Stop shaming the hijab

Ok, here's something that's been bothering me for a long time.

I try really hard not to judge religion. If it works for you and you aren't hurting anyone because of it. Good for you. That's my general opinion. I don't think anyone has the true "guidebook to the afterlife". I think everyone has bits and pieces. I'm more of a "Universalist" honestly.

However, the MOMENT you use your religion to try and belittle or force others to conform to your belief standard is the moment that I give any opinion of yours less weight in my worldview. The more that you do this, the less weight I give your opinion, until I don't pay any attention to anything you think at all, about anything.

Let's talk hijabs, that flowing head covering some muslem women wear.

I am a pretty standard white lower middle class woman. However, I have noticed that in the USA the hijab has become a symbol of something that it was never meant to be. It's somehow become synonymous with terrorists and a crushing lack of feminine rights in the Muslem religion. Now I have not studied the religion. The small amount of understanding that I, as a stupid american have, is that it's a modesty issue.

OK.

Now, you get people that demand that women take off their hijab. You get companies that make it against the mandatory dress code, people that yell at these women on the streets. Even those that try to snatch them off a woman's head.

What is wrong with these people? I don't understand.

If it is not ok for someone to come up to me and demand I take off my shirt, or try to snatch it off themselves, it is NOT ok for me to demand that they remove or snatch their hijab.

It's that simple. If you're a christian, it's supposed to be "The Golden Rule". If someone can not require that you put a hijab on, you can not require that they take a hijab off. If it's a religious thing then think of it like a crucifix or a cross, or whatever sacred symbol that identifies you as a member of your religious sect you prefer. If it's a terrorist thing I'd like to point out that I don't believe there is a race, creed, religion or people that don't have some violence or terrible act in their background. This does not paint the entire breed. If it's a "You aren't the same as me." thing, then... Shame on you.

So please, be a reasonable human being. It's not hurting you, it is not in any way making your life more difficult. It's not a legal issue. It's not a human rights issue.

Let it go.