"Islam is the most misunderstood religion of all" - Karen Armstrong. Among the misunderstood aspects of Islam, women are at the forefront. Since September 11th and the subsequent war against terrorism, the television and newspapers have been broadcasting women clad in head to foot "burquas" - veils, a symbol of their oppression at the hands of the Taliban.

This is not the first time Muslim women have been singled out as those that need to be saved. During times of conflict with Islamic regimes, western journalists and politicians place a strong emphasis on the Muslim woman’s veil and the notion that once they free these women from suppressive Islamic regimes, the first thing they will do is discard their veils. However, that has not happened in Afghanistan.

The West has yet to understand the women of Islam…This documentary shows how stereotypes about Muslim women and their veils came into being and reveals the truth about the tradition of covering in Muslim society. The documentary takes us to Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and USA and we hear Muslim women talk about why they do or do not veil. The tradition of veiling is put in a context by showing what the Islamic text says about veiling and what the practice was in the early days of Islam.

What the producer says:

"To me, what the mainstream television channels like CNN and Fox were showing regarding Muslim women and the burqua was outrageous. This started even before September 11, when the television and newspapers started focusing attention on Afghani women. They were shown to be "suffocating" in their burquas, a seemingly new phenomenon, a mobile prison for the women instituted by the Taliban. …and the worst part was that everyone was buying into this propaganda. It is with these strong feelings that I decided to make the documentary "Women of Islam - Veiling and Seclusion". As a Muslim woman, I knew what the reality was and I needed to bring it out."

http://www.womenofislam.net/