tanja-talia-obo-learning log-summer-school-2015.doc

7/18/2019 Tanja-Talia-OBO-LEARNING LOG-Summer-School-2015.doc

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Singidunum University in Belgrade

Faculty of Media and Communications

Summer School 2015 in Comparative Conflict Studies

G!"#$!G %#$!&'($SM) &* +$( C%!&#%+#S,

-essay.learning log/

Course) %#$!&'($SM B'('!$SM %CC$"!&'($SM)

&hining through "iscourses of 3%thering4 and Conflict

&eacher) rof6 7(!' &%8$9 h"

Student) &'!7' &'($'

"epartment) Communications and u:lic #elations

Student;s "ossier) <=0>.1=

"ate) 7uly ?th 2015

lace) Belgrade S#B$'



&he etymology of the @ord +$( .veil. is as revealing as its meaning is o:scuring6

%ne of the reno@ned dictionaries 1/ says it is either)

a/ a counta:le noun pertaining to a piece of thin material @orn :y @omen to cover the face or

headA or)

:/ a regular -often transitive/ ver: @hich means covering something especially the face or

:ody @ith a veil :ut also hiding something so it cannot :e seen clearly6

$ntriguingly the su:ect of veil has :een shrouded in mystery for almost three and a half millennia

and counting6 hy is it still so importantD Certainly @earing the veil is an ancient tradition dating

:ac as far as 1E th century BC :ut the Christian Civilisation has reduced its usage for rare

occasions @hich occur in specific circumstances -i6e6 traditional @edding ceremonies 2/ haute

couture fashion sho@s fancy dress parties E/ parts of female costumes for historical films or

theatre performances etc6/6 Conversely the $slamic &radition has stuc to @earing the veil as the

prevalent social norm for the Muslim @omen;s pu:lic apparel to this day @hereas the eceptions to

this rule are mainly universities or governmental :uildings @here such attire is discouraged if not

do@nright prohi:ited6

Being a part of 21st century;s @orld living in Mc(uhan;s glo:al village3 @ith so many points of

conflict and dispute it seems almost laugha:le that such a tiny item as a piece of female clothing

is can provoe so fierce a controversy6 -&hen again @ars @ere no@n to have :roen out over

smaller things666H/ &he +eil Controversy has :een a verita:le :one of contention amongs the %rient

and %ccident for almost a decade6 $t is @idely perceived to :e a most visi:le sym:ol of the clash of

civilisations6

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

1/ Cam:ridge 'dvanced (earner;s "ictionary J &hird dition -200K/

2/ See 'ppendi -hoto <1/

E/ See 'ppendi -hoto <E/



&he veil can :e looed upon from numerous standpoints @hich in addition eep incurring various

-and Luite opposite/ interpretations)

• From S'C#" to C'#!'( -and :ac again/

%riginally the veil @as designed in order to represent a :arrier :et@een the sacred place -i6e6 altar/

and the @orshippers or to cover the holy chalices6 $n the early Christianity @omen used to @ear

scarves to cover their heads upon entering the church6 $t @as regarded as a gesture of humility in

front of the God and modesty in front of men6 -For centuries Theotokos the Mother of God had

:een represented veiled too6/ But the face itself @as seldom hidden J the custom @hich is still

alive dictated that only the face of a :ride is covered @ith a sheer veil during the church ceremony6

's soon as the priest pronounced the :ridal couple man and @ife it @as common for the

:ridegroom to lift the veil and iss the :ride6 'fter the @edding the :ride @ould stop o:scuring her

face @ith the veil6 But the virginal @hite veil @hich denoted the purity did not eclude the

eistence of the other darer3 side J i6e6 hiding under the :lac veil in order to engage in a lover;s

tryst -unsanctioned seual encounter/ or to mourn a deceased person6 (ust and death @ere the other

side of the same coinA thus the veil @as important for those occasions too6

• From C*'S& to S$!FU((, #%+%C'&$+

&here is this :elief that covering a female :ody in :aggy nonclingy clothes @ill lessen the seual

temptation that the aforementioned :ody represents to the carnal nature of an adult male6 But there

is also the issue of the for:idden fruit3 and its irresisti:le allure6 &he more a @oman is s@athed in

layers of cloth the more a man may @ant to peel those layers off -ust lie an eager child un@raps

its :irthday presents/6 &he mysterious veil adds a touch of sensuality and unno@n perhaps illicit

pleasures of the flesh6 $t challenges and distur:s maes one curious to see @hat is hidden :ehind it6



&he enduring legend of SalomN J an ultimate femme fatale, @hose "ance of &he Seven +eils =/

pleased the emperor *erod 'ntipas so much that he had offered her half of his ingdom in order to

gorge his eyes on her seductive dancing J comes to mind6

• From %#"$!'#, to S&#'!G

$n 'ra:ic countries there is nothing more ordinary than seeing @omen encased in a tentlie

garment from head to toe6 &his ind of veiling is called a chador or a niqab or a burqa6

But @hat is ordinary in the !ear and Middle ast it is do@nright strange in the @estern

hemisphere6 omen @earing chadors, burqas or niqabs are stared at and more often than not

fro@ned upon6 &hey raise suspicion and even strie fear in people;s hearts6 'nd people @ho are

fearful or feel threatened :y the unno@n and @eird3 tend to :ecome aggressive and less tolerant6

