ABSTRACT
Despite its origin in the Assyrian civilisation, its indispensable association with Islam causes an amnesic homogeneity of representation. This chapter explores the international veiling narratives which conjure up a fractured discourse containing aspects of both anti-veiling and pro-veiling elements. While colonialism historically and Islamophobia contemporarily concoct the greater part of the anti-veiling discourse, the rosy appropriation of hijab as resistance and Islamic fashion form significant facets of the pro-veiling discourse. As Islamic veiling becomes a signifier of polarised opinions, both the anti- and pro-veiling discourses engage in exoticising women’s veil-clad bodies by valourising or villainising them.
