Civic Integration, Migrant Women and the Veil: at the Limits of Rights?

Abstract

Controversies surrounding the wearing of the veil by Muslim women in Europe have coincided with a resurgence of interest in ‘pathways to citizenship’ and integration testing. This article argues that the historical vestiges of discrimination in immigration and citizenship laws persist today in the scrutiny of the cultural affiliations and practices of aspiring immigrants and citizens. Muslim women have been placed at the center of such scrutiny, increasingly defined by the arbiters of belonging as les anormeaux. This article explores recent legislative developments on the wearing of the veil in France and examines these developments in the light of the expansion of integration testing and human rights law's normative commitments to more just multicultural arrangements.