The Headscarf Controversy
All topics-
Canada gets 'first' hijab-wearing news anchor
-
France and the burkini ban
Lawmakers beware!
Demand too much conformity of a population and you may end up with the exact opposite. Forcing people to adhere to a common identity, as in the case of the burkini ban, fosters a rebellious insistence on difference. By Ian Buruma
-
Presidential candidate Sarkozy favours nationwide burkini ban
-
Clothing controversy – the headscarf debate in Germany
For years now, the wearing of headscarves and veils for religious reasons has been the periodic focus of debates and conflicts in public life. We present the key phases of the headscarf debate in Germany.
-
Germany's headscarf ruling
What an imposition!
Even a junior lawyer may wear a hijab, a German court has decided. And a female judge? Of course. People should be able to cope with that much freedom of religion, says Matthias Drobinski
-
″The Diary of a Hounslow Girl″
Bursting the bubble
British Pakistani actress, playwright and comedian Ambreen Razia is currently touring the UK with her acclaimed one-woman play ″The Diary of a Hounslow Girl″. In it, 16-year-old Shaheeda talks non-stop about running away, her mother who does not understand her, a fight with her friend on the bus and a messed-up Pakistani wedding. Ambreen Razia spoke to Thomas Baerthlein about being a Muslim girl growing up in London, the struggle with ″British identity″ and the importance of Sadiq Khan′s election as Mayor of London
-
Sister-hood: magazine for Muslim women highlights diversity
-
Fashion for Muslim women
Modesty a la mode
The years-old debate about designing fashion for Muslim women who follow strict dress codes has re-ignited in France, raising the question of just what role, if any, European design houses have in a political debate. By Courtney Tenz
-
Women and Islam
On Muslim women and the Islamic dress code
The assumption that God demands submission can mislead women and turn conflicts of conscience into desperation. After all, it is women who are cheated out of their life before death by the social limitations associated with covering their heads and bodies. An essay by Emel Zeynelabidin
-
Islam and the West
What Islamisation?
The state promotes Islam in public life – and for good reason. This has nothing to do with Islamisation but with the liberties enshrined in the constitutions of the Western democracies, writes Christine Langenfeld, chair of the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration
-
The headscarf in the colonial period
Remove your veils!
As far back as over 100 years ago, people were already arguing that the headscarf was a symbol of male oppression and therefore incompatible with Western civilisation and its system of values. In the French colonies, authorities actually followed through on these ideas, forcing women to take off their veils. Historical insights from Susanne Kaiser
-
Interview with Fereshta Ludin
"The decision for or against the headscarf is wholly a matter for the woman herself"
Fereshta Ludin is probably one of the most famous teachers in Germany. Her battle to be allowed to wear the headscarf in the classroom began in 2003 – initially without success. But she is optimistic following the latest ruling from the judges at Germany's Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe. She spoke to Emran Feroz