There is an important distinction that we wish more people would consider when discussing the hijab and Muslim girls, i.e., the freedom of an adult woman is not necessarily the same thing as the freedom of a child.
There are certainly Muslim girls who genuinely want to wear the hijab. We do not deny that. But the existence of some voluntary choices does not answer the question of what society should do when many other children may be wearing it because of parental or community pressure.
A young girl may have very little practical ability to say:
"I don't want to wear this."
Her parents control much of her life. She may depend on them financially and emotionally, and she may fear punishment, shame, rejection, or being told that refusing the hijab makes her a bad Muslim.
This is why we believe the issue should be approached primarily as a child-protection and autonomy question, rather than simply as a question of religious freedom.
We already accept this principle in other areas
Consider child labor.
A 12-year-old (or younger) might genuinely say:
"I want to work in a factory because I want to help my family or earn money."
Yet society does not simply say, "The child consented, therefore everything is fine."
We restrict child labor because we recognize that children are particularly vulnerable to parental, economic, and social pressure. Allowing the practice simply because some children appear willing could leave many other children vulnerable to exploitation.
Now consider compulsory education.
A child may genuinely say:
"I don't want to go to school."
The parents may even agree.
Nevertheless, the state can override both the child's and the parents' preferences because society considers education essential to the child's future independence and ability to participate freely in adult life.
The underlying principle is clear, i.e., children have rights and developing autonomy, but society does not treat every decision made by a child as equivalent to an autonomous decision made by an adult.
Why should religious clothing be different?
This is the question we would like Western societies to debate honestly.
If a young girl genuinely wants to wear the hijab, we should acknowledge that her preference may be sincere.
But we must also ask: How can we distinguish genuine choice from a choice produced by years of religious conditioning, parental pressure, fear of punishment, or fear of being rejected by one's family?
And what about the girl who desperately wants to remove it but cannot safely say so?
For an adult woman, we believe the answer should be straightforward, i.e., she should be free to decide for herself.
An adult Muslim woman who freely chooses to wear the hijab should not be forced to remove it.
But childhood is different.
A temporary restriction on religious dress for minors can be defended on the grounds that it protects children until they reach an age at which they have substantially greater independence and are better able to make such decisions for themselves.
The purpose would not be to tell an adult woman what she may or may not wear.
It would be to prevent religious authority from becoming parental coercion over children.
This is not necessarily an attack on freedom of religion
Freedom of religion does not mean that parents have unlimited authority over every decision affecting their children.
We already place limits on parental authority when children are involved.
Parents cannot legally:
- force their children into child labor
- prevent them from receiving an education
- arrange a child marriage, even if a 14 years old girl gives her consent for it
- or expose them to various forms of abuse simply by claiming religious or cultural freedom.
The question, therefore, is not:
"Should Muslims have religious freedom?"
Of course adults should have religious freedom.
The real question is: "How much religious authority should parents be allowed to exercise over children who are not yet capable of fully independent decision-making?"
That is a legitimate question in any liberal democracy.
And if society concludes that children need protection from coercive religious practices, that protection should apply regardless of whether the religion involved is Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, or any other religion.
Protect the child, preserve the adult's freedom
Our position is therefore not:
"Muslim women should not be allowed to wear the hijab."
But it is:
"Children should be protected from religious coercion, and adults should be free to make their own religious choices."
A girl who reaches adulthood and freely decides that she wants to wear the hijab should be completely free to do so.
And a girl who reaches adulthood and decides that she does not want to wear it should be equally free to remove it.
Hassan Radwan