The Veil

For as long as he can remember, Blake K. Healy has seen angels and demons. He sees them as clearly as he would see you if you were standing right in front of him. He sees angels dancing in worship services and whispering words of encouragement in people’s ears. He also sees demons latching on to people and perpetuating addiction and bitterness in their hearts. The Veil chronicles how Blake matured in this gifting, while overcoming the fear and confusion of what he saw, how he learned to use his gift of seeing for God’s glory, and how to teach others to do the same. This new and updated version of The Veil also includes a brief guide on how to begin growing in the gift of seeing in the spirit yourself, as well as an appendix of scriptural references to the spirit realm and angels, along with Blake’s commentary on these passages.

In 2004, the French government instituted a ban on the wearing of "conspicuous signs" of religious affiliation in public schools. Though the ban applies to everyone, it is aimed at Muslim girls wearing headscarves. Proponents of the law insist it upholds France's values of secular liberalism and regard the headscarf as symbolic of Islam's resistance to modernity. The Politics of the Veil is an explosive refutation of this view, one that bears important implications for us all. Joan Wallach Scott, the renowned pioneer of gender studies, argues that the law is symptomatic of France's failure to integrate its former colonial subjects as full citizens. She examines the long history of racism behind the law as well as the ideological barriers thrown up against Muslim assimilation. She emphasizes the conflicting approaches to sexuality that lie at the heart of the debate--how French supporters of the ban view sexual openness as the standard for normalcy, emancipation, and individuality, and the sexual modesty implicit in the headscarf as proof that Muslims can never become fully French. Scott maintains that the law, far from reconciling religious and ethnic differences, only exacerbates them. She shows how the insistence on homogeneity is no longer feasible for France--or the West in general--and how it creates the very "clash of civilizations" said to be at the root of these tensions. The Politics of the Veil calls for a new vision of community where common ground is found amid our differences, and where the embracing of diversity--not its suppression--is recognized as the best path to social harmony.

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. The veil can be an instrument of feminist empowerment, and veiled anonymity can confer power to women. Starting from her own marriage ceremony at which she first wore a full veil, Rafia Zakaria examines how veils do more than they get credit for. Part memoir and part philosophical investigation, Veil questions that what is seen is always good and free, and that what is veiled can only signal servility and subterfuge. From personal encounters with the veil in France (where it is banned) to Iran (where it is compulsory), Zakaria shows how the garment's reputation as a pre-modern relic is fraught and up for grabs. The veil is an object in constant transformation, whose myriad meanings challenge the absolute truths of patriarchy. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

Until now the bulk of the literature about the veil has been written by outsiders who do not themselves veil. This literature often assumes a condescending tone about veiled women, assuming that they are making uninformed decisions choices about veiling makes them subservient to a patriarchal culture and religion. “Rethinking Muslim Women and the Veil” offers an alternative viewpoint, based on the thoughts and experiences of Muslim women themselves. This is the first time a clear and concise book-length argument has been made for the compatibility between veiling and modernity. Katherine Bullock uncovers positive aspects of the veil that are frequently not perceived by outsiders. “Rethinking Muslim Women and the Veil” looks at the colonial roots of the negative Western stereotype of the veil. It presents interviews with Muslim women to discover their thoughts and experiences with the veil in Canada. The book also offers a positive theory of veiling. The author argues that in consumer capitalist cultures, women can find wearing the veil a liberation from the stifling beauty game that promotes unsafe and unhealthy ideal body images for women. This book also includes an extensive bibliography on topics related to Muslim women and the veil.

THE VEIL About the Author and His Work Gian Luca Caffarena lives and works as a journalist and writer in Turin. He was born and spent his formative years in the port city of Genoa, whose streets and society provide the backdrop for his works of fiction. The Veil is dynastic noir which traces the waning wealth, influence, and status of a powerful, industrial, Catholic family during the twentieth century. The bourgeois values and moral integrity of the family, underpinned by a strong faith in the ethos of hard work, deference, and tradition, are threatened by social unrest, political protest and the degeneracy of members of its own younger generation. A series of ambiguous deaths leads to the veil of euphemisms and half-truths being lifted to reveal what is hidden below. The religious fervour, convention and decorum of high Genovese society are forced to confront the misery and squalor of the city's poorest and most ancient quarters. Ultimately, the veil falls away to reveal an unimagined reality. Translation by Tammy Ann Corkish

In 1941 the precursor to the OSS and the CIA combined with British SAS to produce an elite fighting force whose mission it was to carry out subversive activities against the fascist regimes of Europe, actions that continue to resonate in the world today. These activities play a very important role in Piercing the Veil. A warrior with the intellectual agility of a Delphic oracle, Lieutenant Commander Grant Chisolm leads his exceptionally highly-trained, well-equipped team of SEALs into the heart of darkness. His highly secretive mission is to rescue hostages taken by the charismatic and cunning leader of a major insurgency in sub-Saharan Africa. He is forced to confront the irrationality of malevolent genius, bureaucratic quackery posing as government, and the link between a mans past indiscretions and present death and destruction. As he becomes more deeply involved in this extremely dangerous mission, he discovers that his own life is a mirror of ancestral ambitions that reveal themselves through an unexpected discovery for which nothing could have fully prepared him. The historical implications of his discoveries are truly breathtaking. His warrior quest is the stuff of legend and the crucible is bequeathed by mythical figures only to those who are worthy. Chisolm learns firsthand that not only the sins, but also the blessings, of his family must be borne to discover the true purpose of his life.

In 1923, when the pioneer of feminist activism, Huda Shaarawi, removed her veil in Cairo's train station, she created what became a landmark (and much-copied) gesture for feminists throughout Egypt and the Middle East and cemented her status as one of the most important feminists in twentieth-century Egypt. In Casting off the Veil, her granddaughter Sania Sharawi Lanfranchi uses never-before seen letters and photographs to explore the life and thought of Egypt's first feminist, as she campaigned against British occupation, as well as striving to improve conditions for women throughout the country. From her birth into a wealthy and powerful family, her early years spent in a harem, to her iconic status as one of the most influential feminists in Middle Eastern history, this is a fascinating portrait of a determined and ground-breaking woman, a rich and important story which will captivate everyone with an interest in Egyptian, feminist or colonial history.