This post was written by Noorain Khan, and originally published at Jezebel<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n Every time news about another hijab\/niqab\/burqa ban hits the press, editors rejoice: this is their chance to coin THE ultimate veil pun. Problem is, there\u2019s simply no such thing as a good veil pun.<\/p>\n Plays on words that seemed clever in 1996 (or rather, in colonial discourse from 1959<\/a>) have become even more trite and cringeworthy after years of headline-grabbing headscarf-ban debates and \u201cencounters\u201d with women in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the sub-par puns don\u2019t stop, and some would make even Carrie Bradshaw roll her eyes (we acknowledge our own lame contributions to this canon). As someone who wore the \u201cveil\u201d for twelve years, I\u2019ve endured their unpunny ubiquity in all their various forms and it gets less and less amusing. But it doesn\u2019t take years of wearing the hijab to see just how bad and pervasive \u201cthe bad veil pun\u201d really is.<\/p>\n Unveiling the Truth! Unveiling the Myths!<\/strong> \u201cUnveiling the truth behind Shariah\u201d [Toronto Sun<\/a>] Unveiling Other Stuff!<\/strong> \u201cBurqa bans unveil a debate\u201d [Sunshine Coast Daily (Australia)<\/a>] Veiled Threats!<\/strong> \u201cVeiled Threat\u201d [Daily Dish<\/a>] Behind the Veil!<\/strong> \u201cBehind the Veil; Exploring Love, Sex and Freedom Among Muslim Women\u201d [Hartford Courant] The Special Award for Repetitive Use<\/strong> \u201cVeiled Arguments\u201d [New York Times<\/a>]
\nA simple Google search reveals that the \u201cunveiling the truth\u201d is perhaps the most popular veil pun. In today\u2019s world of Muslim-female-otherness, we demand the truth about the mysterious, mythical creatures of the East\u2026 When it comes to discussions about Islam, war, and Muslim women, we don\u2019t just find the truth, folks, we unveil it!<\/p>\n
\n\u201cUnveiling the Truth\u201d [Daily Times (Pakistan)<\/a>]
\n\u201cUnveiling the Truth\u201d [10\/19\/06, New York Sun<\/a>]
\n\u201cUnveiling the truth about burqa bans\u201d [Orange County Register<\/a>]
\n\u201cMuslim Women Uncover Myths about Hijab\u201d [CNN.com<\/a>]
\n\u201cHelp to unveil Muslim myths\u201d [Illawarra Mercury (Australia)]<\/p>\n
\nAnd it turns out, you can (and very well should) unveil all sorts of Islam-related things.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cDutch unveil the toughest face in Europe with a ban on the burka\u201d [Sunday Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cSarkozy unveils \u2018burka ban\u2019 plan\u201d [5\/20\/10, Brockville Recorder and Times (Canada)]
\n\u201cNile unveils bill to ban people hiding their faces\u201d [Sydney Morning Herald<\/a>]
\n\u201cFrance is unveiling a new policy on Muslim attire: No veils for you!\u201d (article lede) [New York Daily News<\/a>]
\n\u201cUnveiling Muslim way of life\u201d [7\/27\/09, The Advertiser (Australia)]
\n\u201cWomen Unveil Why They Marry Faith With Dress\u201d [The Age (Australia)<\/a>]
\n\u201cPlatform \u2018unveiled\u2019; McGuinty says Muslim women can vote wearing their burkas\u201d [The Toronto Sun]
\n\u201cThe Swiss Minaret Ban: Anxieties, Unveiled\u201d [LA Times<\/a>]<\/p>\n
\nOf course, how can we forget the \u201cveiled threat?\u201d Uh oh! Watch out! Islam and Muslims are big, bad and ugly, and they\u2019re coming to getcha! These are most common in \u201cintegration\u201d and \u201csocial cohesion debates\u201d and further serve to remind you that Islamistan is taking over, stat.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cVeiled Threat\u201d [Sunday Times]
\n\u201cVeiled Threat: Niqab New Flashpoint in Tolerance Debate\u201d [<\/a>National Post<\/a>]
