by Mst. Moshrefa Sharif
Abstract
The study was intended to reveal the major factors behind the uprising Hijab wearing in Dhaka city and its impact in society. The study deals with both qualitative data and quantitative data, along with review of history of Bengali culture. Total 200 girls and women of Dhaka city were interviewed for quantitative data. The respondents were selected randomly and in some cases purposive or referral sampling was done. The study data reveals that most of respondents are young, in between below 20 years and 30 years and most of them are students. They have come from middle class family and staying in Dhaka for a long time. The study revealed that different reasons influenced the respondents for wearing Hijab, which varied from religious to personal security, even parents’ instruction or fashion have had an influence. The study also found that most of respondents are aware of fashion and they’ve come out from the taboo that religion and fashion cannot be done simultaneously. Interestingly, they are following modern trend in wearing Hijab and using fashion accessories for decorating it. So, the study gives us a hint that Hijab is now a mainstream fashion among the young girls of the city. Most of respondents said that Muslim women should wear Hijab since it’s their identity and they believe that it should be encouraged more. Although they are hardly concerned about its impact of society, the researcher has found enough ground to believe that such a trend may only bring differences among the women and girls of different religious groups, which will ultimately have an overall impact on the culture of our society.
Keywords: hijab, Bangladesh, urban woman
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