ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the case of contemporary Bulgaria and argues that the decision to cover one’s head in the Bulgarian context is often influenced by the presence of international Islamic charities and the discourses they produce about what is ‘proper’ behaviour for a Muslim woman. It discusses the two key cases that came before the Commission in 2006 and 2007, the circumstances leading up to these cases and the arguments made both for and against religious symbols in schools. The chapter explores the local politics informing the headscarf cases in Bulgaria, a country which names Eastern Orthodox Christianity as its traditional religion but simultaneously claims that public education should be secular. It also explores the demographics of the Muslim community in Bulgaria and the shifting contours of Muslim belief and practice. The chapter focuses on two new Islamic magazines, Ikra&Myusyulmansko Obshtestvo , which contain articles arguing that it is mandatory for Muslim women to wear the headscarf in public.
