Discursive construction of anti-hijab discourse on Facebook and Twitter: the case of Malaysian former-Muslim women

This study sheds light on how Malaysian former Muslims construct their anti-hijab discourse in the context of Facebook and Twitter interactions and how a dichotomous meaning is assigned to the hijab. The five participants were identified using the snowball technique, starting from a well-known Malaysian former Muslim. Data was generated by observing the participants' postings over nine months, from April to December 2019. Three hundred ten postings were collected which challenged Islam and its principles. However, this paper narrowed its scope to focus on 116 anti-hijab postings. The data were analysed using discourse analysis, particularly discursive psychology. The study revealed that participants' postings had thematic links through which an overall theme emerged; the hijab is a tool of women's oppression. This theme emerged through the discursive features such as assessment, category entitlement, extreme case formulation, blame, and corroboration with the anti-hijab ideology which exists on Facebook and Twitter, wherein former Muslims contest the wearing of hijab in certain Islamic countries and attempt to enhance the dichotomy of women oppression versus women rights to hijab.

Automated summary

This study examines how Malaysian former Muslims construct their discourse against the hijab on social media platforms and assign a dichotomous meaning to it. Through discourse analysis, the study reveals that the hijab is portrayed as a tool of women's oppression through specific discursive features, such as assessment, category entitlement, extreme case formulation, blame, and corroboration. This research sheds light on the anti-hijab ideology existing on Facebook and Twitter, where former Muslims contest the wearing of hijab in certain Islamic countries and highlight the dichotomy between women oppression and women rights to hijab.