Muslim Life in Germany - Deutsche Islam Konferenz

196 Religiousness and religious practice
4.7.3 Reasons for wearing the headscarf
Muslim women who stated in the interview that they
wear a headscarf sometimes, usually or always were also asked
why they did so, on the basis of prepared optional answers. It
was possible to state several reasons. 99 per cent of the women
concerned stated at least one reason. All ten suggested reasons
were affirmed in some instances. The most important cited reason
for wearing the headscarf is on religious grounds. Over 90
per cent of the headscarf-wearing Muslims cite this motive (figure
54). This tallies with the findings of the above-stated study
by Jessen/von Wilamowitz-Moellendorf (2006: 24), in which the
answer category “religious grounds” is also cited as the most important
motive by 97 per cent of headscarf-wearing women. The
second most commonly stated reason is “the headscarf gives a
sense of security”, which was cited by 43 per cent of the women.
Just over a third of the Muslim women who wear the headscarf
do so in order to be recognisable as Muslim women.
Reasons for wearing the headscarf, which indicate that
the women possess their own motivation for doing so, are cited
most frequently. Coercion or other people’s expectations play
a minor role. The three suggested reasons focusing on expectations/demands
from the interviewee’s partner, family or
social environment were each affirmed by 6 to 7 per cent of the
women. These figures cannot be considered accumulatively,
as women who wear a headscarf as a result of their family’s expectations
frequently also cite expectations on the part of their
partner and/or their social environment as reasons. The proportion
of women who affirm at least one of these external influences,
which were suggested in the interview, stands at 12 per
cent. It should be added in this regard, however, that a marked