For women who find empowerment in covering their whole body in loose fabric, portraying them in sexualised clothing is diminishing some of that power and deliberately misrepresenting them. His artwork speaks to a Western gaze that generally sees Muslim women as voiceless beings whose value exists in proximity to a man and only seems interested in centring Muslim women when they sexualise themselves. Whilst hijab-wearing women may be featured in makeup or fashion campaigns, or seen undertaking many different types of jobs, women who wear niqab are often still seen as something of an enigma and met with deep hostility.Ī colonial propaganda poster from French-ruled Algeria which reads “Aren’t you pretty then? Unveil yourself!” It is often used to accompany headline stories about terrorism or FGM, and has become a symbol of patriarchal oppression for many people – with little done to counter these portrayals. The niqab has become something of an obsession in the Western world, despite very few Muslim women actually wearing it. “It could be argued that French is celebrating or normalising the niqab and removing some of the stigma associated with it by featuring it in his album art” At a debate last year at a European Parliament youth event in Strasbourg on the niqab ban in France I was quite disturbed to witness young members of the audience shouting inflammatory and degrading things about the garment, perhaps emboldened by institutional Islamophobia. Niqab bans have taken place in countries such as France and Denmark – these are often used as a means of political point-scoring for right-wing political parties, proving that they are taking a hardline stance against extremism, thus further linking the garment to radicalisation. This comes during a time where women who wear niqab are deeply ostracised in many Western societies, facing job discrimination as well as media scaremongering, with the UK Prime Minister having called them “letterboxes” and “bank-robbers” last year. The cover for the release features him sitting with three women on either side of him, all of whom are wearing black niqab (face veils) and thigh-high, bright red boots.Īn outpouring of comments on social media accuse French – whose real name is Karim Kharbouch – of sexualising Muslim women and rendering them faceless, sexual objects. This week, French Montana has been the receiving end of widespread criticism over the artwork for his forthcoming album, Montana.
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