The Headscarf Controversy
All topics-
Germany's headscarf ruling
The things headscarves reveal
The judges at Germany's Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe are wrong to treat the hijab as a purely "religious symbol". The act of a woman demonstratively covering her head is not a gesture of subjugation, but of rebellion. A commentary by Sonja Zekri
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Islamophobia in France
Muslim women excluded from the headscarf debate
France is locked in a row over Islam, Islamophobia and the headscarf. But one key voice is almost completely missing from the debate – that of the women who wear the veil. By Nadia Pantel
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An enduring stereotype
The West's gleeful obsession with the 'oppressed Arab woman'
The stereotype of the oppressed Arab woman continues to dominate public discourse throughout Europe. Not only is this skewed image altering the perception of changing notions of family and roles within the Arab world, it is also an expression of our own cultural insecurity, writes Claudia Mende
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Global history of ideas – contemporary Muslim art
Enlightenment rediscovered
A black sequined dress against a dark background. Two expressive hands dancing. A western dance, an "Oriental" dance – whatever that is. The video-sound-collage of artist Anahita Razmi sets out to demonsrate that cultural forms of expression can be adapted. By Christopher Resch
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"Contemporary Muslim Fashions" exhibition
Muslim fashion – a material controversy
Frankfurtʹs Museum for Applied Art is currently hosting an exhibition on Muslim fashion. Heavily criticised for going ahead with the show, curator Matthias Wagner K explains how political fashion can be. Interview by Stefan Dege
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Women in Turkey
The headscarf is slipping
Not long ago women in Turkey fought to cover their hair, yet now it seems the headscarf has fallen out of favour. Seventeen years into Erdoganʹs rule, some things are floundering – including the assumption that Turkish society is becoming increasingly conservative. By Christiane Schlotzer
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Interview with Islamophobia researcher Linda Hyokki
"Europe has a problem with religion"
Researcher Linda Hyokki – herself a convert to Islam – discusses the causes of discrimination, ways of combatting Islamophobia, the divisive topic of veiling and how to debunk the common narrative. Interview by Marian Brehmer
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The headscarf debate
Don't ban – educate and emancipate!
Why resort to bans on specific religious practices, when we live in an age and a form of society where one can open oneself to permanent processes of education? If piety and self-determination are to be brought into line with a liberal, democratic society, argues Emel Zeynelabidin, then other measures must be applied
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Salafism in Germany
Iʹll wear a niqab if I want
Children's life choices are often difficult for parents to endure and even more difficult to understand. Especially when they embark on a path towards Islamism. An encounter with an affected mother. By Matthias von Hein and Esther Felden
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Viennaʹs Ethnological Museum
"Veiled, unveiled! The headscarf"
These days headscarves tend to be associated with Muslim head-coverings. But an exhibition at Vienna's Ethnological Museum demonstrates the many – and sometimes contradictory – roles the headscarf has fulfilled over time. By Cristina Burack
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Burka, hijab or niqab? What is she wearing?
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Egyptian athlete Manal Rostom
Nike's 'hijab survivor'
Egyptian athlete Manal Rostom made waves in 2015, appearing in a Nike advert wearing a hijab. Having run the Berlin Marathon in September she reveals what inspired her to insist that Nike feature Muslim women in its campaigns. By Elizabeth Shoo and Keith Walker