Questioning the Veil: Open Letters to Muslim Women

by Marnia Lazreg

Why Muslim women should not wear the veil

Across much of the world today, Muslim women of all ages are increasingly choosing to wear the veil. Is this trend a sign of rising piety or a way of asserting Muslim pride? And does the veil really provide women freedom from sexual harassment? Written in the form of letters addressing all those interested in this issue, Questioning the Veil examines the inconsistent and inadequate reasons given for the veil, and points to the dangers and limitations of this highly questionable cultural practice. Marnia Lazreg, a preeminent authority in Middle East women's studies, combines her own experiences growing up in a Muslim family in Algeria with interviews and the real-life stories of other Muslim women to produce this nuanced argument for doing away with the veil.

Lazreg stresses that the veil is not included in the five pillars of Islam, asks whether piety sufficiently justifies veiling, explores the adverse psychological effects of the practice on the wearer and those around her, and pays special attention to the negative impact of veiling for young girls. Lazreg's provocative findings indicate that far from being spontaneous, the trend toward wearing the veil has been driven by an organized and growing campaign that includes literature, DVDs, YouTube videos, and courses designed by some Muslim men to teach women about their presumed rights under the veil.

An incisive mix of the personal and political, supported by meticulous research, Questioning the Veil will compel all readers to reconsider their views of this controversial and sensitive topic.

Genres: Islam, Religion, Nonfiction, Feminism

168 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Elif · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a Muslim woman who lately wants to take off the scarf. This book was a recommendation of a friend of mine that knows I have some kind of trouble with this decision. So I wanted to read it thinking it'd help me strengthen my thoughts.

I was wrong. It did nothing. Neither encouraged nor discouraged me. You wouldn't lose anything by not reading it.

The author constantly claims that a woman cannot wear the scarf willingly. I disagree. I wasn't forced at all to do so. And I know many others that have done it willingly as well.

She describes veiling as "a tradition that makes it difficult for women to think of themselves as human beings". I do not like this generalisation. She should've known that women who wear the scarf differ a lot from each other spirituality.

[Amal Albaqshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too powerful. I would send it to the past if I could and make women realize what they were going through

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting argument against the veil by a Muslim author. She argues veiling is not obligatory to satisfy Qur'anic exhortations for modesty nor does it guarantee freedom from sexual harassment or assault. It is a symbol of gender inequality as men are not encouraged to wear one to preserve *their* modesty. Her most detailed arguments against veiling are that women's justifications for doing so really are more mundane than religious upon closer examination and no one possibly can choose to veil of her own free will because of all the symbolism and meaning (both positive and negative) piled on the veil. For those who are determined to believe, of course, no amount of persuasion will suffice but this could cause the more academic- and legal-minded souls to reexamine the value of veiling.

[Ann Tonks · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful book about why Muslim men want women to veil and why (some) women do. I share Professor Lazreg's horror at the vision of women completely covered in black from head to toe with their face and hands covered. But I also feel uncomfortable about a religion that doesn't value or treat women equally and the role of the veil as a symbol of that inequality. This is an interesting examination of the different reasons why women veil and a call for them not to.

[Dodda Jojo]

Very personal & biased people are free to wear whatever they want and whatever makes them comfortable. The issue that women should wear whatever they like as men doesn’t make sense or else women can walk freely showing their breasts in summer like men. The idea that the veil affects your job is not right we have lawyers, doctors and directors leading men and they all wear the hijab. Wearing the veil over your head doesn’t make women stupid we cover our hair not our minds.

[Jaralee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I am not a Muslim woman, I feel awkward about evaluating this book because I haven’t lived this experience at all. I’ve had questions about why wearing the veil is so controversial. From my cultural perspective, I cannot imagine having to wear something so restrictive, hot and uncomfortable. Yet I didn’t grow up in this culture. I also see the culture (not Islam in its purest form) as being very patriarchal, where men have power, and use that power over women. Patriarchy has changed form over the years in Muslim countries. But it is always been present. On the other hand, I live in the USA in patriarchy exists here as well, the difference is, I am protected by laws in some situations that relate to being a woman. Even today when rights are being stripped away here in the USA, (2025) there is still hope that the fight for equality still has a chance to change and advance in the favor of women’s rights. I believe all women EVERYWHERE deserve to be treated as whole human beings, to be able to choose education and careers, to decide who to marry and participate in the decision of raising children, or to not marry at all. To be able to participate in political discussions, and to have the right to vote. My culture is peeking through in that last statement, but I believe women need to be allies for each other.

