STEREOTYPES THAT DEFINE "US": THE CASE OF MUSLIM WOMEN
STEREOTYPES THAT DEFINE "US": THE CASE OF MUSLIM WOMEN

Summary/Abstract: In Western political rhetoric the veil has become the epitome of oppression of Muslim women. Several countries have gone so far as to prohibit different articles of clothing associated with Islam. This article argues that these regulations are based on two flawed assumptions about Islam and Muslim women in particular. They assume, firstly, that these women are forced to wear Muslim religious clothing and thus need to be saved and, secondly, that these practices conflict with some predefined understanding of “Western values”. In light of these images, this article calls for a more nuanced understanding of these practices and emphasizes the need to let the subaltern speak for themselves.

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