Five young women are sitting in a park at the University of Damascus. Some – but not all – are wearing the hijab.
“It’s a protection against indecent stares from men,” says one. “Perhaps I see myself as more stylish in a veil,” adds another, lightening the mood.
Then their friend, long hair flowing over a leather jacket and looking every inch the wannabe rock star, shrugs her shoulders. “I might wear the hijab at a funeral because of tradition, but otherwise, no.”
This lively exchange is at the beating heart of The Tainted Veil, a documentary from the Abu Dhabi-based Anasy Media. A fascinating look at the way the hijab is portrayed both within and outside of the Arab world, it aims to open up the debate surrounding women who choose to cover themselves and explores what the hijab has come to represent, both politically and religiously.
“It’s funny you should pick up on those girls in Syria,” says Emirati filmmaker Nahla Al Fahad, one of the directors, at the London premiere last week, “because we really wanted to show that actually it’s normal to talk about these things in the Arab world. I am covered. My friend is not. When we meet as women, we discuss these things, too. So these young girls might disagree, but the important thing is that it’s a healthy, public debate they enjoy having.”
Interestingly, though, they had it seven years ago. Anasy Media first spoke to director Ovidio Salazar about a hijab-centric documentary in 2008, after he won Best Director at the Anasy Documentary Awards for Al-Ghazali, The Alchemist of Happiness. The American director travelled to the United Kingdom, Norway, the Netherlands, France, Egypt, Denmark, Morocco, Syria and the UAE to get opinions from a wide range of people, including a Danish MP, a London martial-arts instructor and a former grand mufti from Egypt. But when the seismic cultural and political developments of the Arab Spring began to hit home, the film was put on hold.
“Thankfully, there was the will to see it through in the end,” says Salazar. “It was an incredible journey through all these countries and I learnt so much.
"I'm still learning, actually, because every country has a different perspective on the hijab. France, for example, is very different to the UK. As [Emel magazine editor] Sarah Joseph says in the film, there is broad multicultural acceptance that people can go about their business dressed as they wish in the UK. In France, although they are perfectly accepting of religion, when people display their religious sentiment publicly, they have a problem.
“What you really learn, though, is that it’s such a nuanced debate – the hijab can mean totally different things to people living on the same street.”
Salazar admits that the initial idea was to focus on a girl wrestling with wearing the hijab and then explore the ramifications of her decision. The sheer amount of content, however, pointed the post-production directors Al Fahad and Mazen Al Khayrat, from Syria, in a different direction when they were asked to come on board by executive producer Sheikha Alyazia bint Nahyan Al Nahyan 18 months ago.
“We came to the view that our duty was not to make a comment on the hijab, but to build a film from all these different viewpoints, from the politicians and academics to the media and the regular hijab wearer,” says Al Khayrat.
"It was really important to us that The Tainted Veil didn't editorialise. It was the point of the film, actually, that people could say what they thought – that a young woman at university and a member of the Danish parliament could have the same weight in the argument. Through that discussion, I think you find some kind of truth." That means there is also a spokeswoman for a French women's-rights organisation, on film, saying "the student who covers her head, covers her mind".
It’s potentially inflammatory stuff, made more powerful by the lack of narration or voice-over – but neatly sidestepped by Joseph looking bemused at the whole notion of international hand-wringing about “this small piece of cloth”.
“And this is what we really wanted,” says Al Fahad. “To let people talk, express their feelings and speak freely without any directions from anybody.”
Al Khayrat and Al Fahad’s hope is that the talking will continue long after the credits roll. Stepping out into a long, lazy London summer evening after the premiere on June 15, it’s immediately noticeable how many women do actually wear a head covering.
Though there are a few issues with editing and narrative, The Tainted Veil does break down misconceptions and asks for tolerance rather than ignorance and distrust.
"It is important that The Tainted Veil stays with people after they have left the cinema – and that the positive aspects of the hijab are conveyed, too," says Al Fahad, who hopes the film will hit the festival circuit this year before a full UAE release.
“In the end, this film is about freedom and belief,” says Al Khayrat. “You cannot make anyone wear the hijab. They have to believe in wearing it.”
artslife@thenational.ae
