I’m offended by Big Mac’s cutie mark being in the wrong place.

@Madpony  
Hahahaha! XD

…As a muslim myself, I am quite appalled by this comments section here.

@Background Pony #129E  

I’ve never said anything about banning, did I? Or anything about how women should dress. Quite the opposite, actually.
 
Also, any forced imposition is a chain, be it literal chains or just a dress code. It’s a way to hold a grasp on people.
 

This is a really bad argument. They’re not interpreting anything: they’re told that things are like that in the almost totality of the cases. And that includes also Western women that used to cover their hair.
 
Made a (very) few exceptions, women do not like to wear a headscarf, just like they don’t like to wear a corset. That’s what happens when women are actually free to decide to wear them or not. And I don’t mean just legally free, but also socially free.
 
In short: I don’t believe women that wear a hijab do so because they’ve made an independent decision.

@Background Pony #129E  
No one is saying that people shouldn’t be allowed to choose to wear that stuff if they want. But as BigMax said, the majority of women, when given the option, ultimately give it up.
 
And just because we affirm their right to wear whatever they want, that does not mean we have to like or approve of it, which I certainly don’t.

@Millennial Dan  
Am I now?

@BigMax  
Declaring a headscarf is a chain rather than patriarchial view that forces the headscarf on someone to be a chain is a bad way of looking at this. Banning women from wearing headscarves is equally a chain to mandating they wear them. In either case you are telling women how to dress, which is wrong. The argument goes that the bikini and the burqa are both tools of the patriarchy.
 
A woman not wearing a hijab is not less faithful. A woman wearing a hijab is not more faithful. They are both interpreting their religious views of modesty and appropriate clothing in ways they are comfortable with, as they should. Being told they must wear a hijab or must not wear a hijab is bad.
 
Most people tend to forget there are still plenty of Western women who cover their hair for religious reasons, because it’s not officially codified in many places. Catholic women still wear mantilla at certain times, my grandmother was a Southern Baptist who would not go to church without her Sunday hat. Amish women are the most obvious go-to for Western women who still do headcoverings at all times.
 
If they choose to do that, that’s fine.
 
This simplifies it all, of course, but the core issue in all of this is women being forced out of their ability to choose one way or another.

@Bronitarian  
I think you’re overstating there a little bit.

@BigMax  

@Background Pony #129E  
Chains of gold are still chains.
 
@Background Pony #129E  

And that’s a problem, you see. Because a lot of muslim women do not wear a hijab or anything else that cover their hair. Are they not faithful enough?  
Or is perhaps the obligation to wear a hijab nothing than just a forced interpretation of their faith?
 
Most people tend to forget that even Western women used to cover their hair, too. It’s a long lost tradition, but it’s lost for a reason.

@Background Pony #2113  
You could describe a lot of clothing in that context. We all wear clothes because societal norms demands it of us, not just purely from our own decision based on the appearance.
 
What your’re hedging around is the view of hijab representing a patriarchial control of women in muslim cultures. There’s a fine argument to be made there (particularly in the Arabian peninsula where this is very much the case and codified into secular laws), but you have to be careful because you can start to rob women who wear hijabs of their agency by going to far in the other direction.
 
Most muslim women aren’t just wearing hijabs because men told them to; there are many muslim women who choose to wear a hijab as part of their personal faith.
 
There’s a whole array of opinions on hijabs inside the muslim world, and most of the details of those get lost in the West where the primary understanding of the hijab comes from a ten year slander campaign targeting Arab culture and assuming every single muslim in the world is part of that.

@Bronitarian  
Pretty much.
 
@Background Pony #129E  
Colorful or not, they are mostly only worn by those whose societal norms demand it. Very, very few people just up and decide to wear one because they like the appearance.

@Background Pony #2113  
Here is how wrong you are. Go do a Google Image Search for “hijab.” Look at all of the designs and colors that come back. That is what your average hijab looks like. They are chosen with fashion in mind.
 
Now do a search for “Iran Hijab”. You will see the hijabs you are thinking of. Now do a search for “Saudi Arabia Hijab” and “United Arab Emirates Hijab” for more of the hijabs you are thinking of. These three countries represent 6.4% of the world muslim population.
 
Now search for “Indonesia Hijab”, “Pakistan Hijab”, India Hijab” and “Bangladesh Hijab”. All of them will give you a riot of beautiful colors and designs that can all be very fashionable. These countries represent ~44% of the world muslim population.
 
Try searching for the hijabs of other countries! I’m sure there’s some I missed that could bump up the number of nations that are culturally conservative enough to mandate women only wear the simplest and most bland of hijabs! You might even get to 10-15% of the world muslim population included in that.

@Background Pony #2113
 
“Stereotyping.”
 
This entire comment section has been one big stereotyping festival.
 
Whether its people stereotyping muslims as oppressive or people stereotyping meek people as not liking to show skin.
 
Every post here longer then half a sentence has been nothing but a giant stereotype.

@Background Pony #129E  
Hijabs are unfashionable, no doubt about it. Practically no one wears them just to look good, and don’t bother telling me about that one person who decided to be exception.

@Background Pony #2113  
You don’t know what fashion is if you think headscarves are unfashionable.

@sirhatless  
I’ve always been a highly reserved person, and never have I made any conscious effort to conceal more than anyone around me does.
 
It’s not a reliable observation. Besides, Fluttershy has a secretive appreciation for fashion and having a “good appearance”, and those things are totally unfashionable.

@Background Pony #2113  
Ooorrr just noticing that timid and modest people tend to wear things that cover them up, like hoods, or scarves. What, are people not allowed to judge a character’s nature by actual personality traits anymore?

@sirhatless  
“I think it fits with Flutter’s timid and modest nature to wear something like this.”
 
Stereotyping.

I have no clue where this “Fluttershy as a Muslim” idea came from, but I kinda like it. I think the pink headscarf is rather cute and putting aside the religious side of it (Not sure if Islam or an Islam stand in would even exist in this universe) I think it fits with Flutter’s timid and modest nature to wear something like this.
 
On the actual art side, I think the artist needs to do a hint of work on Fluttershy’s nose, it has no definition and looks barely there. But other than that it looks very good.

@Background Pony #2113  
I agree with ya. Doesn’t look much like Flutters. Infact even Mac looks off. I mistook him for a muscly Applejack.
 
I do like hijab Fluttershy in general. I feel like humanized her would wear something like that, at least in public places. But there’s no way she’s a Muslim. How can you be when you are friends with the REAL deities? I think the rest of you could benefit from thinking that way too, that she’s a hijab wearing non-Muslim in these images.

@Background Pony #129E  
She looks like a dude here.
 
And if you can’t give her pink hair, you may as well not bother.