The Hijab; or as Obama once said, the ‘Hajeeb’, has become undoubtedly a piece of clothing that has accumulated an unrivalled amount of controversy and speculation in the twenty-first century. Associated commonly with the religion of Islam, its symbolic background has been targeted, creating authorisation for discrimination, harassment and targeted assaults; especially in the West. More horrifically, it has resulted in social prejudice in a country where Islam is predominantly practiced – Tunisia.

With a 99% Muslim population, the North African country has a renowned history of the hijab being banned from being worn publicly, and within workplaces. Under Ben Ali’s dictatorship, the constitution, ironically, guaranteed “freedom of belief and the exercise of religious practices” which was undeniably deceptive. There were, in fact, several laws, and tight regulations on religious activities within the country, with the main concern being the threat of a rise in Islamic extremism, thus putting the country’s national security and defence in jeopardy.

Women wearing hijabs were amongst the group of people kept under strict monitoring. The ability of a woman to navigate within the country without being targeted, discriminated against, or even stopped by police, was rare. Police had the power to sanction and charge women for failing to remove the hijab, and had the right to deny Tunisian nationals entry into the country upon failure to comply with their requests. In extreme cases, police had the right to forcefully remove the hijab off a woman’s head. The situation reached a state in which women who resisted were tried and threatened with a potential jail sentence. Women who wore the hijab and worked in the public sector, especially teachers, had their hours reduced, their pay considerably cut and potential dismissal from their position without notice.

From a personal experience, the decision of wearing the hijab in my homeland was a definite no, as I have seen my mother being demanded to remove it, with the threat of being sanctioned if she did not comply. My father would protest for her freedom but he knew very well that a consequence of contravening the law would result in potential future denied entry into the country. She wore it in a way that made her uncomfortable – loosely draped around her hair, exposing her blonde locks. She felt uncomfortable, guilty and ashamed for sharing something so sacred to her. I can see how violated she was having her personal religious freedom stripped away from her, this heavily influenced my decision to not wear the hijab in Tunisia, despite me wearing it comfortably, and with dedication, anywhere else. I felt inadequate, as if I had failed in serving my religion to the best of my ability.

Following the January 2011 revolution, which kick-started the Arab Spring in a desperate attempt to adopt a democracy, the fall of Ben Ali led to the loosening of the strict religious authoritarianism. This also led to, as previously feared, a rise in religious extremism. The 1988 law, amongst others, banning religious activities not approved by the state, was uplifted, consequently leading to the dismissal of imams linked to the previous regime. Thus, there was no power over what was being preached in religious venues, an extreme turn of events in a country that once had this aspect under very strict control. Despite the rise in extremism, with exponential increase in the number of young Tunisians fleeing to Syria for ‘jihad’, this led to one positive outcome; the veil was finally lifted on women’s right to religious freedom.

Women were finally allowed to wear the hijab to work, were no longer stopped by the police, and were given the right to the same pay as women who had chosen not to veil.

With oscillating views within Tunisian society, especially within parties in the Tunisian government, on how women are perceived, women’s rights in Tunisia are the best acknowledged compared to other neighbouring countries.

After Habib Bourgiba paved the way forward for women in 1956 by allowing them to access higher education, creating job opportunities and permitting them to file for divorce, there was, and is, a continuous and gradual shift in the social norms for women compared to other “conventional” Muslim countries. Although granting women the right to wear the hijab and have their freedom of expression is deemed to be a national success, there are numerous other issues that are in need of amendment.

With rising numbers of women wearing the hijab, it has undoubtedly generated a paradigm shift in how women are seen through the eyes of the Tunisian law. There is hope in that this can create a gateway for the resolution of greater concerns that women face within Tunisian society, with the biggest being domestic violence, especially in rural areas. In a nation that has fought for years, and is continuing to fight, to get back on her feet, Tunisia is beginning to establish an environment where women can thrive, feel appreciated and acknowledged in a country that once silenced their freedom and their right to expression.

Article Image by Tunisian Artist Hiba Khalifa