Muslim

This piece is from a series called "Decision Portraits". This series examines real people and their real life choices without making value judgment. The titles and words are meant to reflect the choice, confront and challenge the viewer, and stimulate consideration. The statement for this individual piece is:
A hijab is a headscarf worn by Muslim women. It conceals the hair and neck and sometimes the face with a veil for the eyes. The word in Arabic means "curtain / cover" and is based on the root ??? meaning "to cover, to veil, to shelter" It is worn over daily clothes in public and generally removed at home. It is similar to a burqa which Wikipedia describes as a garment covering most of the body as an outer garment. Burqa comes from the Arabic root /r/+/q/+/?/ which means "to patch up" or "to sew up". Muslim women wear both as a sign of modesty and religious devotion. Unfortunately, there are many people all over the world that look upon these clothing choices as something sinister and fearful. Personally, I simply see a fellow female who is proud to proclaim a faith that shares the same Old Testament as my beliefs. When viewed by others, I hope this portrait provokes thoughts about how best to respond to someone of another faith. There is a blog for all 108 portraits: http://decisionportraits.blogspot.com.