When the media images of women from Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen began rolling in, I was thrilled. Here were women who were neither submissive nor silent, and their clothing appeared to pose no barriers to their participation in the demonstrations. There were pictures of young girls with hijabs tucked around animated faces, arms raised high and fingers split in the universal signs for victory and peace. There were images of women in black burkhas kissing soldiers and women in niqab bowing down in prayer shoulder-to-shoulder with men, in front of tanks and barricades. Also present were women in skinny jeans and uncovered heads, screaming revolutionary slogans in Arabic and English. In fact, some of the key leaders in the protests were women wearing burkhas and hijabs. In Yemen, Tawakul Abdel-Salam Karman, a fiery female activist managed to lead the protests while wearing a hijab and black burkha. Asmaa Mahfouz, who is credited with a significant role in igniting and then leading the revolution in Egypt, wore a hijab.
FROM: http://www.altmuslimah.com/a/b/spa/4211/
