Beyond the Veil: Graphic Representation of Islamic Women (original) (raw)

Qahera is an online comic created by nineteen year old art student and native Egyptian, Deena Mohamed, that focuses on confronting women’s rights issues within Egypt. Both texts use provocative images of the veil to articulate a new understanding of the practice. This understanding centers around key issues for the contemporary Islamic woman: freedom, identity, and otherness. To develop a concrete understanding of these issues the practice and purpose of veiling needs to be established. At the very core of the practice of veiling lies a deep respect for modesty within the public sphere. Islamic etiquette dictates that “the interaction between the sexes are based on good manners, formal behavior, decent and temperate language, and modest clothing.” 2 Both men and women have specific codes of conduct, but the veil is the most obvious marker of such practices. In other words, “honor and reputation are thus considered sacrosanct in Islam.” 3 The veil, in its most basic form, acts as a w...

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