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A Review of The Veil Anthology

Fatemeh

Full disclosure: I interviewed editor Jennifer Heath about this book for Bitch’s upcoming issue. The review below also appeared on my blog.

Jennifer Heath published The Scimitar and the Veil: Extraordinary Women of Islam in 2004. And I loved it. It profiled strong, intelligent women in Islam’s history, including the women of the Prophet’s life, but also Hadith scholars, poets, warriors, etc. It was a quick read despite the thickness of the book because Heath made these women into great stories without stripping them of their humanity.

So when I read that Heath edited and wrote for The Veil: Women Writers on Its History, Lore, and Politics (published in 2008), I was really excited.

The paperback book has a great cover, using an abstract image for the cover art (pictured here). There is no actual veil on the cover, but the blue evokes the same blues found in the Afghan chadaari (burqa). No pictures of women with heavily-kohl-rimmed eyes peeking out from behind a black cloth. Yay!

The very word “veil” elicits groans and eye-rolling from the Muslim community, but it’s something that eludes many. In her introduction, Heath argues that the veils have multi-layered meanings, and are part of societies, politics, religions, and that the veil still has heavy symbolism around it. Because of this symbolism, the veil is often imbued with mystery.

The book is separated into three sections, which aren’t officially themed. The first section concentrates on the religious use and history of the veil in different contexts. Mohja Kahf writes an interesting essay about forced unveilings in the Middle East (something that doesn’t ever make it to the evening news). Pamela K. Taylor writes an excellent essay about the politics imbued with the scarf she wears, and how she navigates through the positive and negative aspects of these associations.

Section two deals with the veil’s relationship to the physical realm. In this section, Shireen Malik details a history of Salome and her veils. One of my favorite pieces, “Drawing the Line at Modesty My Place in the Order of Things,” by Michelle Auerbach, talks about her yearning for an idyllic version of a Jewish lifestyle, complete with family gatherings and dinners, but her struggle with the modesty requirements of the sect of Judaism she was practicing. I found this personally resonant as a Muslim woman who loves the idea of community, but finds herself at odds with the seeming rigidity of what is modest and what isn’t.

The third section focuses on sociopolitics and the veil, following histories of the veil in different countries and political environments. Aisha Lee Fox Shaheed asks the question “How Islamic is the veil?” in her essay “Dress Codes and Modes,” while Dinah Zeiger traces the Orientalism and privilege inherent in National Geographic’s search for the (heretofore) nameless Afghan girl, now a woman with children, featured on the 1985 cover of the magazine.

The book’s inclusion of Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity alongside Islam is one of its best features. So often, veils are ascribed to Islam and Islam only, ignoring the extensive pre-Islamic existences of this piece of cloth. This inclusion also has the (perhaps intentional) effect of interfaith communication and alliance-building: reading about the different reasons, histories, and levels of veiling in other religions makes women of other faiths seem less different than we are taught.

Heath doesn’t aim to give a concrete definition of what veiling is. The book gives several different (and differing) perspectives on what veiling is to the women within these pages, and lets the reader mull over what this may mean herself. In a politically-charged atmosphere, where most books, speakers, and articles aim to define and control the veil and its meanings, The Veil is a refreshing anti-viewpoint.

24 thoughts on A Review of The Veil Anthology

  1. More props from me about Jennifer Heath’s book The Scimitar and the Veil! I loved that book, and it made me much more interested in Islam as a result. Read at about the same time, huh…

  2. Oh, I like the cover art. So many books that talk about the veil and modesy have “anonymous woman’s eyes while rest of her is veiled” instead.

  3. While I have no issues with people choosing to veil themselves, I often encountered them in Boston subways but I’d like to know why are they so malodorous. Is it like to create their own force-field around themselves?

  4. Nice generalization, Farhat *groans*

    Thank you for the review Fatemeh, that book went stright to my wish list.

  5. OK, I’ll ask…what’s a muslim feminist?

    If I hear one more time how the veil is a sign of modesty, I might throw up.

    Am I wrong to understand the veil as a way to curb sexual appetites? Rather like the beard is to curb homosexuality? Doesn’t this sound like a way to control sexuality (men and women’s) to you?

    I don’t think I’m making sense.

  6. Asal, why don’t you read Dr Heath’s first book? It should clarify plenty of things like that for you…

  7. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I can only tell you my personal viewpoints. I’m not here to speak for all Islamic or Muslim feminists everywhere.

