Postcolonial Counterstories: Veiling as Political Resistance in Algeria
The fixation on the veil in Western conceptions of Muslim women has often been used as justification for “emancipatory” invasions of the East, where Muslim women are seen as veiled feeble victims, desperate for “liberation” through Westernising and unveiling. The exclusion of Muslim women from modern feminist discourse is driven by similar colonist-saviour perceptions of the veil. Western paternalism continues to dominate feminist thought spaces, as veiled Muslim women are still perceived as lacking the agency to insightfully contribute to feminist conversations. The Western perception of Muslim women and veiling fails to acknowledge the ever-changing tactical symbolism of the veil. In ignoring the nuance of the veil and the complexity of Muslim women, Western feminism has become a prominent form of cultural imperialism that must be challenged through alternative feminist perspectives.
The bodies of Muslim women have become a dangerously political and ideological game-space for the West, overburdened with assumptions of oppression and performative concern. These ideas are historically inscribed from Western invasions of the “Orient” and have become a persistent trait of modern political discourse, replicating the perverse and imbalanced roles of the “white saviour” and the “female victim of Islam” throughout the modern western world (Bjoernaas, 2015). While Western feminists claim to support Muslim women, they are complicit in sustaining the ideas of the political West. Couched in feminist language, anti-veiling legislation has been promoted by Western governments to “liberate” Muslim women while western feminists sit idle, unbothered by the appropriation and misrepresentation of their values (Bjoernaas, 2015). Western feminists will claim to support intersectionality in their movement, but will always fail to act in solidarity with Muslim women. Western politics and feminism are enmeshed in their fallacious claims of wanting to help Muslim women, and both are violent agents of cultural hegemony that need to be challenged through true and unbiased feminist counter-narratives.
Contrary to the Western conception of the veil being a stagnant and conservative tool of Islamic patriarchy, the history of Muslim predominant nations reveals that Muslim women have used veiling and unveiling as a progressive tool for political resistance against local and colonial forms of oppression (Moore, 2003). Muslim women have tactically adapted the symbolism of the veil, changing their image for their collective liberation. The historical experience of Algerian women in using the veil as a political tool is an incredible example of gendered political performance. Under French colonialism the women of Algeria manipulated the veil, the connotations the French associated with the veil and weaponised their unassuming nature for Algeria’s liberation (Moore, 2003).
The use of the veil or the “ha’ik” as an emancipatory tool by Algerian women began as an assertion of native identity against the French colonial gaze (Fanon, 1959). The veiled Algerian woman became a symbol of dissent against French-imposed Western traditions and unveiling. Even women who had never worn the ha’ik began covering to assert their nationalism, rejecting their attempted westernising by the French administration (Fanon, 1959). The ha’ik created a boundary where there was no engagement with, or acknowledgement of France’s presence in Algeria. The resistance of the Algerian woman revealed a distinct matriarchy that defined the private spheres of Algerian society and subsequently, the resilience of the nation as a whole. The French hoped to dilute her influence by dismantling her distinctive image, thus weakening the nation’s outward resistance against their colonisation (Fanon, 1959). They encouraged women to drop their ha’ik for their “personal freedom”, as every successful unveiling was seen as acceptance for their colonial regime. Although the French recognised the resilience of Algerian women, their view of Algerian identity generally was entrenched in barbarism and savagery and they perceived Algerian women through a myriad of contradictions. Covered, she was mystical and influential but also unintelligent for refusing what “was good for her” and, for wanting to protect and preserve her debased “Arab” culture. Algerian women did not dither in their resistance, and cleverly began to weaponise their unassuming nature.
