Feb
Salon for women who don head scarves causes controversy in Egypt
PHOTO: Young women in head scarves in Cairo, Angela Rutherford, flickr.
The use of the head scarf in the Middle East has gotten a lot of press lately, especially with the recent constitutional amendment in Turkey that would allow women to wear head scarves, commonly called hijab, on public university campuses.
A salon in Egypt that caters to women who wear the head scarf has ignited similar debates like the constitutional amendment has in Turkey. A young Egyptian actress, Hanan Turk, started the salon as “a women-only venue where veiled women, who now represent more than three quarters of Egyptian women, would be able to enjoy its full potential, sit comfortably and meet with friends in a cosy atmosphere without having to cover up.”
A mass email went around rumoring that Christian and non-veiled women would be banned, but Turk insisted all women are invited. You can read a copy of the email here.
Some voiced anger that the existence of such a cafe encroaches on religious rights and secularism. Others say it provides a safe place for women, especially those who wear head scarves, to let it all out and pamper themselves. Egypt recently dealt with a spat of open sexual harrassment and assaults against women, veiled or not, that sparked an uproar.
The seemingly increased use of the head scarf has been a source of contention in the Middle East. Young women like Turk, who abruptly gave up acting and started wearing a head scarf, appear to be using the head scarf more and more.
Do women wear it because people are becoming more religious in the Middle East? Do they wear it because it is a symbol of solidarity? Or is it pressure from family and peers? The recent debates about the head scarf have raised all these questions and more.
