Challenging Muslim Female Identity and the Conflict of Western Social Expectations and Religious Visibility: A Postcolonial Feminist View

Abstract

This Paper examines Muslim women's struggles with social expectations and religious identities in two novels: "The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf" by MohjaKahf and "Does My Head Look Big In This?". In the context of Muslim women's feminine identities amidst conflict due to religious visibility like Hijab in socially anticipated and demanding western settings, modern Anglophone literature is examined. Post-colonial feminist theory is used to analyse the text qualitatively through critical reading revealing literary aspects and representations that underscore Muslim women's struggles in Western countries. The research uses McKee's interpretive textual analysis, emphasising context and various interpretations as the autonomy, resilience, cultural integration, prejudice followed by identity were key words and themes in data collecting.The research revealed that Muslim women's complicated identity struggled between religious visibility and Western social expectations as in Randa Abdel-Fattah's work, the protagonist endured sleeplessness owing to the dread of wearing the headscarf in a potentially hostile situation. This internal conflict demonstrated how societal marginalisation affects Muslim women's mental health, as they must balance their religious identification with the dread of social discrimination. Additionally the conflict between cultural values and social inclusion is another important discovery as Uncle Joe's admonition to hide one's culture for social progress highlighted the conflict between cultural authenticity and social acceptability under which Muslim women and their families feel forced to sacrifice Islamic values for social and economic prospects in the diaspora. Similarly the protagonist's distress when her community is wrongly identified with Islamic radicalism showed how stereotyping affects relationships as this example demonstrated how daily micro-aggressions. On the other hand, Khadra's hijab experience in "The Girl with the Tangerine Scarf" emphasised its symbolic and emotional meaning as her resolve to wear the broken hijab showed her tenacity in keeping her cultural and religious identity despite social pressures. Along with that the ideological conflict between Islamic and Western values is concluded by Khadra's condemnation of Western individualism as her prioritisation of community over self-interest showed the basic difference in values.The research highlighted that Muslim women in Western nations struggle to preserve their religious and cultural identities despite competing social expectations. Identity negotiation is complicated by psychological stress, assimilation pressure, stereotyping and ideological disagreements while the Cultural competency, empathy and inclusive policies that recognise and accept multiple identities are needed to facilitate Muslim women's free expression.

Keywords: Identity Negotiation, Religious Visibility, Cultural Integration, Psychological Strain and Stereotyping.