What I really want to do is listen to women who experience this culture. I want understand and empower women by thinking about this issue from their vantage, and learn from them. From the authors perspective, “choosing” to veil is an impossibility, and I understand what she’s getting at. Still, I want to hear from Muslim women.

This book made me think. It made me examine a concept I don’t know much about except what I’ve been exposed to through the western news and media.
Not the best way to garner first hand perspectives and information. Being in the USA, and not in a metropolitan area, rather a small college town in the Midwest, I’ve known and worked with several Muslim women. A few of us became good friends, but they don’t wear a veil, so this topic has not been in the forefront. I’m excited to discuss this book in my next book club that was chosen by one of my Muslim friends.

[Anusha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful and thought-provoking prose! I also love how it's interpersed with personal anecdotes (the writer is really witty). However, it read as condescending and oversimplifying at times. An example of this that left a bad taste in my mouth is the section on her middle aged friend, whom she makes sooo many far-fetched assumptions about. If you want to psychoanalyze people, at least have a discussion with them. Otherwise, it sounds like petty gossip. In such instances, the writer appeared to perpetuate a contrasting intellectual sadism to the intellectual masochism she described in academic research on reveiling. However, the religious analysis and dissecting women's motivations was really interesting. It was a nuanced critique of veiling which is very much needed. I also appreciated the focus on social forces and patriarchal powers that set the trajectory for women's choices. Although something I couldn't help noticing was the glaring absence of historical origins and class implications of veiling. This would be really interesting to explore and contrast this with how veiling is perceived as a different kind of class marker now, which she only vaguely references through mentioning that women in middle class and upper class areas had less or no pressure to veil + how veiling is often used to conceal signs of poverty.

[Hassan Kassim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anecdotes, anecdotes and more isolated anecdotes. I don't know what I was expecting. I have a book titled 'Objectivity' by Lorraine Daston and Peter Galison on my TBR, and this book has made me want to read it more than ever.

There is no way I can understate the insignificance of this book.

[so-original · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to hear a voice of moderation surrounding an issue (women's veiling) that has been shamelessly polarized and instrumentalized by Muslim nations and "The West" alike. Well-structured, with nuanced yet forceful conclusions. The book is aimed at an academic audience and exists on a plane of argument that seems unlikely to hold a mirror up to the kind of pro-veil populists it excoriates--primarily because they would look straight past it. This is one of those books that produces a lot of head-nods, provided that the reader agrees with the author at the outset, but a lot of indignant head-scratching if they don't. And yet, there are nuggets of wisdom that are likely to resound with a wide range of sensibilities and religious sensitivities.

A major sub theme of Lazreg's argument is the manner in which "The West" has instrumentalized the veil to justify social exclusion at home and "wars of liberation" abroad. This argument is HUGELY powerful, and any Westerner who presumes to enter the headscarf debate would do well to read it with circumspection. While the whole book was worthwhile, it was this argument about the West's complicity in polarizing the issue of the veil that is most salient to modern media debates in the West. It would be wonderful to see this argument distilled into a shorter treatise/article to reach a broader, more mainstream audience.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Sometimes I feel that the argumentation is a bit flawed, or rather far-fetched.

[Nouranapps · Rating 3 out of 5]

She brought up some good arguments... but she did make some irrational assumptions. She also psychoanalyzed her subjects, which I don't think she has done fairly.

[Raniaghieth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very personal and biased..

[Sidra]

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[Bruneez Angel · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author puts forth very biased and irrational opinions on why women should not be wearing the veil.This book seems to be the authors way of expressing her emotions on veiling and is to a great length not a sound approach on explaining the veil itself.