SHROUDED REALITIES: EXPLORING THE VEIL AS A SYMBOL OF OPPRESSION IN FADIA FAQIR'S WILLOW TREES DON'T WEEP

Abstract

This qualitative study explores Fadia Faqir's portrayal of veil, in Willow Trees Don't Weep, as a powerful tool of oppression in the Muslim world, drawing on the theoretical insights of Dabashi’s views as articulated in Brown Skin, White Masks. The study analyzes the novel's multilayered portrayal of the veil through thematic analysis, revealing its symbolic significance as a tool of patriarchal control. The study reveals how the use of the veil as a tool for maintaining gender hierarchies and exercising power and Dabashi’s (2011) idea of native informer relate to Faqir's representation of veil. Through close examination of the narrative in which the veil is employed as an instrument of oppression, this study adds to a deeper comprehension of the relationships between gender and power roles in Muslim societies. The study also critically examines the possible outcome of Faqir's narrative decisions, particularly the way in which the veil is portrayed as a tool of oppression used by men. It argues that such portrayal on part of native informers accentuates Western misconceptions about the alleged oppression of women in Muslim societies. The study's conclusion shows that Fadia Faqir’s portrayal of veil in Willow Trees Don’t Weep supports the popular prejudices prevalent in the West regarding Muslim women, calling for a deeper understanding of Muslim women's experiences.