Political power of a piece of cloth

I timidly tiptoed into geometry class the day I started wearing a scarf at Crown Point High School. Much like my habit of twirling my hair, I nervously fiddled with the edges of the black cloth draped over my head as I walked through the halls of high school. My pseudo-confidence didn't lessen my anxiety of alienation. \nI liked the concept -- the idea that people would like me for who I was rather than how I looked. \nCall it what you like, my do-rag/turban isn't a political symbol. Sometimes, frankly, I even forget it's a religious symbol -- it's become a part of my individual identity.\nBut with a piece of cloth comes a sense of newfound responsibility -- maybe one I'm not fully capable of balancing. I don't profess to embody the thoughts of every Muslim woman. I don't pretend to understand the complexities of why an individual woman chooses to wear a scarf. And I certainly don't claim to serve as a spokeswoman for scarf-wearing women worldwide. \nWednesday the Muslim Student Union hosted a panel about hijab (the traditional scarf Muslim women wear). The event -- part of a week-long series for Islam Awareness Week -- tried to create dialogue about the most blatant feminine symbol of Islam around the world. \nThe women spoke about their varying experiences -- the lack of religious freedom to wear a scarf in Turkey, their increased moral awareness, the often overlooked internal stereotypes of being considered "ultra Muslim."\n"It's not really as simple as getting a piece of fabric and covering up your hair," one woman said. Hmm … really? \nWell, I'm thinking Europe might disagree.\nEarlier this year, France became the first European nation to ban head scarves. Belgium and Germany have shown interest in following the trend. In Germany, the hijab was banned in the southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg as of April 1 (Chicago Tribune).\nEuropean governments insist the ban is necessary because the scarf had become "a symbol of fundamentalism and extremism" (The Times of London, Jan. 19).\nAnd while one correspondent declared, "Good grief … it's just a scarf!" Diana West of the Washington Times sees a few more wrinkles in the fold of the fabric. "Good grief, it's anything but," she wrote in a Jan. 23 op/ed piece. \nIn Saudi Arabia, women can't step outside the house without wearing a scarf. In France, women can't enter a public school wearing one. Basically, you're damned if you do … damned if you don't.\n Author and Islamic researcher Robert Spencer explained on his Web site, www.jihadwatch.org, "Instead of going after the root of the problem, (the French) are targeting minutiae … But does (the French government) really think that beardless, bareheaded Muslims will not try to institute an Islamic state?" Governments may continue to confine hijab to cosmetics, but a makeover won't change ideologies. \nI didn't tiptoe into high school with the intent to spark a revolution.\nWhile Europe works to implement an aesthetic homogenous society and abolish political/religious identities, I'd rather work on an authentic internal makeover. Hijab is not a political tool, readily usurped at the convenience of leaders. My scarf isn't a fashion fad or a political device. While Belgium argues about the legitimacy of a head scarf ban, I'll go take a shower. I'd like to wash the politicalness out of my hair.