Documentary: Conference - Islam, The global liberation of Women - London...

Cross Posted: The iCover Project

Cross posted from my personal blog, Living in Four Rooms, is this brief explanation of the project and some of the issues I want it to explore:

A close friend and I have started this project to explore why women choose to dress modestly and cover their heads. For some the reasons are personal, for some they are religious, for some they are cultural, and for some they are political.

One thing we know for sure is that for a woman to cover her head and/or her body in Western society, where women are expected to be on display at all times, is an act that draws attention. 


Western women who choose this path are choosing to face discrimination, scorn, and the risks that come with adopting what is traditionally considered to be an Islamic form of dress in a country that is not very accepting of Muslims. So why do it?

Some women started wearing hijab after 9/11 in solidarity with the Muslims in the US and to try to break down prejudices against Muslims in the US. Some religious women of all faiths dress modestly and cover their heads out of piety or religious belief. Some women are fed up with the pressure to show as much skin as possible and advocate a return to and celebration of the feminine as expressed through beautiful fabrics, elaborate makeup, and jewels. Western society has become so hyper-sexualized that any expression of sexuality other than the actual sexual act has become lost. Other women are choosing to cover as a response to the ever growing invasiveness of Western society.

Thanks to camera cell phones and the easy availability of social networks, YouTube, and other media women are under assault everywhere. Just leaving the house could result in being photographed without your knowledge and your image used on a website without your permission, or being Photoshopped into questionable videos.  Since what is put on the Internet never really goes away one moment of being caught with your guard down could result in your image being used in a way that you never intended forever. Some women see covering their heads, faces and/or bodies as a way of fighting back against the relentless intrusion of digital media into everyday life.

We're exploring the reasons why thousands of women are choosing to cover/dress modestly, what impact it has on their lives, and how the ideas of beauty and femininity are being redefined by using fashion, makeup, and hair styling to do more than just signal availability for sex.

Hijab - Beauty Of A Muslim Woman Part 1 Of 4.avi

TVT Promo Emily.mp4

"Questioning the servitude of forced veiling or unveiling in shared spaces, Rabia Z an Arab, Afghani American Muslim takes on a journey across six nations, hotbeds of the veiling controversy- France, Afghanistan, Pakistan, USA, UK and UAE --to find a solution. Stirring dialogue with everyday people, religious scholars, policy makers and press, trying to understand both sides of the argument; her meetings with other Muslim women - like Jana of Hijab Style blogs / Sarah Elenany/ Funny Girls- all working towards building cultural bridges reveals heartwarming stories of women affecting change"