Ma`rifat

In the modern Western-oriented development discourse, women’s clothing, especially the Islamic hijab, has often been presented as a symbol of backwardness, traditionalism, and an obstacle to socio-economic participation. This article challenges this representation by using critical discourse analysis and a review of empirical and theoretical evidence. It then challenges this stereotype by citing historical evidence of Hazrat Zahra (PBUH) and Hazrat Zaynab (PBUH) as concrete examples of the coexistence of full hijab with political and social activism. Empirical evidence from post-revolutionary Iran rejects any causal relationship between clothing and development. The representation of hijab as an obstacle to development is rooted in colonial and orientalist discourse that ignores the agency of Muslim women and diverts attention from the real obstacles to development. In fact, in certain contexts, hijab can not only be an obstacle, but also a facilitator of women’s safe presence in the public sphere, economic participation, and a tool for anti-colonial resistance.