Respect for whom?

Submitted by josephS (United States), Nov 30, 2010 at 18:52

Many times, US dignitaries visit countries that are dominated by Muslims but not exclusively Muslim. Egypt is majority Muslim but other faiths are practiced there as well. When a female US dignitary, on a very public visit, choses to wear a scarf over her head "out of respect," out of respect for whom?

If regardless of faith the norm is for women to wear a hijab, fine, but if it is a Muslim thing only, then the US dignitary who dons a hijab isn't paying respects to the country, she's paying her respects and giving the official nod to the dominant religion. That's not what she should be doing.

US dignitaries ought to go as who they are. If they are not Muslim themselves, they should not dress like one. Represent the US and its freedoms and pluralities and pay respect to all faiths, not just the dominant one.

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