3 ANNOTATION
WHY THERE IS A BOOM OF VEIL IN EGYPT?
Jessica Villlasenor
100409908
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| Photo: Kuswandini (2012) |
In recent years the veil trend has increased. But, what are the
reasons why 90% of Egyptian women wear veil? (Morsi, 2008).
There is the generally-accepted belief that a good Muslim has to wear
the veil even thought is not a mandatory issue. According to Mehmet (2005) the
first followers of Islam adopted the veil because it was a sign of respect for
the religion and at the same time a sign of honor and purity. In Egypt, the
traditional thinking says is that veil is a sign of modesty and the beating of
ego (Joseph, 2011). As we can see in this image, the point of view of Egyptian
Muslim is related to decency of woman and
to order to avoid provoking men’s instincts (Mehmet, 2005) , thus, is seen as a
safety measure for them.
It is interesting to point out that in 1920 and 1930 the scarf fell out
of favor between Arab women. However, it reappeared with a renewed strength
only 50 years after. During the 1970 millions of Egyptians migrated to the
booming Gulf States for work, such as Saudi Arabia. Some years later,
they went back to Egypt bringing the more conservative traditions of that
States. That is how the usage of veil was “reintroduced” in Egypt. Other
consequence of this migration was the start of use of burqa, a phenomenon that
was inexistent between Egyptian women not many years ago and can be explained
because of the exposure of the society to the more radical Gulf States
customs.
There are two more issues that also explain this veil boom. These two
reasons are directly related to the crisis of identity being experienced by the
country. On the one hand, the exposure to western culture and media, especially
after 1990 when Egyptian television could broadcast international channels and promoted
a more open discussion about certain controversial topics; by the other hand,
this opening to other culture values undermined their Egyptian identity. The
response of the society to crisis of identity was a stronger religion
commitment, a return to their customs, such as the veil. Here is where the
relation between the boom in veil use and the crisis of identity in the society becomes clear.
References - Abou ,. (october, 31 2006). Fierce debate over veils in Egypt. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/31/AR2006103100696.html
- Caner, E. M. (2005). Voces detrás del Velo: el mundo del Islam y la mujer musulmana. Michigan: Portavoz.
- Kuswandini, D. (August, 15 2012). Why some Muslim women don't wear hijab? Jakarta Globe. Retrieved from http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/talkback/why-some-muslim-women-dont-wear-hijab/538417
- Joseph, S. (24 de may de 2011). Why do Muslim women wear the hihab? (Y. Klimchak, Interviewer) Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJdp_1jIyKQ
- Morsi, E. (2008). Babel Med. Retrieved from eng.babel.net
