DEARBORN — On Monday, July 27, The Arab American News published a photo on its Facebook page capturing a Muslim woman in a headscarf riding a motorcycle on Ford Road in east Dearborn. 

A reader who had stopped at a traffic light with the Muslim biker sent the photo to the newspaper. It was taken at an angle that did not reveal the woman’s identity, but still captured the fact that she wore a hijab.

The majority of the staff at The Arab American News felt the photo was unique; while bikers are generally stereotyped as tattoo-adorned middle-aged men, here was a Muslim woman who was perhaps shredding every possible stereotype imposed on her.

Within minutes of the picture being shared on social media, it drew attention from the local community and beyond.

People of both genders from the local Arab and Muslim communities flooded our Facebook page with positive comments, applauding the Muslim woman for expressing her freedom and displaying her religion in an untraditional manner. 

“Who said Muslim women don’t like to ride? High five to her,” said a Facebook user.

“She’s a beautiful girl in and out, breaking barriers, breaking all these stereotypical roles,” said another Facebook user.

The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Michigan (ADC-MI) posted the photo on its Instagram account, saluting the woman for her individuality, dubbing her the “Harley Hijabi.”

“Another example of an Arab American woman crushing stereotypes,” the ADC-MI’s post stated. 

However, in the age of social media, negative comments are always a given. Some community members expressed their disapproval of the photo. 

One local resident commented that a Muslim woman “should not be spreading her legs on a motorcycle”, suggesting that such an act would be arousing to a male, thus seen as forbidden by the religion.

However, others weighed in with their own thoughts on that argument.

“A man can be turned on by looking at a woman in a Niqqab with beautiful eyes,” said another Facebook user. “You have so many women practicing modesty with a pound of make up on, high volumes of fragrance, high heels, etc. I think it shows another layer of the Muslim women.”

Some Facebook users expressed concerns that the post invaded the local woman’s privacy and may have been taken without her consent. However, because the photo was taken in a public setting and didn’t display the woman’s face, The Arab American News felt it was ethically acceptable to share it with the community, in hopes of sending a positive message about the hijab and the perception of Muslim women. 

Following the post, local resident Amani Hachem, a Muslim woman in a headscarf, replied by posting photos of herself on a motorcycle on The Arab American News Facebook page. 

In a phone interview, Hachem said that while she has never driven a motorcycle, she routinely rides along with her husband and enjoys the practice. Over the years, her husband bought motorcycles as a hobby and every once in a while Hachem likes to ride along. 

She said there seems to be a mentality in the community that if a woman wears a headscarf, she should be placed under certain restrictions. 

“What’s the problem with a woman wearing a scarf and riding a bike,” Hachem said. “People always want to put limitations on you when you wear a scarf. I wear a scarf and can do leisurely activities that are responsible. I understand I’m supposed to watch the way I am, but just because someone wears a scarf, it doesn’t make them perfect. That’s the judgment you get all the time.” 

Hachem noted that if such limitations are placed on a Muslim woman with a headscarf, then that would mean there are a number of activities she should not be able to partake in, such as running, taking an aerobics class or swimming— popular avenues often practiced by women to stay fit and healthy.

She noted the double standard applied to gender in the local community, saying that if a Muslim man were to ride a motorcycle, no one would judge him.

“People think a man can ride a bike…and if he’s shirtless, no one would even think about it or say one bad thing about him,” Hachem said. “But because it’s a woman and she wears a hijab, everybody all of a sudden gets judgmental and wants to comment on it.”

The photo published by The Arab American News captured the woman on the motorcycle without a helmet. Hachem said she always wears a helmet when riding a bike with her husband and that it makes it less transparent that she’s a Muslim woman with a headscarf.

Hachem and her husband have driven to Royal Oak, Birmingham and other areas, but she said she only gets glanced at when they are riding through Dearborn.

While the photo was met with a mixed reaction, Hachem said she believes the community is headed in a more progressive direction.

“The negativity and judgment mostly seems to becoming from social media,” she said. “In Dearborn when the helmet comes off, everyone does stare. But I think it’s because they think it’s so cool to see a hijabi on a motorcycle. I do believe that this community is starting to become more open minded and less judgmental.”