The Four Hijabs

The Four Hijabs is an animated short film that explores the multiple meanings of four hijabs mentioned in 16 Qur’anic verses and interprets then through an Arab Muslim feminist lens:

• The visual hijab (the modest dress required of both Muslim men and women)
• The spatial hijab (the separator between private and public spaces)
• The ethical hijab (ethical values/practices required of all Muslims)
• The spiritual hijab (the barrier that inhibits deep spiritual growth and new knowledge)

The Four Hijabs builds upon the groundbreaking work of the late Moroccan feminist writer and sociologist Fatima Mernissi. The screenplay, written by Jamil Khoury with Dr. Manal Hamzeh, is inspired by ideas in Hamzeh’s book Pedagogies of DeVeiling: Muslim Girls and the Hijab Discourse (Information Age Publishing, 2012).