The Veil and Muslim Women in France: Religious and Political Aspects. Anthropology of the Middle East. Vol.1, No.2, 2006:89-107

The right of Muslim schoolgirls in France to wear the veil (hijab) raises questions concerning the meaning of the veil for Muslim women. The debate about Muslim dress codes and whether Islam belongs in Europe has become a critical issue. The debate that began about the veil in Islam has evolved into a large discussion about Islam itself: as a religion, the Islamic movement in France and the relationship between Islam and fundamentalism. The purpose of this article is to examine some definitions of the hijab and its meaning in the context of the Qur’an, and to analyse some of the understandings of the hijab, as articulated in the late twentieth century by Muslim and non-Muslim scholars. It also explores the nature of Muslim reactions in France as well as their tensions with the surrounding soci- ety, as a result of the French ban on wearing the veil in public schools. Those who cover their heads can be accommodated in a secular context with many others who want to be part of a secular republic for the benefit ofthe whole French society. The ban on head covering in public schools can con- stitute a threat to the foundation of civic and democratic society and the right to fully express oneself. Therefore, it can disenfranchise those in the Muslim community that want to maintain this practise as they become disgruntled with the French Republic. The veil has encountered more opposition in France than in other parts of Europe. Those who measure one culture or civilisation against another consequently neglect the fact that we are dealing with dignity, liberty and democracy for all human beings. Neither humanism nor feminism is an appendage of a single culture. The affair of the hijab in France finds itself embedded in the context of French political debate.