ABSTRACT
Worldwide, tensions between “Islam” and “the West” have increased tremendously in the last decade. The events of September 11, 2001, in the United States, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Danish cartoon crisis are dramatic manifestations of these tensions. In Western critiques of Islam, the presumed inferior position of women in Islam often provides one of the pivotal points for disqualifying Islamic norms and values. Muslim women living in Western countries, who are mainly immigrants or of immigrant descent, may fi nd themselves in a double or rather triple bind, caught at the intersection of race, sex, and religion.1 European discussions on banning the Islamic headscarf from public schools are a case in point.2
