Why I Don't Wear Hijab & Why It is Not a Sin

A Case Study in Moral Priorities and Minority Opinions in Islamic Law

Greetings of Peace dear Friends,

First, my apologies. Honestly, I don’t like giving oxygen to this topic, especially in light of all of the bigger moral priorities in the world, but I believe that in this moment of intense hardship in the world, change must begin at the granular level - at the individual level, especially among women. With individual empowerment will come collective empowerment, as we are the sum total of our individual parts and then some.

I made this video (below) because I care deeply about the empowerment of women. Talking about this issue in such a bold way is like throwing oneself face-first into a hedge of thorny rose bushes. Nevertheless, my testimony here is intended to lift a burden, and hopefully uplift, a woman who needs it. In a nutshell, I argue that it is NOT a sin for a woman to choose NOT to wear a headscarf, based on the fact that a minority opinion in Islamic law exists that the hijab, the women’s head-covering, is NOT mandatory. How do I know this? I am married to one of the eminent scholars of Islam, Islamic law, Shari’ah of our time, a distinguished professor of American and International law, and a classically-trained “old school” Islamic jurist. This is his research, not mine.

This awareness was life-affirming and liberating for me as a young convert over 30 years ago. In our life’s work of educating the public on beautiful and ethical interpretations of Islam, we have encountered more than our fair share of women who have suffered or even turned away from Islam under the belief that wearing the hijab was an unequivocal requirement of the faith. Those who chose not to wear the scarf carried the shame of feeling they were committing a sin.

As I played a visible role, speaking in public as the Executive Director of our non-profit Islamic education institute, I would often be told that I should wear the headscarf, that I was committing a sin for not doing so, and further, how could I expect anyone would listen to me when I did not follow this most fundamental requirement of women? Muslim women who also did not cover, thanked me for speaking out as a non-hijabi woman because they themselves felt silenced as such.

In these troubled times, I am firmly convinced that we must each do our part to share what God has gifted us in the service of others. I was gifted the opportunity to see, learn and experience Islam from a rare and privileged vantage point that empowered and liberated me. God curated a life journey for me full of deep learning, not the least of which includes our three-year-long intensive engagement at The Usuli Institute known as Project Illumine: The Light of the Qur’an — ethical deep-dives into all 114 chapters of the Qur’an, demonstrating that each chapter holds a unique moral message for humanity. My outlook is anchored in this knowledge and learning. And this testimony is not a whimsical, comfort-based attempt to “modernize” or “secularize” the faith, or justify my own sins, as I have been accused.

Within a short time of releasing this video on YouTube, as expected, the comment section became rich with nice and not-so-nice opinions, lively banter, and well-intentioned correctives from people who had obviously not watched the video. Interestingly, the dynamics in the comments mirrored many of my experiences in real Muslim spaces, well illustrating some of the points I make in the video. Some people commented that they refused to watch my video and unsubscribed, encouraging others to do the same. This video was obviously not for them.

This video is for the women who are suffering, have suffered, or have turned away from the faith because they have been told that there is a universal consensus (‘ijma) among all Islamic scholars that the hijab is an absolute requirement of Islam. This is simply not true.

I believe that as Muslims, we must take God’s Words seriously, embrace change and critical thinking, and strive to be at the forefront of learning, ethics and virtue in our world for every issue, not just hijab.

I present this testimony in the hopes that those who need to hear it will find it. I pray that it will be a source of insight, reassurance and belief that our loving, beautiful God of humanity will always place a much greater moral priority on the enlightenment, empowerment and liberation of each individual over the superficial or material trappings of appearance. And God Knows Best. May God accept.