Dignity and Hijab: The Obligation of the Provider to Preserve Dignity Through the Lens of Culture.

Authors

Jenna Mustafa, Mirit Girgis, Bryan Pilkington

Published in

Journal of general internal medicine. Oct 21, 2026. Epub Oct 21, 2026.

Abstract

Barriers to ideal equitable patient experience typically involve some level of prejudice. In the past 15 years, global migration rates have steadily risen, creating a trail of unfamiliarity that can motivate ignorance (and, in graver instances, hatred). Our focus in this perspective is on anti-Muslim racism, which has spilled into the world of medicine, harming Muslim women in particular, especially those who wear the hijab-the Muslim headscarf. In this paper, we examine many of the prejudices surrounding the hijab that arise in areas where the Muslim faith is not well understood, particularly through ignorance, indifference, and the epidemic of Islamophobia. In doing so, we argue that the violation of the dignity of women who wear hijab may occur more often than is realized by practicing clinicians, leading to our recommendation of increased education about cultural humility. Our dignity-based claims in support of our call for greater cultural humility are rooted in an understanding of that concept, which prohibits humiliating¹ treatment of persons, all of whom possess dignity. It is an ethical obligation, we argue, that clinicians preserve dignity by avoiding placing patients in humiliating situations, and without greater education around diverse cultural practices, this obligation cannot be satisfied.

PMID:
42907694
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Oct 2026.

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