Decentering the Veil: Transforming the Discourse Surrounding Muslim Women

Abstract

Western society’s preoccupation with the veil and the women who don them continues to occupy political and public arenas, garnering widespread attention. In the west, the veiling practices of Muslim women are most commonly as either a symbol of oppression or resistance. This dichotomy of prevailing discourses fails to capture the complexities of navigating gender, religious and racial identities within western society, thus perpetuating reductive representations of Muslim women. This article examines Western perceptions of Muslim women who choose to veil. Prevailing discourses are problematized, and considerations to elevate nuanced narratives of Muslim women that transcend the veil are explored.