Questioning the Veil: Open Letters to Muslim Women [Hardcover]

Marnia Lazreg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 2009

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.

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.

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Long or short, sternly pinned or silkily draped, the Islamic veil is the most contentious religious symbol today, in the West as much as in the Muslim world. . . . [Lazreg] feels passionately that Muslim women should not wear the veil, as both her mother and grandmother obediently did. . . . [A] useful and timely counterpoint. -- "Economist

Marnia Lazreg's discussion of the infamous piece of cloth, however, is different from most other treatises on the issue. It is personal and passionate. . . . As such, it is a highly relevant intervention into the debate on the veil. -- Julia Droeber, Times Higher Education

Sociologist Lazreg, an authority on Algeria, has issued a call for frank and unmediated conversation among Muslim women. In a series of four letters that assert the major points of contention--modesty, sexual harassment, cultural identity, conviction, and piety--she lays bare the issues, apologetics, and real lives of veiled Muslim women in an unprecedented fashion. . . . A provocative text that demands a response. -- "Choice

Questioning the Veil is an excellent examination of an extremely controversial and divisive piece of clothing, written with unimpeachable authority, and a valuable source of information for anyone seeking to achieve an informed perspective on the subject. -- Rabbi Dr Charles H Middleburgh, Charles Middleburgh blog

Read as the author declares it to be, not a scholarly treatise, but a very personal inquiry, Marnia Lazreg's book is a rich and committed contribution to the current debate on the veil. -- Irina Vainovski-Mihai, Insight Turkey

From the Inside Flap

"A wonderful read: well-written, well-constructed, well-argued, and highly significant. Lazreg addresses a controversial topic and takes intellectual risks. This little gem of a book is brilliant."--Sondra Hale, University of California, Los Angeles

"Clearly expressed and convincing, this book makes arguments and counters opposing views in a subtle, gentle, and imaginative way. Readers will find the book fascinating and will be drawn to its personal nature and elegant answers."--Judith Herrin, King's College London

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; First Edition edition (July 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691138184
• ISBN-13: 978-0691138183
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,262,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars My reactions to Questioning the Veil October 11, 2009

By Barbara Cortright

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was a common sense account of the writer's experience with family and friends who
were constrained to wear the veil (generic term for Islamic covering)
from one who grew up with this question as part of the culture in Algeria,
but was educated enough to know its history . Her decison to present the case histories, so to speak,in the form of letters gave the account an immediacy which brought thte issues to life.
as letters gives the book an immediacy and personal feeling which brought the issues to life.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars women are grown people who can figure out how to dress themselves March 7, 2011

By Gregory Abdur Rahman

Format:Hardcover

Ms Lazreg is only right when and where she can find women forced against their will to dress in a way not of their choosing. It is wrong and patriarchal for women to dress in ways that men decide instead of freely choosing in the privacy of their homes before entering the public space. When the decisions of men pressure women into being sex objects it is wrong and oppression of women. When men force women to cover themselves or be whipped in public that is deplorable and oppression as well. The other side of that is that when a woman decides to become a mouthpiece for men who want to decide what women should wear, the said woman has simply decided to join a negative patriarchy for personal gain. Ms Lazreq has decided to make a living by joining a patriarchy that will force women not to wear the veil and as such this book is nothing but another work in a long line of sellouts who sell their kind for personal comfort. In this case, a woman selling her sisters for 30 pieces of silver. True women's freedom is that, outside of reasonable local ordinances requiring decency, what a woman wears is nobody but the woman's business. And those who seek to free women, by coercing or forcing them to be naked or forcing them to cover are enemies of all women, no matter how noble they try to sound as they go about their oppressive ways. Ms Lazreq should free herself from her patriarchal publishers who pay her to order women on what is permissible for them to wear and defend the basic human right of all people, even women, of deciding what to wear, free from the rancor and oppression from people who think it is their right to order adult grown women on what clothes they deem acceptable, as if all women are children who everyday need to be told what is right when they reach into their closets to pick out clothes.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Unnecessarily prolix February 7, 2010

By Dan Boyd

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I totally agree with Marnia Lazreg's points and opinions, but her 131 pages of repetitive argument are too long by a factor of five. Her writing is prolix in the style often found in French commentary.