ABSTRACT
Spatial justice or injustice in relation to water is typically conceived in relation to water as a resource, or more specifically as the unequal distribution of scarcity. These are just some of the ways in which spatial justice in cities can be read through the matter of water. This chapter considers uses and practices of water exercised by minority groups, that are largely invisible, but which nevertheless enter the public sphere. It looks at the purification rituals associated with the Christian, Muslim and Jewish religions and how they have been contested. The niqab, in particular, is contested on the grounds that the face is invisible which is considered necessary for proper communication in jobs where employees have to deal with the public. The chapter concludes with some reflections on the implication of these practices for spatial justice in the city.
