Beyond the Veil: Exploring 'It's Not About the Burqa' and Muslim Women's Voices

By Mariam Khan

Throughout the past summer, this tome served as my constant companion. Amidst the tumultuous backdrop of uncertainty, I found solace in the profound voices contained within these pages.

Encompassing a collection of essays penned by women, the book delves into their individual odysseys within Islam, exploring their spirituality and reflections on the contemporary world.

Among these narratives, one essay struck a particularly resonant chord with me: an examination of the paradoxical acceptance of Islamophobia in the context of marketing fashionable headscarves.

This essay eloquently denounces the commodification of attire while constructively critiquing the societal pressures faced by Muslim women in adhering to fleeting trends.

It prompts reflection on the barriers they encounter, such as the necessity of formalizing religious unions under British law to safeguard their rights, progeny, and possessions.

Indeed, our readings reveal analogous challenges within Christian matrimony in Britain.

Muslim Women's Narratives and Intersectional Feminism

These narratives showcase the resilience of these women who, despite adversities, confront injustices far more vigorously than the prevailing Western narrative suggests, which often seeks to suppress them through Islamophobic and racist legislation.

Moreover, they confront the condescending attitudes of misguided white feminists, which tokenizes them within diversity quotas rather than affording them genuine platforms for expression.

This book underscores the imperative of introspection within our communities, where discrimination persists yet often goes unacknowledged.

One essay sheds light on the tribulations faced by a black Muslim woman navigating the Western milieu and her quest for integration. Another dismantles taboos and misconceptions surrounding Muslim women's sexuality, alongside broader explorations of sexual orientation and the diverse manifestations of Muslim identity.

HANNA LAMRI. @dinerlivresque