The ethnographic film (un)veiled is centered around the views of different women with regard to the wearing of the hijab (a scarf that covers the head, neck and chest) by women. The women we hear from are from different backgrounds, nationalities and demographic locations, but they all share one thing, the Muslim religion. The hijab can be worn in different ways, just to cover the head and neck or it can be worn to cover the whole face and only leave an opening for the eyes. Although most believe it is a way of modest dress, some do believe that it has been taken to the extreme, even in today's culture. It seems the worldview of women wearing the hijab is a sign of being oppressed, but the muslim women who wear it, see it as a symbol of devotion to their religion, a way that they were brought up, a sign of the values that they were taught. They feel respected and elevated and believe that they are seen for their mind and personality, not their bodies or beauty.
Enculturation is what is learned by a culture, we are not born with it. The wearing of the hijab is part of a religious culture and who are outsiders to say different. I do believe that for a country, such as Saudi Arabia, to enforce their values and norms on outsiders in unethical. For the young women, some feel it should be their choice to wear the headdress and it should be because they have educated themselves in the religion and have made that decision based on facts and findings, not because society or family tells them too. The country of Dubai is mainly muslim, but because of the booming tourism industry, they are becoming more acceptable/tolorable of different cultures. Even some muslim families live more off of “family values” than religious ones. I truly do not see a problem with it. What someone else wears does not effect me one bit. If that is how they were raised, it is part of their construction and they should beable to live how they choose...