Review: “Veiled Voices”, – Islam from a female view.

by Danah Abdulla
May 24, 2010

Islam is more than a veil, a scarf and a beard, but what are its roots? And more importantly, where is the woman’s place in it? Veiled Voices is an important documentary because it attempts to investigate the roots of Islam and the world of female Muslim leaders. The film plays the role of the tourist that avoids the main attractions and seeks the lesser known destinations. Various media has often attempted to discuss the role of women in Islam but tend to play the role of the conventional tourist by not committing to in depth research and miss essential points by only showing vulnerable women adhering to the status quo and limiting Islam to its stereotypes. This documentary on the other hand, plays the role of the non conventional tourist: it shows independent and educated women of Islam, and if you know a bit about the Muslim religion, this role is not downplayed but rather, encouraged.

Over the course of two years, director and producer Brigid Maher follows three female leaders in the Islamic community: Ghina in Lebanon, Su’ad in Egypt and Huda in Syria to get their perspective of Islam as female Muslim leaders. Maher presents her audience with the experiences of three completely different women that share a common goal: to revitalize the woman’s role in Islam. The film is refreshing because it presents a view on Islam from a female perspective through women who are both inspiring and open minded, discussing their marriages, the hardships they have faced as female leaders and providing their opinions on a variety of issues in Islam today, particularly the male dominance and the traditions that are not religious but rather cultural. Maher mixes countries in the Arab world, that, despite their proximity, are quite parallel, and although the differences between these places are not visited in the documentary, some of the issues the women discuss give the viewer a sense of the situation.

Ghina, Su’ad and Huda are not blindly following their faith, they have spent a lot of time educating themselves about it in order to inform others about Islam’s message and the importance of the woman within it. They attempt to achieve this by playing pivotal roles in their communities, as leaders in centres, as university professors and Qu’ran teachers, and as public personalities who challenge the status quo. The Muslim world needs more female leaders, and Ghina, Su’ad and Huda are opening the path for other women to follow in their footsteps.

Date: May 24, 2010