Overview

Since the early 2010s, an increasing number of European countries have passed laws that prohibit the wearing of various kinds of Islamic veil in particular circumstances. This insightful book considers the arguments used to justify such laws and analyses the legitimacy of these arguments both generally and in regards to whether such laws can be seen as justified interferences with the rights of women who wish to wear such garments. This timely book considers the most recently passed European laws that target Islamic veiling. The author situates the justifications for anti-veiling laws in the context of a careful analysis of the reasons why women wear veils, and considers these justifications by reference to emerging debates surrounding the relative value of liberalism and human rights, multiculturalism, and the need to protect 'traditional values'. The book concludes that these laws are best viewed as symbolic strikes at a recognizable symbol of an ideological opponent, theorising that their principal purpose is to enable particular countries to reaffirm traditional values in a context of increased domestic opposition to multiculturalism.   This engaging work will be valuable reading for students and scholars of human rights law, Islamic law and those interested specifically in the laws and regulations surrounding Islamic veiling around the world.

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9781788970846

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Reviews

`Though people may agree or disagree with his conclusions, anyone interested in the difficult and controversial topic of the restrictions on face-veiling in Europe, will benefit from reading the interesting, well-researched and elegantly-argued book Neville Cox has written.' -- Ronan McCrea, University College London, UK

'Though people may agree or disagree with his conclusions, anyone interested in the difficult and controversial topic of the restrictions on face-veiling in Europe will benefit from reading the interesting, well-researched and elegantly-argued book Neville Cox has written.' -- Ronan McCrea, University College London, UK

'This important and timely book by Neville Cox thus reminds us that 'a legalistic language (can provide) an impoverished understanding of the competing motives, perspectives and sartorial styles by reducing the garment to its attributed symbolic meanings'. His thorough and systematic analysis of the alleged rationales of anti veiling laws reveals how law can serve the populist discourse -- of 'us' versus 'them' and endanger democracy whilst ironically pretending to save it.' - Myriam Hunter-Henin, European Convention on Human Rights Law Review 'Though people may agree or disagree with his conclusions, anyone interested in the difficult and controversial topic of the restrictions on face-veiling in Europe will benefit from reading the interesting, well-researched and elegantly-argued book Neville Cox has written.' -- Ronan McCrea, University College London, UK

`Though people may agree or disagree with his conclusions, anyone interested in the difficult and controversial topic of the restrictions on face-veiling in Europe will benefit from reading the interesting, well-researched and elegantly-argued book Neville Cox has written.' -- Ronan McCrea, University College London, UK

Author Information

Neville Cox, Dean of Graduate Studies and Professor in Law, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

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