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Part II

In this section, I will examine veiling practices among Muslim women from an emic perspective. As Crapo (2013) describes it, “An emic description or analysis—that is, an insider’s or native’s meaningful account—may be written for outsiders but portrays a culture and its meanings as the insider understands it” (p.27). In her book chapter entitled The Veil in Their Minds and on Our Heads: Veiling Practices and Muslim Women, Hoodfar (1997) examines misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding this practice. From an emic perspective, Muslim women face unwarranted scrutiny over their choices from people who often have no understanding of the many reasons why women wear the veil.

The reasons for wearing the veil may differ from individual to individual and from culture to culture (Hoodfar, 1997). In any culture, it is typical for motivations to vary in this way. For example, in America, wearing revealing clothing may signify confidence in one’s body for some and insecurity for others. There is rarely a one-size-fits-all explanation for any behavior. Despite this, Hoodfar (1997) notes that Muslim women living in North America and Europe often face harsh criticism over their choice to wear the veil, even though many people do not fully understand the practice, and admit to this when engaging Muslim women in conversation about the practice. Muslim women feel harassed and attacked about their choices no matter what they say, and are sometimes afraid of being viewed as Islamic apologists, even though there are many misconceptions and stereotypes about why Muslim women wear veils (Hoodfar, 1997).

Hoodfar (1997) notes that many people equate the veil with oppression and ignorance, and they express concern for the welfare of Muslim women. While there are strong patriarchal cultural norms in some Muslim countries, many Westerners have adopted a view of the veil that is influenced by colonial accounts and romanticization of the other (Hoodfar, 1997). The veil remains a static, unchanging symbol to non-Muslims, while it is something that has undergone many changes in Muslim societies. For example, in the 1930s in Iran, the veil was banned in an attempt to “modernize” the country (Hoodfar, 1997). This forced women who were formerly independent to become dependent upon men if they did not wish to leave the house with their heads uncovered. In 1980, after the Iranian revolution, a compulsory veiling policy was instituted (Hoodfar, 1997). Both regimes faced resistance from women, who were sometimes arrested, imprisoned, and flogged for their actions (Hoodfar, 1997). Far from being willing victims of oppression, Muslim women in Iran do not approve of being compelled to either wear or not wear the veil—it is a decision that they want to make for themselves

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The following is an example of how to start Part II of this paper. You can use this as a model to help you write your own paper, but you cannot use this exact phrasing.

Begin this section with a discussion of what the term emic means and why it is important to be able to take this perspective. Then apply an emic perspective to the aspect of culture you have chosen to discuss.

Please note that this example is shorter than what is required for your final paper and the margins are wider to allow for comments.

Include a section heading here.

Introduce the source you are using in this section.

Examine the issue as it is experienced by cultural insiders.

Introduce your topic in the first sentence.

It can be helpful to introduce an analogy to American culture to make your point, but make sure the majority of this section focuses on the aspect of culture you have chosen to discuss.

Include an in-text citation every time you draw from information that you learned from your source.

Remember, you do not need to do outside research for this section. If you do, make sure to use reputable statistics and/or scholarly sources.

Remember to include a full reference entry at the end of your paper for each source you have cited in this section.

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