Egypt Mourns the German Hijab Martyr...In America 1/3 prefer wearer of Hijab live outside of the US

Last week, in a German courtroom, an immigrant from Egypt, who was 31 and three months pregnant, was stabbed 18 times by a man she accused of verbally attacking her... calling her a "terrorist" while at a playground with her 3-year-old son.

The woman, named Mawra, died and as her husband tried to defend her, he was stabbed and shot by a police officer who mistook him for the assailant. Marwa later died in the hospital. Her husband is still in critical condition.

Her traditional Muslim headwear, a Hijab, identified her religion thereby giving a local bigot a chance to express his bias at the neighborhood park. This was Germany, a country with a history of ethnic bias which of course was so profoundly demonstrated during the Holocaust. In the United State seeing a woman wearing a Hijab has its own meaning. In January 2008 Mediacurves conducted a controlled study to determine how people perceive people who where this traditional Muslim headwear.

Participants were divided into two randomly assigned groups. Members of each group were asked to view one of two separate photos of an attractive young woman. Neither photo was identified in any way. Each sample was then asked identical questions about the woman, her age, perceived personality, activities, and how acceptable she might be as a neighbor.

One-third of participants indicated that they would rather have the woman with the traditional headwear live out of the U.S, as opposed to living in their neighborhood. However, a clear majority of participants (89%) reported that the woman without the shawl would be welcome in their neighborhood. The woman with the shawl on her head was perceived as somewhat older, and somewhat better off financially than the woman without the shawl. While the woman with the shawl was more likely to be a stay at home mother, the woman without the shawl might be a working married woman.

The woman with the shawl on her head was also viewed as much more traditional than the woman without the shawl. Participants also indicated that the woman with the shawl was strict and rigid, a good wife and devoted mother. She was also perceived as keeping to herself or a tight circle of people. Conversely, the woman without the shawl was perceived to be lively, friendly, and humorous. She was also viewed as a person who "always looks at the bright side" and might even be the life of the party.

A simple cloth worn on the head of a person can, by this symbol alone, dramatically change peoples perceptions of the wearer's personality, education, wealth...it can even influence whether they would like to live in their neighborhood, city, state ...even the same country. In our increasingly multi cultural world we can only hope that what you wear on your head becomes less meaningful than how your interact with others.