The ha’ik evolved to become an active form for concealing weapons through French checkpoints around Algiers during the height of the liberation movement. Women wearing the ha’ik would hide guns under their veils, and would effortlessly walk past French soldiers with no suspicion (Moore, 2003). Contrary to mainstream discourse surrounding the veil, the ha’ik affirmed the political agency of Algerian women, allowing them to avert political suppression for their collective liberation. Their resistance was fluid and adaptable, and soon evolved to also include their unveiled image. While the fetishisation of colonised natives has forever been a prominent feature of settler colonialism, the ha’ik created a heightened mystery and sensuality around Algerian women. The dominant attitude among French soldiers towards Algerian women was that of a sexual exoticism fuelled by a sense of otherness, a desire to see and unveil whatever mysteries lay behind the ha’ik (Macdonald, 2006). Uncovered Algerian women would pass through checkpoints with whatever weaponry was needed, again, with no suspicion as distracted French soldiers openly admired their revealed image (Moore, 2003). Finally she had embraced their ways and they could feast their eyes on her at last. The veil enabled Algerian women to become agents of misrecognition and cultural mutation, it allowed them to quickly step into, or out of the constructed colonial roles of France for their political gain. They were politically impenetrable and unpredictable, as they disappeared and reappeared simply by veiling or unveiling.
The significance of veiling as a political tool in Algerian history has often been acknowledged in Algerian popular culture, most recently in Mounia Meddour’s 2019 film, “Papicha”. Set during Algeria’s black decade of Islamism, the film follows a design student, Nedjma, who finds creative solace in her mother’s anecdotes about the role of the ha’ik in the liberation of Algeria. Struggling to express herself in a growing culture of religious fundamentalism, Nedjma creates an entire collection of modern silhouettes that defy the ever growing culture of conservatism using the ha’ik as fabric. Much like her mother, Nedjma uses the veil as a tool for her political expression, and her collection becomes an allegory for the historic use of the ha’ik (Meddour, 2019).
While the film depicts an accurate account of the attempted political shift towards Islamic fundamentalism in Algeria, it has yet to be shown in Algeria (Keslassy, 2019). Meddour made a statement against the corruption of the current political system in Algeria at Cannes, which resulted in the cancelling of planned screenings for the film across Algeria (Pond, 2019). The political statements made at Cannes mirrored the aspirations of the current anti-corruption movement that has flooded the streets of Algeria, where the youth of Algeria have protested against the French imperialism that currently festers beneath Algeria’s political system (Harize, 2019). Again, just as their mothers and grandmothers did, young Algerian women donned the ha’ik to assert their cultural identity in the face of French interference in Algerian politics, and also found it practical in hiding their identity to protect themselves while protesting against the current political system (Harize, 2019).
The veil in Algeria has a dynamic role in resisting political oppression and is an extension of the feminism and anti-colonialism of the women who choose to wear it. The veil is an expression of their tenacity and adaptability and should be perceived as such in Western feminist spaces. Western feminists should acknowledge Muslim women’s stories of defiance against local and colonial forms of oppression, and work to dismantle their historic biases that often make Muslim women feel unwelcome. There is an inspiring richness to Muslim-postcolonial feminist stories that should be respected, admired and shared in feminist thought spaces, but it is up to Western feminists to realise the value of this history and create room for these stories to be shared.
References/Further reading:
Bjoernaas, T. I. (2015). Saving Muslim women: A feminist-postcolonial critique of veiling legislation in Norway. Islamophobia Studies Journal, 3(1), 78–89.
Fanon, F. (1959). A Dying Colonialism: Algeria Unveiled. New York: Grove Press.
Harize, O (2019, May 24). Veiling and Revolutions: From Algeria to Sudan. OpenDemocracy.net.
Keslassy, E (2019, October 11). Oscars: Algeria’s ‘Papicha’ Stays in International Feature Race but Can’t Get Released at Home. Variety.com.
Macdonald, M. (2006). Muslim women and the veil: Problems of image and voice in media representations. Feminist Media Studies, 6(1), 7–23.
Meddour, M. (Director). (2019). Papicha [Film] Scope pictures.
Moore, L. (2003). The Veil of Nationalism: Frantz Fanon’s ‘Algeria Unveiled’ and Gillo Pontecorvo’s ‘ The Battle of Algiers’ . Kunapipi — Journal for Postcolonial Writing, 25(2), 56.
Pond, S (2019, November 18). Why the Algerian Government Doesn’t Want You to See the Country’s Oscar Entry ‘Papicha’. TheWrap.com.
