Viva Lewes Issue #134 November 2017

ON THIS MONTH: TALK
Under the veil
The lives of Salafi women
The fastest growing Islamic
faction in Britain is probably
Salafism. Anabel Inge, author of
The Making of a Salafi Muslim
Woman: Paths to Conversion,
is coming to Lewes Speakers
Festival, and talks to us about
her research.
How difficult was it for a
non-Muslim to gain access?
Many Salafi Muslim women
were automatically suspicious,
understandably, because
previous researchers had
betrayed their trust, including
an undercover journalist.
For months, I didn’t push for
personal information. Once
I became a familiar presence at the mosque, they
largely stopped suspecting I was a spy. Progress was
slow, but patience paid off. I got more involved in
the women’s lives, accompanying them to parties,
picnics, religious lessons or on the school run.
What did you discover? Spending so much time
with these women made me realise we had a lot
in common. Most were well-educated, university
graduates, and all were native English-speakers.
They’d grown up in both Muslim and non-Muslim
families that saw the face veil as something alien, so
veiling was a rebellious act. It could lead to heated
arguments, threats and even being chucked out of
the family home. Contrary to perception, these
women had embraced Salafism and the veil as a
matter of personal religious choice. For them, living
a Salafi lifestyle was about forging a closer relationship
with God, not about forcing their beliefs on
others, let alone condoning any type of violence.
They all condemned terrorism.
How do Salafi Muslims view the status of
women? Salafis think women and men are equal in
the eyes of God, but have different
roles. Men are providers,
while women are primarily
obedient wives and mothers.
Relationships between the
sexes outside marriage are forbidden.
Men may have up to
four wives, provided they treat
them all equally. Salafis believe
that every interaction between
non-related men and women is
potentially sexually charged, so
it’s best to separate men from
women everywhere. Women
must cover from head to toe,
and ideally that includes faces,
though most Salafis do not
consider that to be mandatory.
What is it about Salafism that appeals to certain
women? In one word, certainty. Because here was
a comprehensive set of guidelines that, if followed,
could guarantee the thing everyone wants – an
eternity in paradise.
You mention in your book that wearing the veil
can provoke aggression in public places. I’ve yet
to meet a fully-veiled woman who isn’t subject to
regular verbal, and occasionally physical, abuse in
public. Misogyny often combines with racism and
Islamophobia in subtle ways. One young woman I
interviewed was waiting at a bus stop when a man
leaned out of his car to call: “Nice eyes, sexy”. Fluttering
her eyelids, hand on hip, she sarcastically replied:
“Thank you!” He was pretty shocked. Studies
have shown that it’s Muslim women who bear the
brunt of anti-Muslim attacks, while men are usually
the perpetrators. Interview by Emma Chaplin
Lewes Speakers Festival, All Saints Centre, 24th-
26th. Anabel talks on Sunday 26th, 1.30pm.
£12.50 single talk. Day/weekend tickets available.
speakersfestivals.com/lewes-speakers-festival
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