Abstract

Introduction

I am often asked why I choose to wear the niqāb (that covers a part of my face), as well as the rest of my Islamic dress (including the ḥijāb that covers my hair and the jilbāb that covers my body). In a country like Denmark where the niqāb is rare in the public space, it may seem an especially odd choice. Nevertheless, I appreciate the question. It allows me to introduce people to my religious choices, but also to the consequences that these choices have for my life in an allegedly’ liberal society’ (like Denmark), which prides itself of being egalitarian and just for all citizens, a social welfare state that also secures fundamental freedoms. In my experience, Denmark is not treating its citizens equally when it comes to tolerance and respect for human dignity.

My experience as a veil woman also introduces the reader to my own perspective, which is partly shaped by my experience. So far, I have worn the niqāb for 14 years. I wore the garment before the Danish government made it illegal, just as I continued to wear it after the Danish government's prohibition, in popular (and misleading) terms, the so-called’ burqa ban’. The garment that Muslim women most often use to cover their face with is the niqāb and not the burqa .