writing_womans_lives_symposium_paper_book_v2

It is obvious from the examples I have given that the interviewees face various forms of
challenges to their personal and professional identities. However, their presence in the workplace is
an example their agency. The women learn from experience the best ways to negotiate their
identities. The women learn how their Muslim identity can be salient and not be in conflict with their
Americanness. While some changed their style of hijab or even decided not to wear the hijab any
longer in order to receive better treatment at work, many didn’t feel the need to compromise. They
held onto a firm belief that they should not be judged for they style they wear the hijab, but how
well they perform their jobs. Even though they face challenges they continue to be part of the social
sphere and muhajibah Muslim women are contributors to society.
Keywords: Muslim, American, Women, Hijab, Workplace
Fatima KOURA
M.A. Women’s and Gender Studies, New Jersey, USA
fatimakoura@yahoo.com
Independent scholar
Notes
1
United States Constitution, Amendment 1
2
Title of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
3
Yvonne Haddad, Jane I Smith, and Kathleen M. Moore. Muslim Women in
America: The Challenge of Islamic Identity Today. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 39
4
Collins, Patricia Hill, Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of
Empowerment. (Routledge: New York, 1990), 221
5
Ibid.,221
6
Killian, Caitlin, “The Other Side of the Veil: North African Women in France Respond to the
Headscarf Affair,” Gender and Society 17 (2003): 579.
7
Killian, Caitlin, North African Women in France: Gender, Culture, and Identity.
(California: Stanford University Press, 2006), 6
8
Mahmood, Saba. Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject. (Princeton and
Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2005) 157
9
Ibid.,168
Bibliography
Collins, Patricia Hill, Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of
Empowerment. (Routledge: New York. 1990), 221
Yvonne Haddad, Jane I Smith, and Kathleen M. Moore. Muslim Women in
America: The Challenge of Islamic Identity Today. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 39
Killian, Caitlin, “The Other Side of the Veil: North African Women in France Respond to the
Headscarf Affair,” Gender and Society 17 (2003): 579.
Killian, Caitlin.,North African Women in France: Gender, Culture, and Identity.
(California: Stanford University Press, 2006), 6
910