Behind the Veil

Neville Cox, Behind the Veil: A Critical Analysis of European Veiling Laws (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019).

This timely book considers the most recently passed European laws that target Islamic veiling. The author situates the justifications for the anti-veiling laws in the context of a careful analysis of the reasons why women wear veils, and considers these justifications by reference to emerging debates surrounding the relative value of liberalism and human rights, multiculturalism, and the need to protect 'traditional values.' The book concludes that these laws are best viewed as symbolic strikes at a recognisable symbol of an ideological opponent, theorising that their principal purpose is to enable particular countries to reaffirm traditional values in a context of increased domestic opposition to multiculturalism.

-Publisher's Description