    The best definition of Islamic feminist is probably a woman who views feminism through an Islamic framework. Like I stated in my introduction, I believe that Islam is compatible with feminism and humanism, so I personally don’t see any contradictions. I believe that thousands of years of patriarchal male interpretation of Islam–not Islam itself–is the root of many horrible things that are confused with Islam.

    I personally don’t wear a headscarf, nor do I view it as mandated by the Qur’an. I believe that modesty is subjective, cultural, and fluid, and something that is inside a person, rather than on her head. But I support women who CHOOSE to wear it, for whatever reasons they do. Some women wear it because they believe it is mandated by the Qur’an, some women wear it because they believe that it’s a sign of modesty, some women wear it for traditional/cultural reasons…really, this the kind of thing that I just can’t address in a comment or blog post. There are as many different reasons for wearing or not wearing a headscarf as there are Muslim women.

  8. OK, I’ll ask…what’s a muslim feminist?

    Was this a sarcastic or serious question?

    There are, of course, Christian feminists, Buddhist feminists, Taoist feminists, Jainist feminists, Jewish feminists, Hindu feminists, Sikh feminists …and Muslim feminists. There are as many varieties of feminism as there are women. It ain’t rocket science.

  9. Am I wrong to understand the veil as a way to curb sexual appetites? Rather like the beard is to curb homosexuality? Doesn’t this sound like a way to control sexuality (men and women’s) to you?

    I’m not familiar with the reasoning behind the requirement that men be bearded, but yes, absolutely, women are made to cover themselves so that they wont “tempt” men. Who, obviously, are untamed beasts who can’t control themselves.

    And Fatemah, I’m sure it varies from woman to woman, but as someone who grew up in a Muslim country, the social pressure to dress “modestly” was incredible. And I’m not just referring to moralizing relatives and friends, though they certainly existed. I couldn’t step out onto the street in say, short sleeves without being looked at by men as if I were a prostitute. Their gaze always seemed to be a combination of lust (and by lust I mean public masturbation) and contempt and barely suppressed rage, one that unfortunately seems to be par for the course in Muslim societies.

  10. I believe that Islam is compatible with feminism and humanism, so I personally don’t see any contradictions.

    What do you think about Islam’s founder marrying a 6 yr. old and consummating the wedding when she was 9?

  11. I think my favorite was walking down a street in Iran in my grandma’s hijab (as I had none and it was mandatory) and hearing “Mushalla” (praise to allah) said in that combination of lust and contempt and barely supressed rage that S speaks of. It always made me laugh.

    No, it wasn’t a sarcastic question. Taoist feminists make sense. I haven’t heard of anything within taoism that is glaringly against feminism (now I’m intrigued, is there something?)

    Fatemeh, thank you for answer. So things like 2 women’s testimony equals 1 man’s, the children belong to the father, a woman’s voice is not to be heard in song, and women are not to dance for anyone but their hubbies are a matter of interpretation?

    That was asked with no sarcasm.

  12. Oh and I don’t read Dr. Heath’s book because I’m in a little itty bitty island in the West Indies with no decent bookstores around. Otherwise I would…

  13. Asal, yes. I believe those things are interpretation.

    I think a lot of people confuse Islam with Muslims. Just because a Muslim does something doesn’t make it Islamic. Men leering at you isn’t part of Islam; that’s patriarchy, sister.

    S, you’re right. Social pressure is another reason women cover themselves, especially in predominately Muslim countries. Patriarchy is alive and well everywhere; this is no different in predominately Muslim countries.

    Farhat, I am not the prophet’s personal spokeswoman (or Islam’s, for that matter). Ask an imam about that.

    I’m going to be out for the rest of the day, but I’ll check in tonight.

  14. Farhat:

    Even scholars will tell you that is disputable. Many scholars believe that the marriage wasn’t consummated until she was about 16. So there is no clear evidence that the marriage was consummated when Ayesha was 9.

    Regardless, I’m sure you know this happened 1500 years ago. A time when life spans were shorter and adulthood meant something different. Even today in many cultures puberty is the beginning of adulthood. Once you reach puberty you are an adult and thus treated as such and are expected to marry and produce children.

  15. Sobia: Except for a small minority of scholars the age isn’t in dispute at all. It is even the basis of many Islamic countries minimum marriage age. The rules of Islam are forever, there is nothing in the Quran that says that permissible age of marriage or sex with kids increases as time goes on.

  16. Moreover, the age of menarche has been decreasing with time due to a host of factors. Thus, 1500 years back it is almost certain that Ayesha wasn’t ready for sex at 9 by a ~50 yr old man.

