Behind the Veil: Hegemony

Dear Reader,

As author of "The Jewel of Medina," published by Beaufort Books last fall, and its sequel, "The Sword of Medina," debuting in the U.S. in October 2009, I've done quite a bit of reading on the topic of veiling.

Veiling debuted in Byzantine Christian society long before Islam came along. Aristocratic Byzantine women did not choose to wear the veil but were required to by their husbands to screen them from contact with other men and thus ensure paternity of their children — another...