Understanding the Veiling of Muslim Women in the Netherlands

In this study we analyze veiling as an Islamic religious practice among Turkish and Moroccan immigrant women in the Netherlands, investigating whether the strength of religious identity, education, contact with natives, and gender role attitudes can explain who veils and who does not. Confirming ste...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the scientific study of religion
Authors: Brünig, Bianca 1988- (Author) ; Fleischmann, Fenella 1983- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell [2015]
In: Journal for the scientific study of religion
Year: 2015, Volume: 54, Issue: 1, Pages: 20-37
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Netherlands / Muslim woman / Immigrant woman / Head covering / Religious practice / Secularization
RelBib Classification:AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
AG Religious life; material religion
BJ Islam
KBD Benelux countries
Further subjects:B The Netherlands
B Islam
B Secularization
B Veiling
B Religious Practice
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
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Summary:In this study we analyze veiling as an Islamic religious practice among Turkish and Moroccan immigrant women in the Netherlands, investigating whether the strength of religious identity, education, contact with natives, and gender role attitudes can explain who veils and who does not. Confirming stereotypical interpretations of the veil as a religious symbol of a strongly gendered religion, we find that a strong Muslim identity and traditional gender role attitudes are positively associated with veiling. While our results seem to support predictions that contact with natives and education relate negatively with wearing a headscarf, these relationships with veiling are more complex. Education strengthens the positive relation between religious identification and veiling, indicating that most highly educated women endorse veiling as a religious practice if they are more religious. Contact with Dutch, however, weakens the association between religious identification and veiling, meaning socially well integrated women veil less often even if they are religious. We discuss our findings against the background of previous qualitative research on veiling as a religious practice and regarding theories on immigrant religion in Europe.
ISSN:1468-5906
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the scientific study of religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/jssr.12166