" said Noura Badawi, an educator from Columbia University. "This is especially true for those girls who wear hijab. Some of them removed it out of insecurity and fear of being singled out, targeted, and being the butt of a joke."
The headscarf, a mandatory part of the female Islamic dress code, is often associated with oppression by Westerners. This, according to Badawi, compounds how young Muslim girls feel, act, and are thus treated by others.
"Sometimes the pressure is so great that the teenagers go the complete opposite direction or break free by moving away as soon as an opportunity comes up,” said Badawi. "Muslim teenagers are very conflicted; they have a need to assimilate, but they also have a strong desire to please their parents and their community.”
"It is often young girls, more than boys, who must consciously negotiate their identity in public," said Cristillo. “Some boys who shave and groom themselves like other kids in the school can hide their ethnic background.”
However, Cristillo added, “The stereotype that young Muslim men pose a threat continues to be a problem for many high schoolers.”
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Last Updated ( Friday, 04 December 2009 )
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