The Muslim veil in North America: issues and debates

The issue of the hijab (veil) has been divisive for the Muslim community in North America. Muslims themselves see different meanings in covering their heads. The wider North American society also reacts in diverse ways to the Muslim veil; some read into the practice elements of oppression of women and extreme patriarchal attitudes. Others see it as a harmless mode of self-expression. Beginning in 1996, the Canadian Council of Muslim Women invited scholars from various fields to carry out a systematic study of issues surrounding different practices relating to the hijab among Muslims. This provocative book also discusses the current issues surrounding opening up the interprestaiton of the Qur'an and the Hadith to a woman's perspective. The issue of veiling has been remarkably under-researched and over-ideologized. In recent years, the adoption of the veil has come to symbolize a brave expression of choice: women reaching out to tradition, but hoping it will not jeopardize their place in the larger North American society. It is with this in mind that the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) invited scholars in the fields of anthropology, history, sociology, and Islamic studies to carry out a systematic study of issues surrounding different practices of the hijab among Muslim communities. This book is the result of that study. "This book covers anthropological, historical, and sociological analyses of the current ideals and practices relating to the hijab among Muslim women, as well as the recent debates on the subject. It also indicates some of the current issues relating to opening up the interpretation of the Qur'an and the Hadith to a woman's perspective."-BACK COVER