Hijaben: Kampen om frihet, kvinnefrigjøring og den muslimske kvinnens «beste»

Abstract

In this chapter, we explore how whiteness and Western cultural practices can contribute to Islamophobic actions and attitudes towards visibly practicing Muslim girls and women in contemporary Norway. We analyze an incident that took place in Oslo in 2021 in which a Muslim girl, Fatima, was challenged by a right-wing politician to prove that she wears a hijab of her own free will. In addition to postcolonial literature, we employ the following theories: whiteness theory, racialization, and Islamophobia. The analysis describes how different forms of power and oppression interact in relation to whiteness, gender, and colonial legacy. Furthermore, it reveals how Muslim girls and women are objectified, racialized, and sexualized as victims in the colonial discourse of the “white man’s burden”. The analysis also explores the ambiguities of the colonial emphasis on “freedom” and “liberation”, both within the colonial discourse and in the reaction and resistance of Fatima. The article argues that in societies where whiteness and Western cultural practices are dominant, there is a tendency to view other cultures and religions, such as Islam, as subordinate, foreign, or threatening, which can contribute to a negative perception of Muslims and lay the groundwork for Islamophobia.