\n\u201cVeiled Threat?\u201d [Daily Star<\/a>]
\n\u201cVeiled Threats\u201d [New York Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cVeiled Threats: Row Over Islamic Dress Opens Bitter Divisions in France\u201d [Guardian<\/a>]
\n\u201cThinly veiled threat\u201d [New Statesman<\/a>]
\n\u201cFocus: A Veiled Threat\u201d [Sunday Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cNo Veiled Threat- France Mulls Fines for Wearing Burka in Public\u201d [New York Daily News<\/a>]
\n\u201cThe Veiled Threat in Europe\u201d [Khaleej Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cFrance\u2019s Veil Threat\u201d [Los Angeles Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cVeiled fears: France\u2019s push to keep women s faces uncovered\u201d [Globe and Mail<\/a>]
\n\u201cRacism Veiled as Liberation\u201d [Guardian<\/a>]<\/p>\n
\nThe seemingly more empathetic and well-intentioned approach is the \u201cbehind the veil\u201d pun. Connecting with the veiler by breaking through the veil\u2019s metaphorical \u201cbarrier,\u201d while not outright rejecting the veil, seems to bring to light the more positive stories. Still, it doesn\u2019t stop you from wanting to shout back, \u201cmy freaking hair (and maybe some of my face), boo!\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cBehind the Veil: A Muslim Woman\u2019s Perspective\u201d [Targeted News Service]
\n\u201cBehind the Veil: Inside Iran\u201d [Dateline NBC<\/a>]
\n\u201cBehind the Veil: An Intimate Journey into the Lives of Kandahar\u2019s Women\u201d [Globe and Mail<\/a>]
\n\u201cBehind the veil: Why Islam\u2019s most visible symbol is spreading\u201d [The Christian Science Monitor<\/a>]
\n\u201cBehind the veil lives a thriving Muslim sexuality\u201d [Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)<\/a>]
\n\u201cInside Afghanistan: Behind the veil\u201d [BBC News<\/a>]
\n\u201cMuslim Women: Behind the Veil\u201d [Observer UK]
\n\u201cHere\u2019s the Truth Behind the Veil\u201d [Times of India<\/a>]
\n\u201cThe Many Faces Behind the Veil\u201d [The Independent<\/a>]
\n\u201cPursuing Happiness Behind the Veil\u201d [Los Angeles Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cCriminalising Women Behind the Veil\u201d [BBC News<\/a>]
\n\u201cLife Behind The Veil\u201d [Nepali Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cVoices from Behind the Veil\u201d [Christian Science Monitor<\/a>]
\n\u201cFrom behind the hijab: women reveal their dream world\u201d [Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)<\/a>]
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s hiding behind France\u2019s proposed burqa ban?\u201d [Christian Science Monitor<\/a>]
\n\u201cBehind Burqa, Student Gets An Education in Bigotry\u201d [Hartford Courant]
\n\u201cFrench Niqab Ban: Beneath the Veil\u201d [Guardian<\/a>]
\n\u201cBeneath the Veil\u201d [Boston Globe<\/a>]<\/p>\n
\nThis one goes to the New York Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cBehind the Veil\u201d [The New York Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cTearing Away the Veil\u201d [The New York Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cUnder a Scarf, a Turkish Lawyer Fighting to Wear it\u201d [The New York Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cBehind the Burqa\u201d [The New York Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cUnder the Cover of Islam\u201d [The New York Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cBehind the Veil; A Muslim Woman Speaks Out\u201d [The New York Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cSrinagar Journal; Behind the Veil, a Muslim Feminist\u201d [The New York Times<\/a>]
\n\u201cUnder the Veil\u201d [The New York Times<\/a>]<\/p>\n