Huff Post: The headscarf is a controversial and widely-discussed issue today. It has been perceived as a political symbol, a symbol for oppression, as well as a fashion statement. So, what is it? No one can really decide. Can’t we just call it like it is? It’s a headscarf.

There are many reasons why women wear headscarves. But no one expected that a piece of cloth could divide society in that way.

We live in a country that gives us freedom in all aspects of life. That means that while we are bound to the constitution and to unwritten rules of co-existence, we have the right to individual expression. And one way that human beings express themselves strongly is through the clothes they decide to wear.

People have taken the phrase “clothes make the man” literally. The headscarf has been declared a deprecatory garment, and so every woman wearing a headscarf has been deemed an oppressed housewife living in a parallel society. These women are confined to stereotypes to the extent that no one notices that many of them are well-educated and confident members of society and the workforce. And yes, they wear a headscarf! And yes, they wear it out of conviction! And yes, they wear it voluntarily!

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