I don’t whether to be happy or sad about this article in the Toronto Star this morning. I’m happy to learn that there is a real salon that is catering to hijabis, but some of the comments are pretty sad.

Apart from the usual “when in Rome” malarkey (oh puh-leeze. I will do the historically-slanted rant on that one day. It includes Sts Peter and Paul and the native peoples of this continent), there are people who Just Don’t Get why people who cover their hair would want to get it nicely cut, styled, tinted and so on.

Here’s how it works. Muslims, unlike Sikhs (with whom they are sometimes confused), are allowed to cut their hair. Many Muslim women, like  others of the female persuasion, like to look good. We don’t wear the headscarf 24/7 except in very trying circumstances, so when we are at home and happen to look in the mirror, we don’t want what we see to make us go “Yikes!” Much is often said about how Muslim women should beautify themselves for their husbands. There is that, but sometimes we just want to give ourselves a lift, and a haircut or the odd highlight can give a woman a boost. That’s just the way it is. Even those who claim not to be so concerned about their looks, or who choose to keep their hair long, or are too busy with life and small children to care about more than the occasional trim, welcome the opportunity to tame their manes once in a while.

I have had an appalling time finding hair care over the years. Most of the time I had to rely on favours from relatives and friends, and settle for the most basic of trims. Every once in while, there would be ladies who could come to one’s home, but such enterprises don’t seem to last long-term. There were a few Muslim-run salons who decided to offer the “separate room” thing, but then there would be issues like

- still expecting to wash your hair in the public area of the salon, which defeats the purpose of offering a private area

- making an appointment but then constantly slipping in people who phoned up and asked if they could come now. Which defeats the purpose of making an appointment. Bonus points (that was sarcasm, eh) if the other customer and hairdresser happen to be of the same ethnic or linguistic background, which really makes one feel excluded. No, I will not name ethnic names. It’s shabby no matter who is doing it to whom.

- suddenly withdrawing the private room provision but not telling you when you call to make an appointment, so you show up, then they treat you like poop for objecting to such treatment.

More recently I found a lovely Christian Arab lady who “gets it” when it comes to hijab and is able to provide hair care, either in her home where she has a separate room set up as a mini salon, or occasionally in her clients’ homes. 

Personally I have always found salons to be rather intimidating places, so have never yet worked up enough courage to walk into a place and ask whether they could accommodate my slightly odd request or not. I know that others have done so, with successful results. And I know that the worst that could happen is that they could say No.

As for people who think this is a Terrible Thing and that the Mozlems Are Taking Over… uh, no. I don’t think so. Business is business. As a consumer, I “pays my money and takes my choice”, and I take my business to the stores and service providers who offer what I want or need. As business owners, hairdressers and others are free to provide what they want to, what they feel will meet a need, desire or niche in the marketplace, and what they think will bring in the money. We once decided to try a new restaurant that had an Arabic sounding name. We had barely got in the door when the owner hollered at us: “We don’t have halal meat here!!” His hostile tone meant that he did not get our business. If he had wanted our business he could have informed us of that, politely, and pointed out fish or vegetarian options. He chose not to cater to Muslim customers and we chose not to give him our business. End of story.

So let the gripers gripe. We aren’t taking over the country. But I appreciate it when a business shows willing to cater to a need or preference of mine, whether it is religious, health-related or merely personal whimsy. I in turn am willing to check out what they have to offer. Hopefully it will be a win-win situation.