Day 7 - Rock the Hijab

Last night I went to Kent to hear a band called "The 7 Walkers." It was the first time this week I wondered if I should take off the hijab. After all, it was a rock and roll concert, and there would be beer there, and I would certainly stand out. But, I decided I made the commitment to wear the hijab for a week, and would only remove it in the privacy of my own home and with my own husband. So, off we went to the 7 Walkers, whose drummer hailed from the Grateful Dead. They played swamp-rock-boogie-blues--how could I not go? We bought tickets for this show long before the idea of wearing the hijab came to me.

The venue was the Kent Stage, a theatre well known to me from my college days. I threw more rice and toilet paper at the multiple screenings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS) than I can care to remember. By comparison, this crowd was a lot less freaky than my RHPS friends, but it was a bit of time warp, with tie-dyed curtains behind the band and many people with long hair and hairy legs (not poking fun at hairy legs, mind you, it's a personal choice, just goes with the Grateful Dead ambiance...) putting down some pretty smooth dance moves.

The first thing I noticed about wearing the hijab was that it got really hot, really fast. What made it hotter was when I got up to dance. Here's where the hijab and my Western and secularized-anything- goes culture clashed. As I was down front of the auditorium, boogieing to the groovy sounds of the 7 Walkers, I slowly began to come to terms with the fact that wearing a hijab and dancing in public, around men who are not my husband, and shaking my groove thang is not a particularly Muslim thing to do. Or, at least, i didn't think so. (My Muslim friends should chime in here...) As I looked around the gentle mosh pit that enveloped me, I saw young women in all states of dress, just movin' and groovin' with little concern for what poked or prodded through their tank tops. If I was not wearing the hijab, I don't think I would have noticed or cared, frankly. They were just having a great time, leaping and dancing and jiggling. I take that kind of freedom for granted.

As I was noticing all of this, while trying to dance "discreetly," I also wondered why wearing the hijab, the abaya or the burqua, is seen as a way to help men control their sexuality. Most of the men who were dancing with their girlfriends didn't seem out of control; just guys who were enjoying the music and dancing with their girlfriends. It didn't appear to me that even the most vigorous female dancers were being stared at or visually pawed after. So what's up with that? Is men's sexuality so out of control that they can't dance to a Grateful Dead tune without wanting something more?

I tried to think about it as a Muslim woman might. For one thing, standing and jiggling one's parts in front of the opposite sex might lead to unmarried sex. That would be bad. Or, jiggling one's body in public would seem to be promoting self-expression over a more disciplined approach to one's relationship with God. That would be counter to the faith. So, going to a rock concert, wearing a hijab, and jiggling in time with the music probably was probably not the right thing to do last night. I doubt very seriously if a Muslim woman who tried to follow the faith would have gone to (a) a rock concert like the 7 Walkers (b) to a place where alcohol is regularly served (c) danced in front of men who are not my husband.

I also noticed the actual content of much of the songs, which--being a New Orlean's Blues-jazz kind of band, not surprisingly, were about heartache, loss, longing and waiting until the Midnight Hour to see that twinkle in her eye..." I never really thought about the lyrics until I listened to them as a person from another culture (in this case, Muslim) might. Thinly veiled (no pun intended) references to getting home late at night, got something to make you feel alright...etc, really doesn't work when you try to live a faithful life as a Muslim woman. Seemed to me that a Muslim woman could have both the twinkle and the propriety; but it's all in the context. You could dance like crazy--in private, but one's public life is determined by modesty, not enticing another, and not drawing attention to oneself.

Sunday is the last day for wearing the hijab. I had planned to remove it after the first service and before the second. It's been a truly eye-opening experience . Thank you all so much for your responses! See you all tomorrow. Kathleen