The head-covering in Western Europe: debates on Muslim women's integration in Germany and France

Abstract

The current thesis is based on the anti-veil and anti-headscarf laws in public spaces and schools in secular countries like France and Germany, in addition to the recent abolition of religious symbols in the workplace by the European Union. Following the anthropological work of John Bowen, also Joan Scott, Christian Joppke, and Doris Weichselbaumer, the essay explores the symbolic meanings of the headscarf debate and the reasons behind the discrimination against the gender and cultural identity of Muslim veiled women in Germany and France. Additionally, the thesis explores the negative effects that the above have on Muslim women’s integration in Western Europe. Moreover, I discuss the ways Western societies achieve the dichotomization of society from Muslim women, with the use of media, and the production of cultural stereotypes. With various examples and cases of Muslim women that have experienced discrimination on the grounds of their appearance, the essay attempts to prove the imperialistic and patriarchal nature of the policies, which stigmatize Muslim veiled women as oppressed and terrorists. Lastly, it is emphasized that the problem is not the head-covering per se, but the policies of the Western European States and their attitude towards the head-covering, and so these are what need to be examined.