The decision of female converts to Islam NOT to wear the Hejab. Caroline Neumueller.
This paper examines the current understanding of Muslim converts on the decision not to wear the headscarf as a consequence to their conversion. The women in my sample disagree with the wearing of the headscarf simply for religious reasons, but instead interpret the wearing/not wearing decision as purely individual. Peer pressure may lead to problems within the new community of the convert, and disagreements over the interpretation of Qur’anic verses leads to further misunderstanding, especially among female converts, whether they wear the headscarf or do not. Not wearing the headscarf can be provocation, indicating a desire to promote Islam through the convert’s personal interpretation. However this can also lead to one separating oneself from traditional Islamic norms. This paper presents the challenges these women have set themselves in NOT wearing hejab, whilst still attempting to meet preconceived notions of Muslim dress. My PhD research more generally is empirical and focuses on comparing German and British converts to Islam. I examine their experiences of conversion, with particular regard to the questions of sexuality, but also how they adapted to a lifestyle quite different to the one they grew up in. My aim in this research is to enhance our knowledge of the process of conversion to Islam in a particular setting, to draw attention to personal issues and to investigate stereotypical views of the reasons why people convert, and why they convert to Islam. In this paper, I present the diversity of experiences of converts to Islam as they integrate to novel cultural and religious settings. My paper offers a new understanding of the challenges to social communication between two different lifestyles, before and after conversion. In this way, I believe my interdisciplinary paper will enrich the HuSS Annual Postgraduate Conference.