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323 Alexandra Ainz Galende A closer study of the discourse of niqabi women… Andalusia and the Autonomous Community of Madrid. In the latter region, together with Ceuta, Melilla, the Canary Islands and, to a lesser extent, Extremadura, the percentage of Spanish Muslims is higher than foreign Muslims4. And, as followers of Islam increase in number, so too does their visibility in Spanish streets. Some Muslim men choose to wear a thick beard based on the teachings of the Sunna or the Prophet Muhammad5, some women wear the hijab or Islamic veil and others choose the niqab, which is the focus of this article. It should be pointed out that the hijab is the veil or scarf that some Muslim women wear to cover their shoulders and sometimes chest, and which some Islamic theorists recommend wearing upon reaching puberty. The hijab has sparked numerous debates both within and outside the «Muslim community». Some groups claim that its use is mandatory, while others can find no clear or specific obligation with respect to this precept in the surah, ayat or hadiths6. The niqab has also aroused controversy and, in addition, sparked heated debates about the connotations associated with its use. For some years now different European countries have been questioning whether the use of the garment is compatible with women’s human rights7. In Spain, the debate has recently developed as niqabi women —as we have decided to call them in our research— have become more visible. On the other hand, there are also people who question whether banning the niqab is a violation of individual rights8. In addition to these issues, a debate has emerged in many countries over the State’s role in regulating 4  OBSERVATORIO ANDALUSÍ (2017). Estudio demográfico de la población musulmana. http:// observatorio.hispanomuslim.es/estademograf.pdf. Last accessed on 16 April 2017. 5  The two main cornerstones on which the very body of this religion is built: the Quran, or sacred book of Islam, and the Sunna. The Sunna is the record of the teachings the Prophet Muhammad left to his companions, which has been handed down as a model to be followed from generation to generation. The Sunna is reflected in the hadiths, which are short texts or instructions that Muslims can use as a guide or model for their day-to-day behaviour. In particular, one of the hadiths that makes reference to the beard states: «Be different from the idolaters; let the beard grow and trim the moustache». 6  A quotation from one of the ayat of the Quran that speaks (or not) about the mandatory use of the veil goes as follows: «Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and (...) guard their chastity. That is purer for them (…) And tell the believing women that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty and ornaments» (24, 30-31). And another ayat states as follows: «O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves part of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused» (pp. 33, 59). 7  TISSOT, Sylvie (2011). Excluding Muslim Women: From Hijab to Niqab, from School to Public Space. Public Culture, 23(1): 39-46. 8  ERLANGER, Steven (2009). Burqa furor scrambles the political debate in France. New York Times (online) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/world/europe/01france.html?_r=0# http://revista.ieee.es

REVISTA IEEE 11
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