The New Horizons of Piety

Abstract

This article focuses on the development of new forms of Muslim piety that challenge both Euro-American stereotypes of Muslim women veiling and conservative interpretations of the meaning of hijab in Islam. It shows how recent progressive readings of Islamic sacred texts, highlighting the spiritual equality of the sexes, are questioning persistent assumptions that Muslim women are required to veil. These progressive intellectual and theological voices are accompanied by the development of more popular and far reaching industries that are facilitating the emergence of new practices of piety: the Islamic fashion industry, Islamic beauty pageants, veiled dolls, and artistic voices. Taken together, these new modes of Islamic piety show the imbrication of religious expressions, faith, and global market forces.