Here is a nice piece from HuffPo that tries to understand why Muslim women wear the hijab. I think it is still a bit essentializing, but overall is very good.
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Hijab in the UK
Via this Crooked Timber piece [sorry CT folks, can’t find your trackback ID] I found out about this case in the UK about a Muslim girl wanting to cover in school. I like Harry’s last paragraph: But the fact that the regulations might drive a girl into an educational situation in which her religious beliefs will not be challenged or tested seems to me a reason for bending, or revising the rules, not a consideration in their favour. The parents’ enthusiasm that their child should attend a state comprehensive school is to their credit. Telling them that they should school…
More on Women and the Veil
This one is an interesting take on a non-Muslim woman who has to wear the veil in Saudi Arabia. I’m curious about somethings. Towards the end, she is on the sidewalk unattended by a male. Is that not a problem? She can’t be in the bank with her male escort, so she’s left unescorted outside? Also, isn’t the abaya supposed to be the thing that hides women? Are they be veiled and separated in a different room? I know all these things intellectually, but to read her story helps to highlight the contradictions. Technorati Tags: veil, Saudi Arabia, women in…
Are brothels and bikinis signs of progress for Arab women? – CSMonitor.com
Are brothels and bikinis signs of progress for Arab women? – CSMonitor.com. Western media have too often measured emerging democracies by the yardstick of “sex, drugs, and rock and roll.” A recent article in The New York Times, “Next Question for Tunisia: The Role of Islam in Politics,” appears to offer the additional standards of “brothels,” “beer,” and “bikinis.”