Hoodfar and the return to the veil in egypt

It is often assumed that wearing of the veil by Moslem women is equivalent to oppression and victimization, and that those who go back to wearing it are returning to backward ways.

Islam-where is it most prevalent in the world?

North Africa, Sahel, Middle East, SE Asia, subcontinent

The 5 pillars of the Islamic faith include (being generic here ...): 

• Profession of faith to Allah, Mohammed as his prophet
• ritual prayer (5 set times every day)
• giving of alms
• participating in Ramadan (a month of fast)
• attempting to make a pilgrimmage to Mecca (the hajj)

Islam is somewhat different than other major religions to the extent that it prescribes many facets of daily life for its followers, through the Quran, including dress (especially for women). While there are various interpretations and scriptures dealing with women and dress, with extreme forms illustrated by the Taliban's law that women must wear a full-length burqa in public (when they had a legitimate reason to be in public ... ), the wearing of some sort of veil is common practice. 

In Iran, wearing of the veil was form of resistance against the regime of the Shah in the 1970s. After the Iranian revolution and the installment of the Islamic Government by the Ayatollah Khomeni, the wearing of the veil became law.

In Egypt, the wearing of the veil has been debated among women, and many urban women have fought for the right to choose whether to wear it. However, more and more women are returning to the veil, and many of these woman are among the most educated classes.

But they're wearing them for different reasons-the 'modern' veil is different than the traditional veil (worn by urban lower classes)-it's a veil with 'style' that differentiates educated from lower classes (so class distinction is important).

But why return to a veil that the previous generation had struggled to get rid of?? Some reasons mentioned include:

• Less expense in clothes (for professional women, whose numbers are increasing);

• Less harassment from men (who may show no respect for 'Western women who dress provocatively');

• Wearing the veil may bring a married woman more honor for herself and for her husband, and reduce the pressures felt by the husband to keep 'control' over his wife (e.g., for projection of a certain public image that brings prestige and less scrutiny to the household);

• as mentioned, some wear it to differentiate themselves from lower income classes of women, who wear more traditional, less fashionable garments)

Is this change a good or bad thing?

• Some women say that the veil serves as a sort of passport to greater economic, cultural assimilation-a 'cultural compromise' that brings less public scrutiny and criticism
• It also puts a 'cap' on consumption (expenses for clothes, cosmetics, especially for women in the workforce);
• Does it change power relations? Does it affect lower classes? Does it divide women?

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Ashfar: Women and the state in Iran

We may not think of Iran as a bastion of feminism, but women have made many gains historically there. These include the right to a formal education (1910), abolition of the wearing of the veil (1936), suffrage (right to vote,1962), the right to abortion on demand (1974), and a ban on polygyny/right to support after divorce (1976).

Things changed after the Islamic revolution in 1979, however. Some changes included:

• All women judges, law students were dismissed and Islamic law (the Sharia, based on the Quran) instituted;

• Conservative religious leaders became more politically important, and were used to reinforce conservative interpretations of the Quran;

• Women were essentially excluded from public, legal spheres (after decades of open participation);

• Changes were seen (by male Islamic scholars) as 'Women's emancipation' from the evils of Western societies; there was a sense that women had lost the 'holiness of motherhood' and an effort to 'recapture' it.

In this climate, donning the veil represented 'a symbol of liberation, resistance to capitalism, and revolutionary aspirations.' Non-compliance was tantamount to treason to the revolution.

Here is an example of the importance of the state over women's lives, which changed dramatically after 1979. Women still do not enjoy the rights and freedoms they once did, however enforcement of Quranic interpretations regarding women's behavior have become somewhat more lax over the last 20+ years. How is this different from the Egyptian case? (think about the country's politics; class differences in Egypt; populism in Iran ... ). You might also think about Weber and authority and legitimacy, and how these changed under the Ayatollah to the detriment of women.