On this episode of the podcast, we were lucky enough to be joined by Amal Awad. Amal is a writer, director and performer, and as a journalist has contributed to publications including The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, ELLE and Frankie. She’s produced and presented for ABC Radio National, and is the author of eight books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Together, Amal and Jane had a conversation about the complexity of the experience of wearing a veil, and the personal and societal pressures that play into this. They spoke about modesty and the policing women’s bodies in society, as well as the contrasts between wearing the veil in the Western world compared to in the Arab world. Amal and Jane also had a discussion about female sexuality and education around sex and bodies.
Find Amal here: https://amalawad.com/
Read 'Beyond Veiled Clichés': https://amzn.asia/d/bOs4xPc
Watch ABC Australia’s video, Why Muslim women wear a hijab, burka or niqab & the importance of modesty in Islam: https://youtu.be/hkLjExxCQdY?si=piVVLOL-uLBCT5me
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Intro
00:41 – How does Amal’s work connect with Sex in Space?
02:23 – The need for nuanced conversations about the veil
06:51 – Amal’s experience wearing a headscarf
11:22 – The policing of women and their bodies
15:08 – The veil and symbolism
19:16 – The difference between belief and faith
22:57 – Wearing the veil in the Arab world vs the Western world
26:23 – Female sexuality and religion
32:24 – Understanding the lack of education around sex and bodies
35:07 – Different expressions of modesty
38:54 – Why Amal chose to stop wearing the headscarf
43:25 – About Amal’s book: Bitter and Sweet
49:16 – Conclusion
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