  17. So things like 2 women’s testimony equals 1 man’s, the children belong to the father, a woman’s voice is not to be heard in song, and women are not to dance for anyone but their hubbies are a matter of interpretation?

    This traditionally was applied to business transactions (for instance, a case involving a shoddy business transaction) because during the time the Qur’an was revealed, women were overwhelming in the private sphere and most were assumed to have little knowledge about business. Muhammad Asad, a famous translator of the Qur’an, takes this view in the commentary on the Qur’anic verse that stipulates two female witnesses (2:282). Here is his note on that translation: ” The stipulation that two women may be substituted for one male witness does not imply any reflection on woman’s moral or intellectual capabilities: it is obviously due to the fact that, as a rule. women are less familiar with business procedures than men and, therefore, more liable to commit mistakes in this respect (see `Abduh in Manar 111, 124 f.).” In fact, if you read the verse, you see that it is only referring to business transactions. The two witness rule never applied in, say, a rape case. Scholars are conflicted to whether the two witness rule still applies since women have much more presence in the public sphere and since a lot of women deal with business transactions on a daily basis. Some scholars do not think that this rule still applies for the reason just mentioned. So it’s not a black and white issue.

  18. Faith: My other posts are in moderation, but the Quran has very specific injunctions against any modifications. It is supposed to be true for all times. Moreover, the business dealings part make even less sense given that Mohammed’s first wife was a successful, older businesswoman and he was hardly known when he married her.

  19. Although I don’t think that a theological discussion about the Qur’an that’s being held in the comments section of a blog post is really going to have a satisfactory conclusion for any of us, here are my two cents…

    Of course, we know not to modify the Qur’an. However, given that it was revealed at a specific time and place, we do have to understand it in relation to the context in which specific verses were revealed. This doesn’t mean that we can take out verses because they’re no longer relevant, but it does mean that we can ask questions about whether the verse is to be understood literally, word-for-word, and applied indiscriminately across the board, or whether we should instead be looking into it for other meanings. Faith’s description of business transactions is a good example.

    We also have to read things in light of the Qur’an’s message as a whole. Those of us reading it as Muslims are reading it with the belief that the message is unified and that the Qur’an does not contradict itself. The Qur’an says in several cases that women deserve to be respected, that oppression is wrong, that women and men are equal, and that the only way anyone can be better than another is through their piety, not because of their sex, race, class, etc. Given this overarching context, if we see something that seems to contradict this and to permit (or even advocate) actions that are oppressive to women, then we have to seriously question our interpretations, and try to figure out what the real message is supposed to be.

    There’s a good article explaining some of this stuff (way better than I could) at http://www.soundvision.com/Info/gender/.

  20. Farhat, something being true for all time doesn’t mean it’s applicable for all time. In my post, I didn’t advocate modifying the Qur’an. For instance, the Qur’an instructed Muhammad’s wives to speak to men from a partition (hijab). However, we know from history that this was not always done nor did it apply in every situation. ‘A’isha dealt with men frequently before and after Muhammad’s death, up to the point of leading an army in the Battle of the Camel. Additionally, all of his wives are dead. So in essence, not everything in the Qur’an is timeless.

  21. something being true for all time doesn’t mean it’s applicable for all time.

    What do you mean by that?

  22. One story that occurs to me is how Massoumeh Ebtekar, then a cabinet member in the Iranian government, went to the Beijing Women’s Conference in 1998 and gave a speech ripping into the Taliban for their horrific treatment of women. The overwhelming reaction, that I heard anyway, was “she’s wearing a chador. How can she criticize them?” Of course in 2001 the rest of the world woke up to the fact that Ms. Ebtekar knew from what she spoke.

    So I guess my feeling, as a non-Muslim, is that it’s just short-sighted to assume what a woman is thinking or dealing with based on her choice to wear or not wear a veil. People are complex. It’s possible for a person to be unable to break with a patriarchal tradition in some areas of their life, but to think quite critically and freely in others, and the former does not automatically invalidate the latter.

  23. Farhat:

    ...there is nothing in the Quran that says that permissible age of marriage or sex with kids increases as time goes on.

    There is also nothing in the Qur’an about the Prophet’s sex life. What you have presented has come from other sources making it unclear as to whether it is true or not. However, Islamophobes often will use it, conveniently, to try to degrade Islam.

    btw…what was the age of menarche 1500 years ago?

    Krista:

    Ditto! 😀

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