Politics of the Veil

In her book, Politics of the Veil, Joan Wallach Scott explores the meanings and controversies surrounding the headdress of Muslim women in European society, specifically focusing on France. The catalyst for her book was in 2004 when the French government banned girls from wearing headscarves in public schools, which in turn spurred intense tension between Muslim women and French society.  While the law may have started as an attempt to maintain secularism in schools and assimilate Muslim girls into the norms of French society, many view it as an attack on Muslims, their religion, and culture.

Ruth O'Brien, in the book's foreword, details how the French ban of veils in schools sparked hostilities on both sides of the playing field. She writes that "80 percent of Muslims now feel harassed and discriminated against," a figure that is increasing (viii). Muslims feel as if they are under attack by the French government and society, which, as O'Brien describes, can fuel the extremist fire. Fundamentalist Muslims are using this ban to support their cause and rally their forces. As France is home to the largest Muslim population in Europe, when news of the headscarves ban spread to the East, their was a fervent outcry. The European Union subsequently issued an effort to monitor and evaluate the anti-discrimination policies in place in France and other countries to integrate Muslim women into European society. The study was titled VEIL, which stood for Values, Equality and Differences in Liberal Democracies (viii). However, O'Brien deems that this effort was loosely rooted an unhelpful, as policies that emphasized differences continued to flourish in Europe.

                         (Image courtesy of http://www.fhi.duke.edu/events/politics-veil-panel)

Politics of the Veil helps readers recognize and understand how the French law banning headscarves  exacerbated the problem of integrating Muslims into French society. Wallach Scott detailed how French government and society view the headscarf (hijab) as "the ultimate symbol of Islam's resistance to modernity" (p. 2). And while the legislation encompassed other religious items and adornments, the brunt of its weight was felt by Muslim women and girls. The law was created for the ban in French public schools, however, many French people took the law to heart, deeming it was a legal to wear a headscarf anywhere. Muslim women across France suffered discrimination from multiple entities, and were often denied services, such as naturalization or marriage (p. 179). Rather than making Muslim women feel more included in French society, the law has caused feelings of difference and discrimination. It serves as a constant reminder that their religion doesn't align with French law. Banning headscarves is interpreted as banning Muslim religion from French society, and it will continue to highlight differences and cause tensions in the country.