Gender Issues and the Hijab/Burqa
During the middle of Ramadan: the French parliament hesitation about banning veiled mothers from joining their kids on a school trip:
On the 15th of May, the French Senate examined a proposal for a new law – named the Blanquer law, in reference to the minister of Education—anchored in a vast project of reforming the French school system. The professed objective of such a law, originally proposed by the government of President Macron, is to (re)create…
The gendered nature of Islamophobia increasingly highlighted as hate crimes rise.
Tell MAMA UK, a national project which records and measures anti-Muslim incidents in the United Kingdom., has said that over half of all reported hate crimes in the UK target visibly Muslim women. Religious hate crime has risen in the UK by 40% from 2016 to 2018. Sammayya Afzal of the Muslim Council of Britain,…
Frankfurt University rocked by accusations of anti-Muslim racism
At the University of Frankfurt, a fierce debate has broken out over a proposed conference on the Islamic headscarf, signalling growing contestation over questions of identity and discrimination. Entitled “The Islamic headscarf – Symbol of dignity or of oppression?”, the conference is scheduled for May 8, 2019. Its principal organiser is Susanne Schröter, an anthropologist…
Decathlon’s renouncement of the runners’ hijab: the latest French veil controversy
On 27thof February, Decathlon, the leading French sport company has announced via its spokesperson, the withdrawal from sales of its latest product, a hijabfor runners. This product has created a massive controversy in France, with both vehement debates online and political reactions, which illustrate, once again, for the international press, the complicated relationship between France…
Islamic feminism in Germany: A contested terrain
As Germany’s politicians ceaselessly question Islam’s place in the country, more and more Muslims take issue with being side-lined in these public debates: it is a discussion about them rather than a conversation with them. As a response, Muslims have striven to organise themselves and to enhance their public visibility. Sociologist Aladin El-Mafaalani describes this…