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325 Alexandra Ainz Galende A closer study of the discourse of niqabi women… address the debates on this decision, there are other publications that feature the views of Muslim women that do and do not wear the hijab, in addition to their opinion on the niqab15. Literature is also available on the reasons why people and political and legal authorities reject the niqab16. However, we were only able to find one publication that gives niqabi women a voice and it is Canadian. The Canadian Council of Muslim Women17 conducted research and subsequently published the opinions of Muslim niqabi women. And this is the undertaking we focused on in our research: to obtain an insight into the opinions of these women and, based on their discourse, gain an understanding of what may well become the «niqab phenomenon». OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY The main objective of our research study is to provide an insight into the discourse of Muslim niqabi women in Spain, understand how they see themselves, discover the reasoning behind their decision to use the niqab and identify the religious basis underlying its use. For this purpose, we have developed two hypotheses: the first suggests that use of the niqab can be explained by two factors: religion and politics, both of which are based on fundamentalist conceptions of reality. The second aims to demonstrate that behind these women’s arguments are ideological and political positions that they themselves are unaware of. With regard to the sampling frame, it can be said that this is unknown. The only selection requirement for inclusion in the sample was, as mentioned previously, to interview niqabi women living in Spain. Therefore, we could say that the method used was non-probabilistic sampling, which was carried out using the snowball technique. However, we must stress that the only selection and interview requirement was that the women practised niqab. The fact that most of them are Moroccan was not intentional; the study did not discriminate between nationalities. The aim was not to interview «Moroccan Muslim niqabi women», but to identify some of the characteristics of the women, including the socio-demographic profile. The table below shows some of the characteristics we a priori considered important and took into account when conducting and analysing the interviews. 15  SHIRAZI, Faegheh, and MISHRA, Smeeta. Young Muslim women on the face veil (niqab). A tool of resistance in Europe but rejected in the United States. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 2010. 16  BAKHT, Natasha (2012). Veiled Objections: Facing Public Opposition to the Niqab. Vancouver: UBC Press. 17  CLARKE, Lydia (2013). Women in Niqab Speak. A Study of the Niqab in Canada. Canada: Canadian Council of Muslim Women. http://revista.ieee.es

REVISTA IEEE 11
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