Post-Colonial Feminism and the Veil: Considering the Differences

Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the issue of the veil has been the topic of heated debate in Muslim countries; particularly in those countries that witnessed strong fundamentalist movements. Until then, adopting the veil had been the individual choice of Muslim women. The fact that the Islamicists who took power in Iran sanctioned the veil, and penalized those women who chose not to wear it, was a seductive, or alternatively a terrifying, reminder to women in other Muslim countries of what it might be like as a woman under Islamic rule. In countries such as Jordan, Algeria, and Egypt, where fundamentalist movements have mobilized many followers, including large numbers of women who have adopted the veil to signify their initiation into the movement, the question of the legal sanction of the veil has aroused intense reactions from supporters and opponents alike