Hijabistas, Mosques and Force: Muslim Women's Search for Self In Britain - Islamic Background of the Hijab, Religious Wear, Forced Marriage, Multiculturalism, Gender Rights, Prayer, Female Imams

This excellent report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. Great Britain has struggled with how to treat its Muslim population since the terrorist attacks in 2005. Prime Minister David Cameron believes that British multiculturalism is not working, and the country needs to move to a more integrative approach for its diverse population. Muslim women in Britain, however, have already integrated. They have taken on British values of social and gender equality as their own. They seek to practice their religion as freely as men. They participate in the British market, and they demand the same rights as all other British citizens. They have found a hybrid identity that blends these values with Islam and have found a new, Western sense of self. These women prove that identity compromise and integration are possible in multicultural Britain.

CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION * A. BACKGROUND: MUSLIMS IN EUROPE * B. MULTICULTURALISM AND PERCEIVED THREATS * C. METHODOLOGY AND ROADMAP * CHAPTER II - HIJABISTAS * A. INTRODUCTION * 1. Islamic Background of the Hijab * 2. British Hijab History * B. THE CAPITALIST HIJABI * 1. Tapping Into a Western Market for Traditional Clothing * 2. Fashioning the Jilbab * 3. The Hijab Gets a Makeover * 4. Appealing to a Broader Market * 5. Profiting and Giving * 6. Hijabistas Create Negotiation * C. BRITAIN, POLITICS, AND MUSLIM WOMEN'S RELIGIOUS WEAR * 1. The Hijab in School * 2. The Jilbab Goes to Court * 3. Jack Straw Vs. the Niqab * D. CONCLUSION * CHAPTER III - FIGHTING THE MAN: FORCED MARRIAGE AND IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN BRITAIN * A. INTRODUCTION - THE PROBLEM OF FORCED MARRIAGE * 1. What Is Forced Marriage? * 2. Who Practices Forced Marriage and How Prevalent Is It in Britain? * 3. What Are "British Values" and How Does Forced Marriage Violate These? * B. INTERNATIONAL LAW * C. MULTICULTURALISM, INTEGRATIONISM AND GENDER RIGHTS: HOW THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SPARKED THE DEBATE * 1. The 1999 Working Group on Forced Marriage * 2. The Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act and Forced Marriage Unit * 3. "How Do We Raise This [Issue] Without Inviting a Racist Backlash?" * D. WHAT ARE IMMIGRANT WOMEN DOING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM? * 1. Jasvinder Sanghera and Karma Nirvana: Supporting Victims and Dispelling Myths Through Education * 2. Victim Advocacy and the Southall Black Sisters * E. WHY ARE WOMEN FIGHTING FORCED MARRIAGE? * F. CONCLUSION * CHAPTER IV - LET ME IN: THE MOSQUE AND WOMEN * A. INTRODUCTION * B. BACKGROUND * C. HOW ARE WOMEN PUSHING FOR THEIR PLACE * 1. Muslim Public Affairs Council United Kingdom * 2. The List: How Are These Mosques Female-Friendly? What Are Their Criteria? * 3. Finsbury Park Mosque—Transformation Through Gender * 4. True Equality? A Brief Comparison with the United States * a. Side-by-Side Prayer * b. Female Imams * D. WHY ARE THERE ROADBLOCKS? * E. WHY ARE WOMEN FIGHTING FOR REFORMS? * F. CONCLUSION * CHAPTER V - CONCLUSION * A. SUMMARY * B. FUTURE RESEARCH * LIST OF REFERENCES