Veiling and Unveiling: Attitudes and Experiences of University Students in the Punjab

This study intended to explore the attitude differences in university students wearing veil vs. those not wearing it and their cause of inspiration for veiling/not veiling in universities. Interviews were conducted in three universities of the Punjab, Pakistan, from sixty students, twenty from each university, ten wearing veil and ten not wearing veil. Data revealed very interesting patterns of attitude, of which most striking was strong attitude of veiled ones against the unveiled. Unveiled students were very careful in their comments but certainly were not in favor of adopting it. It was found out that personal preferences, religious obligation, family pressure and social value were the main causes of wearing veil. It was suggested that the phenomena of veiling needs to be understood more deeply in different educational contexts to know its implications for teaching and learning.