For Muslim women, the hijab may only be an innocent veil they use to cover their heads and chests in compliance with Islamic teachings. For the United States military, however, this Muslim attire can be considered a form of "passive terrorism."
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory recently published a policy paper entitled "Countering Violent Extremism: Scientific Methods and Strategies" with a chapter referring to "weakening the hijab phenomenon" as part of counterterrorism efforts.
According to The Independent, this controversial chapter equating wearing hijab to terrorism was written by Dr. Tawfik Hamid, a fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies who identifies himself as a former Islamic extremist.
Hamid said the more women are wearing hijabs, the more powerful Islamism becomes.
"[Extremism occurs when] increasing numbers of women begin to wear the hijab, which is both a symptom of Salafi proliferation and a catalyst for Islamism," he wrote in the U.S. military policy paper.
The research fellow also stated that agreeing to wear the hijab is in essence a way of consenting to terrorism.
"In turn, the proliferation of militant Salafism and the hijab contribute to the idea of passive terrorism, which occurs when moderate segments of the population decline to speak against or actively resist terrorism," Hamid wrote.
In addition to his comments on the hijab, Hamid also said some young Muslim men only join terrorist organisations like the Islamic State (ISIS) due to "sexual deprivation."
"Speaking from my own experience with the radical groups, I believe young Muslims are motivated to join radical groups because of sexual deprivation," he commented.
Thus, to be able to combat terrorism, nations must consider "addressing the factors underlying [sexual] deprivation."
Hamid's comments were met with criticism on social media, with netizens pointing out that millions of Muslim women wear the hijab without supporting jihadist groups. Users on Twitter even used the hashtag #PassiveTerrorism to blast the statements on the U.S. military publication.
