The Hijab Debate in the Norwegian Press: Secular or Religious Arguments?
In: Journal of Religion in EuropeSearch for other papers by Cora Alexa Døving in
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Do religious debaters challenge the secular public sphere? This article is an analysis of the largest religion related debate in Norway: the debate about the hijab and the use of religious symbols in the public sphere. The article is empirically founded on the debates in 2009 that began with the question about to which degree the hijab could become part of the Norwegian police uniform for those who would wish to use it. The analysis is mainly centred on the arguments of the hijab wearers: to what degree is their religious motivation translated into a secular language? The empirical examination will show that Muslim debaters arguments can be characterized by a striking absence of references to religious concepts, and a just as striking use of secular ones. The article suggests that the lack of religious argumentation is an expression of an Islamic secularism rather than a result of a translation process. The hijab wearer's arguments are presented in the light of John Rawls’ and Jürgen Habermas’ thoughts about the need for translation—and its price.
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Habermas, J. (2008): Between Naturalism and Religion, Cambridge: Polity Press.
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34)
Tordis Borchgrevink (2007) discusses amongst other things this question in the article: “The Hijab Debate and the Liberal Dilemma” I Tidsskrift for kjønnsforskning, nr. 2.
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Rawls, J. (1993): Political Liberalism, Colombia: University Press.
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Rawls 1993, 217.
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Habermas 2008.
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Habermas 2005, 15.
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Weithman 2002.
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Habermas 2005, 17.
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See Esposito, J. (1992): The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? New York: Oxford University Press or Ramadan, T. (2009): Europeisk islam: Å være muslim i Vesten, Oslo: Cappelen Damm.
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52)
Asad, T. (1993): Genealogies of Religion: Discipline and Reasons for Power in Christianity and Islam, London: John Hopkins University Press or Lewis, B. and Buntzie E. C. (2009): Islam: The Religion and the People, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Wharton School Pub.
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53)
Esposito, J. L and Mogahed, D. (2007): Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think: Based on Gallup's World Poll, The Largest Study of its Kind, New York: Gallup Press.
-
54)
An-Naim, A. A. (2008): Islam and the Secular State: Negotiating the Future of Sharia, London: Harvard University Press; Ramadan, T. (2009): Europeisk islam: Å være muslim I vesten, Oslo: Cappelen Damm.
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55)
Klausen, J. (2005): The Islamic Challenge: Politics and Religion in Western Europe, Oxford: Oxford University Press; Jacobsen, C. M. (2006): Staying on the Straight Path: Religious Identity Among Young Muslims in Norway, dissertation for dr. polit., University of Bergen; Sicakkan, H.G. and Lihman, Y.G. (2006): What Happens When a Society is Diverse? Exploring Multidimensional Identities, New York: The Edwin Mellen Press.
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The Hijab Debate in the Norwegian Press: Secular or Religious Arguments?
In: Journal of Religion in EuropeSearch for other papers by Cora Alexa Døving in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Do religious debaters challenge the secular public sphere? This article is an analysis of the largest religion related debate in Norway: the debate about the hijab and the use of religious symbols in the public sphere. The article is empirically founded on the debates in 2009 that began with the question about to which degree the hijab could become part of the Norwegian police uniform for those who would wish to use it. The analysis is mainly centred on the arguments of the hijab wearers: to what degree is their religious motivation translated into a secular language? The empirical examination will show that Muslim debaters arguments can be characterized by a striking absence of references to religious concepts, and a just as striking use of secular ones. The article suggests that the lack of religious argumentation is an expression of an Islamic secularism rather than a result of a translation process. The hijab wearer's arguments are presented in the light of John Rawls’ and Jürgen Habermas’ thoughts about the need for translation—and its price.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1185 | 119 | 4 |
| Full Text Views | 207 | 6 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 185 | 9 | 0 |