Wearing the Niqab: Muslim Women in the UK and the US

Bringing niqab wearers’ voices to the fore, discussing their narratives on religious agency, identity, social interaction, community, and urban spaces, Anna Piela situates women’s accounts firmly within UK and US socio-political contexts as well as within media discourses on Islam.
The niqab has recently emerged as one of the most ubiquitous symbols of everything that is perceived to be wrong with Islam: barbarity, backwardness, exploitation of women, and political radicalization. Yet all these notions are assigned to women who wear the niqab without their consultation; “niqab debates” are held without their voices being heard, and, when they do speak, their views are dismissed.
Tuttavia, il quadro dipinto dalle storie qui raccontate dimostra che, per queste donne, i simboli religiosi come il niqab sono profondamente personali, liberamente scelti, multistrato e socialmente situati. Indossare il niqab dà voce a queste donne e alle loro storie e mette le cose in chiaro, migliorando la comprensione del complesso quadro intorno al niqab e all'identità e all'agire religioso.