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Abstract

The veil is the symbol of the seclusion of women. Boudhiba argues that Arab women’s dress emerged as a result of the separation of the sexes. He explains that garments are an instrument of modesty and must ‘hide the body, and at the same time reflect the sexual dichotomy of the world. This function (is) assumed from the female side by the (use of) the veil; (it) has a value which goes beyond the simple utilitarian level and emanates out of a real theology for the maintenance of female purity’ (Boudhiba, 1982 pp. 49–50).

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© 1997 Mona AlMunajjed

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Almunajjed, M. (1997). The Veil. In: Women in Saudi Arabia Today. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230373105_4

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