December 2006: The veil, feminism and Muslim women: a debate

In December 2006 Fawcett hosted a roundtable on the veil and women's rights.

Since Fawcett does not have a view on the veil, we hosted this roundtable to provide a forum for a deeply critical and honest engagement with the apparent tensions between 'feminism' and 'Muslim women' in Britain.

At the event, participants were able to:

• Engage each other directly
  
  
• Explore opportunities for consensus
  
  
• Suggest next steps in the effort to reclaim and reinvigorate feminism and work for positive change for all women
  
  

Key themes

There were six key themes in the discussion:

• Power and discourses: Do we need to be more aware of the ways that political context, power imbalances, grassroots experiences and tone influence dominant discourses on the veil?
  
  
• Choice: Should women have the right to choose to wear the veil in all situations?
  
  
• Secularism: Where does the veil fit within a secular British culture? How do we reconcile religion and democracy?
  
  
• The veil as a sign or symbol: The veil can signify meaning to others and signs can be powerful. What does the veil communicate in Britain?
  
  
• Feminism: What is the 'feminist position' on the veil? How can feminists work in solidarity with women who wear the veil?
  
  
• Policy recommendations: Nine ways that policy makers can meet the needs of Muslim women were suggested by participants. It is especially important to focus on: women's rights, gender equality, practical action from government to grassroots, and evidence rather than theory.
  
  

The full report of the debate is available from the blue Downloads box on the right. It complements the formal presentations made by the speakers which are also available for download.