Muslim headscarf draws often unwanted attention in Greece

Despite isolated nasty incidents, many young women will not give up hijab

Greeks in general are not bothered by a young woman wearing a headscarf, but they will turn to look, as Muslim women soon discover.

By Costas Onisenko - Kathimerini

Headscarves are not unknown in Greece. Not so long ago, they were a standard article of clothing among Greek women, especially those who lived in villages. But how do students react to a classmate wearing the hijab?

«I had never worn a headscarf until three years ago, when I visited my grandmother in Egypt,» said Nadia, a young Muslim who attends senior high school in the inner Athens suburb of Petralona. «Sometimes it upsets me when other children tease me, but I don't think they do it out of malice. They've tried to pull off the scarf and they call me 'mandila' [headscarf] for fun,» she said.

At just 15 years of age, she says she would have been prepared to forgo the scarf for the sake of a career or love. As she explained, the headscarf is not obligatory: «I have a Muslim classmate who is from Turkey and she doesn't wear one.»

The issue of whether headscarves should be permitted in schools made the headlines in Greece earlier this year. Parents had complained that the headmaster of a junior high school in Rendi had not allowed a pupil wearing a headscarf to attend classes. In response to their reaction, the headmaster said the fuss had arisen from a misunderstanding, and the pupil was allowed back in the classroom.

That may have been the only incident that made the news, but it was not an isolated case, Hala Akari from the women's group at the Greek-Arab Culture Center told Kathimerini.

«Last year pupils at a school in Attica attacked a young Muslim girl, pulled off her headscarf and trampled on it,» said Akari. «The pupil herself didn't want us to intervene, and she decided not to wear the scarf again until she goes to university.»

Akari explained that most Muslim schoolgirls prefer not to wear the hijab while they are at school. «Every now and then there are problems that the headmasters and teachers create on that subject, but usually they are solved quickly. State functionaries may not understand this religious feature, but they respect it.» She advises young Muslims not to wear the hijab if they are not sure about their faith or their own endurance. As Akari put it, wearing the headscarf is only meaningful for a believer.

Dimitra, a Greek who espoused Islam at the age of 24, isn't bothered by the views of others. «As long as what I am doing is an expression of myself, no comment can affect me,» she said. «At first, wherever I went, especially on public transport, I felt people's eyes on me. Now I don't notice it anymore. I had a few ugly incidents in the street when I was jeered at by strangers,»

Her greatest problem was with her parents. «They couldn't accept my decision. Every day we had tears, drama and threats,» she recalled.

Ahmet Moawia, coordinator of the Greek Migrants Forum, believes it is too early to draw any firm conclusions about the reaction of Greek society to the hijab. «Most Muslim women here are first-generation migrants who remain within the close confines of the home environment. They don't have much to do with society,» adding with optimism: «I think Greek society is familiar with the image of the headscarf from its own traditions. I don't think we'll have clashes.»