AN EXERCISE IN WORLDMAKING 2009 - ISS

14 Unpacking the Politics of Veil in the Context of Bangladesh 163
In the left photo the first two girls are wearing
chador; in the right photo, the girl in the middle is wearing a chador.
My use of the term ‘veil’ in the case of Bangladesh means Burqa, not
the headscarf or chador, because unlike the headscarf and chador, burqa
is labeled as conservative and a symbol of oppression by feminist groups
and as a symbol of piety, modesty and “good Muslim women” by religious
fundamentalists. Chadors, head covers and scarves are considered
as socially accepted forms of dress, yet there is no imposition to adopt
such veils. Difference in attitudes towards different types of veil needs
another paper to explain; therefore, this paper only focuses on the complexities
of burqa. In addition, similar to Scott (2007: 16), I also find it
difficult to make rigorous distinction in my own terminology; therefore,
my use of ‘veil’ and ‘burqa’ interchangeably reflects the way they are deployed
in the debate.
In most recent discussions of Islam, burqa and purdah have been
noted as the same, however for Bangladesh there are discrepancies between
burqa and purdah (Feldman and McCarthy, 1983: 950-52; Kirleis,
1991: 31-32). Here, purdah in its literal sense means spatial segregation
and the seclusion of women. Purdah has been operated as a means of
restraining and prohibiting women’s visibility inside and outside the
household. In addition, it is closely linked with the socio-economic status
of women. Though it has been identified as a Muslim practice, for Bangladesh
it is more a social than religious practice, which simultaneously
exists within Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and other religious communities
(Feldman and McCarthy, 1983: 950-52; Kirleis, 1991: 31-32). In contrast,
various studies (Feldman and McCarthy, 1983: 953-54; Abu-Lughod,
2002: 785) note that in pre-colonial Bangladesh burqa was a liberating
invention for upper class Muslim women, whose male kin could afford
to go to Haj (religious trip to Mecca) where they purchased it for females
in the family. It enhanced their physical mobility allowing them to move