Online and Offline Advocacy for American Hijabis: Organizational and Organic Tactical Configurations

Abstract

This paper outlines the divergent tactics of two groups of American Muslim collective actors, which are conceptualized in terms of organizational and organic, in addressing the issue of hijab and discrimination in the workplace. The organizational form, represented by the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), uses highly publicized awareness campaigns to promote civil rights, while the organic form, represented by the hijabi fashion community, tends to opt out of drawing attention to the discrimination that is commonplace in their dealings with other Americans. The term organic is employed to demarcate the differences between structured grassroots and nonhierarchal collective action carried out through the Internet. A qualitative content analysis of seven hijabi fashion blogs is conducted to cull thematic continuities among these bloggers and their commentators in regard to a few well-publicized campaigns against hijab discrimination launched by CAIR and other discussions of discrimination in workplace. The paper argues that the tactics of the organic form of collective action develop discursively through discussions on these websites about how hijabis can navigate various situations, grounded in a shared sense of identity and context. These tactics are customized for experiences of hijabis “on the ground” as opposed to the organizational tactics, which model the successes of other civil rights organizations. The paper concludes by suggesting that the organizational tactics might be more effective, in the context of the continued expansion of Islamophobia in the American culture, if American foreign policy and mainstream media did not continue to promote the connection between Islam and extremism.