$nstead of minding their o@n :usiness they @ill mae it their :usiness to teach you a lesson3 and

tell you to go :ac @here you came from36 #egardless of ho@ civilised3 they deem themselves

of :eing the Luite :ar:aric3 atavism of loathing the %ther @ill rear its ugly head and strip them of

all @esternised3 trappings of socalled tolerance and sophistication6

• From S'F to "'!G#%US

hen ased @hy they @ear veils the traditional Muslim @omen often cite the sense of security

and privacy the veil provides them @ith6 &hey are uncomforta:le @ith strangers in the streets and

feel safe under their traditional ro:es @ith veils6 For them @earing a niLa: is as natural as it must

have :een for a mediaeval night to @ear his chainmail armour6

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

=/ &he Bi:le does not mention the name of the dance :ut it :ecame no@n as such after %scar ilde;s infamous play SalomN3 -1K?1/6



But since the increase of terrorist attacs in a lot of %ccidental cities there has :een a gro@ing

hysteria that any veiled @oman can :e a suicidal :om:er in disguise6 ConseLuently the

predominant narrative is that the sense of safety of one individual has to :e sacrificed for the sense

of security of the thousands in the est6 $n addition there are those @ho are not loath to lien a

@oman @earing :urLa to a deadly 7apanese assassin J ninja6

• From M.!S('+" to #B(($%US.($B#'&"

&he most common stereotype of a veiled @oman is that she is an epitome of meeness

su:servienceA therefore a silent creature @ho is neither seen nor heard in the presence of people

outside their immediate family circle6

$t is percieved that in the 'ra:ic tradition it is customary for @omen to :e :arely visi:le and not

heard from6 &hey do not spea unless spoen to nor do they participate in men;s discussions or

decisionmaing6 But inasmuch as this may or may not :e true there are @omen @ho do not @ear

a hijab :ecause they are coerced to do so6 Ms6 &a@aul arman speas rather eloLuently on the

:ehalf of her freedom of choice and reasons for @earing a traditional Muslim headscarf6 &here are

other educated @omen @ho do not @ant to :e li:erated3 :y the over:earing %ccident from their

o@n personal choice to @ear a veil in any @ay they @ant to6 ' fello@ 2015 Summer School

participant Ms6 nfal !ur ÖOyayla from &urey told me that her mother had not graduated from

the university :ecause she had refused to tae off her hijab -@hich has :een officially :anned from

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 5/ &a@aul arman First 'ra: oman and second youngest !o:el eace (aureate @hen ased a:out her

hia: :y ournalists and ho@ it is not proportionate @ith her level of intellect and education she replied)

"Man in early times was almost naked, and as his intellect evolved he started wearing clothes.

What I am today and what I’m wearing represents the highest level of thought and civilization that

man has achieved, and is not regressive.

It’s the removal of clothes again that is regressive back to ancient times."



&urish universities since 1?K0/6 She herself @ears it as it is permitted :y the current government

:ut is o:viously em:ittered :ecause her mother has not had a degree due to her re:ellious choice in

that time6 -*aving looed at the dilemma from her perspective it does get pretty foggy @hat is

progressive.li:eral and @hat is opressive.preudiced doesn;t itD/

P P P

$ndeed the compleity of the pro:lem that the veil poses eeps sprouting lie a maOe as it inspires

more Luestions than it gives ans@ers6

$s the veil a matter of tradition or religionD

$s it a simple means to :lend in or a cunning @ay to stand outD

$s it made to protect from prying eyes or to dra@ more attention to the @earerD

$s it a danger in itselfD

*o@ do @e react to seeing it and @hyD -$f it is :eing @orn in a :aOaar then nothing J it is an

ordinary sight6 But if it is sported in the middle of say a university campus J it can provoe a

:loody riot or perhaps something called @ar36Q//

"oes it represent only a relic from the past or is it important for the present tooD More importantly

does it have a foreseea:le futureD

Such a heated controversy over a small piece of cloth666 hen the veil is transparent then it is said

to provoe daydreaming and.or seual fantasies666 hen it is thic and impenetra:le then it is

fore:oding even threatening6

hat hides :eneath this form of camouflageD hose tastes does the veil cater toD hat messages

does it send and to @homD

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Q/ http)[email protected]@s.mena.egypt.veil@ar:reasoutonegyptuniversitycampus16E>2E5

-@ritten :y #amadan 'l Sher:ini first pu:lished on %cto:er 22nd 200Q/



$s it a sym:olD 'nd can any sym:ol :e more controversialD $s it frivolous or profoundD

$s it a fashion statementD ' sym:ol of female chastity morality or of female slavery and a lac of

free choiceD 'nd perhaps a certain Luaint ind of re:ellionD $s it inyourface3 opposition to

regulations @hich rule almost every aspect of @esternised lifestyleD %r is it merely a @ay to stic

out the more you refuse to :lend inD hat is more courageous -or foolhardy/ J @earing a :urLa in

'ustralia or not @earing it in Saudi 'ra:iaD $t appears that it depends on the severity of inflicted

punishment for the crime36

Breaing the enforced la@6 Being the %ther6 #ising your health and very life for your :eliefs6 $s it

still @orth itD

$t all :oils do@n to a @oman choosing to @ear -or not to @ear/ a notsoharmless piece of cloth

called the veil J and last :ut not least J her freedom to do so or not @herever she happens to live

either in the realm of %rient or %ccident6



'!"$R)

Photo #1: Princess Grace of Monaco on her wedding day (1956)



Photo #2: Princess Grace of Monaco (1962)



Photo #3: Masked Ba!"ancy ress Party in $enice % Princess Grace of Monaco (196&)



Photo #': adi *ornaist a+ria , -awhar wearing the hi*a+

&* ($S& %F #F#!CS)

http)..peopleus6:logspot6com.2012.05.princessgraceellyofmonaco6html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sabria.Jawhar1.jpg

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