The policing of Muslim women’s bodies, from West Asia to Europe and beyond

There is something profoundly vile about discriminating against women and policing their bodies in the name of secularism. Dictating what a woman should or should not wear is fundamentally at odds with freedom of choice. When institutions use their authority to compel women to dress according to a particular vision of society, secularism begins to resemble the very authoritarianism it claims to oppose. The question has never been whether women should wear the hijab. The question is why everyone seems to believe they have a say in the matter. As I write this, in October 2026, Azerbaijan is witnessing protests following new school clothing restrictions that have resulted in hijabi students and teachers being denied entry to some schools. The […]