Muslim dress and the head-scarf debate

Debates about the presence of students wearing head scarves in public schools in West Europe started in the late 1980s; about a decade later, the employment of women wearing head scarves also became the focus of attention. These debates need to be seen within a context in which a new generation of Muslims (often second-generation migrants) started to enter the educational system and then the labor market. As new Muslim citizens, these young men and women have increasingly become socially and politically active. At the same time, right-wing populist movements have rapidly grown and functioned as a catalyst for a wider trend opposing the public presence of Islam in Europe. These developments took place at a historical moment when Islamic revivalist movements emerged on a global level. While everywhere head-scarf debates were affected by these developments, there are also important national particularities.