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The Niqab and the Other

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The Niqab in France
This chapter is in the book The Niqab in France
35Attraction through DissimulationModesty is a concept fundamental to the new religious movements with which the niqab is associated. Advanced jointly with faith, “modesty”—or the cover-ing of the body’s private parts (awra)—becomes extended to the entire body. God is everywhere; the body must be hidden from his omniscient gaze. Niqab wearers could be seen to assume the position that they attribute to God: they see without being seen, like God, reinforcing a sense of self-value. Adopting a “dress code” imported from Saudi Arabia is a means of appealing to men with Salafi tendencies, attracted to this spirit of abnegation.Modesty is held as the highest virtue by which a woman might define her-self. But is this a “natural” feeling, or has it been inculcated by Internet theo-logians? What is the role of individual personalities in the retreat from the world into modesty, in the desire not to be seen or stared at? Is it a drive or an accepted constraint? It is, I argue, both. Muslim women’s modesty is con-structed in opposition to the supposed permissiveness of Western women, who become counter models to a lifestyle seen as morally superior.These religious arguments, however, sometimes shade into more self-centered motives. The niqab can serve to exhibit piety with the aim of praise or admiration, and help women gain entry into an elite group to which they seek admission. Hence the reason that more traditional Muslims often con-demn public demonstrations of faith: they transgress the humility required of both men and women in Islam. Moreover, this spirit of religious excess explains the preponderance of zealous converts within such practices. The argument for modesty can hide a sentiment of pride.The Niqab and the Other
© 2024 Fordham University Press, New York, USA

35Attraction through DissimulationModesty is a concept fundamental to the new religious movements with which the niqab is associated. Advanced jointly with faith, “modesty”—or the cover-ing of the body’s private parts (awra)—becomes extended to the entire body. God is everywhere; the body must be hidden from his omniscient gaze. Niqab wearers could be seen to assume the position that they attribute to God: they see without being seen, like God, reinforcing a sense of self-value. Adopting a “dress code” imported from Saudi Arabia is a means of appealing to men with Salafi tendencies, attracted to this spirit of abnegation.Modesty is held as the highest virtue by which a woman might define her-self. But is this a “natural” feeling, or has it been inculcated by Internet theo-logians? What is the role of individual personalities in the retreat from the world into modesty, in the desire not to be seen or stared at? Is it a drive or an accepted constraint? It is, I argue, both. Muslim women’s modesty is con-structed in opposition to the supposed permissiveness of Western women, who become counter models to a lifestyle seen as morally superior.These religious arguments, however, sometimes shade into more self-centered motives. The niqab can serve to exhibit piety with the aim of praise or admiration, and help women gain entry into an elite group to which they seek admission. Hence the reason that more traditional Muslims often con-demn public demonstrations of faith: they transgress the humility required of both men and women in Islam. Moreover, this spirit of religious excess explains the preponderance of zealous converts within such practices. The argument for modesty can hide a sentiment of pride.The Niqab and the Other
© 2024 Fordham University Press, New York, USA
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