Malaysian women’s complex, emotional relationship with the tudung

“The Generic Nusantara Men had snakes in their crotches, often asleep, but easily awakened at the sight of women’s hair. The snakes’ bite would scar you or curse you to be ugly, and that is why you must wear tudung (headscarf or hijab), the Elder tells the younger woman.” Loosely paraphrased from “Rambut Medusa” by Steff Fleur, cautionary tales like this of how the veil protects women from beastly male lust are something most Muslim girls have heard before.

But as the other writings in the Tudung Anthology show, the issue of that piece of cloth covering Muslim women’s hair is complicated, and most often not as fantastical as the fable.