hijab

A Bosnian Muslim woman who has lived in Qom for over a decade offers a unique perspective on the lives of women in the West. Mrs. Arminia Hasakic shares her experiences and observations, challenging common Western notions of feminism and women’s rights.

A female researcher from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who has been living in Qom for nearly a decade, shares an “unretouched narrative of the lives of women outside Iran” with us.

A Personal Journey: From Bosnia to Qom

Mrs. Armina Hasakic is one of the women who has been residing in Qom for over a decade. She got married here and is a mother of four children. Alongside her roles as a mother and wife, she engages in research, study, and translation of Islamic sources and books while also managing two Bosnian-language information websites.

Recently returned to Iran after a four-month trip to Bosnia, she attended a session at Imam Khomeini’s house titled “An Unretouched Narrative of Women’s Lives Outside Iran,” where she provided firsthand accounts of women’s status in European countries under capitalist and liberal standards.

The Bitter Experience of Western Women

This newly converted Muslim woman began her talk by sharing her experiences living as a woman in Bosnia and Herzegovina: “The lifestyle and lived experiences of women in Bosnia, the Balkan Peninsula, and Southeastern Europe are similar. About 51% of Bosnia’s population is Muslim, with many women following Islam, though Shia Muslims are few. Describing women’s lives in Bosnia helps prevent repeating their bitter experiences in Iran.”

This Muslim Shia advocate specializing in women’s issues expressed concern about the rapid spread of cultural and ethical invasions today and the repetition of Western failed experiences in our country.

Pre-War and Post-War Challenges for Bosnian Muslim Women

She explained that the contemporary history of Bosnian Muslim women can be divided into several stages: pre-war conditions before 1992-1995 and post-war periods with significant challenges.

Regarding pre-war conditions for Bosnian Muslim women, she noted that they experienced extensive conflicts within an entirely patriarchal system. In contrast, Islam values women much more than Bosnian culture did. During World Wars I and II, they were primary targets for massacres. Genocides against Bosnian Muslims occurred multiple times, making life extremely difficult for Muslim women under patriarchal systems.

Hasakic shared wartime memories: “My grandmother told us that until age 18, veils were part of Muslim women’s attire—a white veil designed according to regional culture at that time.” Under communism, such veils were banned entirely, creating new problems for women.

Women: The Greatest Victims of War

She added that after 1995’s last war in this region, women became major victims—helplessly displaced or alone—and faced brutal assaults; many Muslim women were raped by Serbian soldiers or non-Muslims.

Post-war saw renewed religious interest among many returning to hijab; however, cinema growth along with media expansion introduced secular values to Bosnian Muslim society—a significant challenge today.

Balancing Career and Family: A Western Dilemma

Hasakic identified three main issues facing both Muslim/non-Muslim women adhering to their nature when confronting secular/liberal cultures: balancing employment/income with motherhood/childbearing remains unresolved across Europe/Balkans—women still struggle between nurturing inherent maternal/spousal talents versus pursuing financial independence desired by modern society.

She continues: This social pressure is so intense that it is pursued in various fields such as education, culture, economy, society, and politics, especially in the media. A successful woman is one who definitely has employment.

This Muslim researcher emphasizes: Whether during the patriarchy before the Bosnian war or in the current conditions, Bosnian women have not understood their true position.

Women Fought To Be Like Men

There are claims of equal rights and attention to women’s freedom, but the biggest issue for women has not yet been resolved in these countries; women have never fought for their own womanhood, even during the industrial revolution and after it and during the gender revolution. Rather, women have fought in every era to become like men.

According to Hasakic, Western society has taken men as a model and based on that advises women to sacrifice many of their feminine assets and talents to reach this model’s position; therefore, the definition of success has a fundamental problem; the question arises: who is a successful woman?

The Great Deception of Women in the West

She believes: During the industrial revolution, women were greatly deceived and left their homes to work alongside men in factories, and from that time their major problems also began. According to the Supreme Leader’s statement, maintaining a life and a home rests on women’s shoulders and in some societies alongside this role an office or factory or workplace must also be placed on this woman’s shoulders. In addition to these roles, she must give birth to children and strive for their success.

This Muslim researcher states that women’s social-political activities should not lead to losing opportunities for being mothers and wives. She adds: Shia religious scholars emphasize that before motherhood, being a good wife is important.

Hasakic emphasizes: Another issue is the culture of nudity which has caused many problems in Bosnia; I define a personal categorization based on my life experience. Firstly, chastity has left societies and families; one of the major problems of Western countries is women’s lack of attractiveness for men.

Hijab: A Wise Teaching

She continues: Hijab is a very wise teaching from God that guarantees women’s sexual attractiveness. If hijab is defined this way for Iranian girls it will be beautifully understood and many will more easily accept observing hijab.

This Muslim researcher says: Another problem created by nudity is creating an unsafe world for women; according to the latest official statistics from the European Union 33% of sexual harassment against women occurs at workplaces; these are official statistics reported by harassed women and certainly unofficial statistics are much higher.

Ms. Hasakic continues: The third issue is marriage; marriage methods in Western countries are simple with simple purchases involved without dowries or formalities but finding suitable partners for marriage remains a major problem, because accepting family responsibilities is very low while individuals’ inherent needs are met elsewhere outside home settings.

Promoting Hijab Philosophy

This researcher and translator in religion and thought states regarding hijab issues in our country: The issue of hijab should be separated from politics so that women can properly understand its philosophy. The family is the most important institution for promoting hijab philosophy while cultural institutions must make much greater efforts towards proper modeling within society guiding young girls’ thoughts effectively.

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From: imna