Post 9/11 ‘the veil has assumed a new significance’ (Bailey and Tawadros, 2004), the covering of a woman’s head has become synonymous with oppression and silence by many western audiences, whereas, for most Muslim women it is a form of modesty, freedom, submission to God and a part of our identity. Protest art creates urgency and awareness around important issues, therefore in this blog post, I will analyse two pieces of protest art made in different but highly significant contexts that have impacted ideas of the veil.
The veil has been the subject of many political discussions in recent years, however, conversations regarding the west’s interaction with Islam began before 9/11. For example, AES art group’s New Freedom, created in 1996, presents art ahead of its time, not only through the work’s symbolism but also in the making process of the image. The image presents a digitally altered statue of liberty adorned with a burqa; a powerful statement is formed through the iconography as the statue of liberty is widely known as a symbol of American freedom – challenging western narratives behind the veil. New Freedom forms part of a collection of images in The witnesses of the future Islamic project series, which was included in the 2003 Veil exhibition. In Warsaw, the first venue of the show, the images were censored by the authorities as they were ‘deemed unpatriotic at a time when British and American forces were preparing to invade Iraq’ (UAL Decolonising Arts Institute, 2021). This reaction to the art is fascinating and highlights a shift in western perspective on Islam and the middle east as although the art was produced prior to 9/11, 2 years after 9/11 the art had now assumed a new context.
In recent years the freedom to choose to wear a veil (hijab, niqab or burqa) has been threatened by both theocratic governments and ‘the west’ (Soueif, 2001). In 2011 France became the first country to ban the niqab in public spaces (Weaver, 2018), as a result, heavy media coverage of ‘Islamist’ terror attacks, caused a spike in anti-Muslim discrimination, especially for Muslim women (Foundation Jean-Jaurès. 2019). In response to the anti-veil dialogue, NiqaBitch was introduced to the online world in 2010, showcasing a protest performance video of two women ‘dressed in a niqab and hot pants’ walking the streets of Paris. The pair highlighted they ‘wanted to challenge the elected officials…who voted for a law that is believed to be largely unconstitutional’ (Moors, 2011). In my opinion, NiqaBitch is an informative piece of protest art as it reveals the privilege of being allowed to walk the streets of Paris wearing the niqab and not be arrested, unlike Muslim women who choose to fully cover – illustrating the hypocrisy of the French government. This thread of hypocrisy runs throughout ‘white feminism’ where the veil is viewed as a form of oppression; this Eurocentric/westernised thinking ignores the rights of women entirely as forcing women to remove part of their identity is as repressive as forcing a veil covering (Satrapi, 2003). Therefore, the art aims to deconstruct culturally reinforced prejudices regarding the veil however the piece can be viewed as a mockery, as the veil is a symbol of modesty, and in this piece is appropriated through it not being worn for religious reasons – rather for political satire (Moors, 2011).
Bibliography:
Ajbaili, M., 2010. French girls strut in burka and mini-shorts. [online] Alarabiya News. Available at: <https://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2010%2F10%2F04%2F121210> [Accessed 9 April 2022].
Bailey, D. and Tawadros, G., 2004. Veil. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Fondation Jean-Jaurès. 2019. State of play of discrimination and racist attacks against Muslims in France. [online] Available at: <https://www.jean-jaures.org/publication/etat-des-lieux-des-discriminations-et-des-agressions-racistes-envers-les-musulmans-de-france/> [Accessed 10 April 2022].
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Maurin, E. and Navarrete, N., 2019. Behind the Veil: The Effect of Banning the Islamic Veil in Schools. SSRN Electronic Journal, p.1.
Moors, A., 2011. Niqabitch and Princess Hijab: Niqab Activism, Satire and Street Art. Feminist Review, 98(1), pp.128-135.
Neumaier, D., 2004. Beyond memory. New Brunswick (NJ): Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, p.43.
Rosenberger, S. and Sauer, B., 2012. Politics, Religion and Gender: Framing and Regulating the Veil. New York: Routledge.
Satrapi, M., 2003. Marjane Satrapi: women should have a choice over hijab. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/dec/12/gender.uk#:~:text=I%20have%20worn%20a%20hijab,absolutely%20opposed%20to%20the%20veil.> [Accessed 10 April 2022].
Soueif, A., 2001. The language of the veil. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2001/dec/08/weekend7.weekend3> [Accessed 20 March 2022].
UAL Decolonising Arts Institute, 2021. Revisiting Veil, Reviewing Revisions. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70AjEOlIaoA&t=647s> [Accessed 8 April 2022].
Weaver, M., 2018. Burqa bans, headscarves and veils: a timeline of legislation in the west. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/14/headscarves-and-muslim-veil-ban-debate-timeline> [Accessed 9 April 2022].
Amina Pagliari 
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