The Burqa Issue OF NOTE magazine. 2016 | Page 37

they all took it off . In the garden , the moment the male gardener left , they all lifted their veils to enjoy the sun .
Q : As a Westerner , I appreciate that the film makes clear the distinctions between the hijab and burqa and exposes the complicated historical and political journey of the burqa in Afghanistan . Tell me about filming in Kabul and the people you chose to interview . men . There is a saying in my country : You are a fool if you listen to a woman .
Q : The film answered a lot of questions but also raised many , which is good . I think art should make us question what we believe . Is there a question the film didn ’ t answer for you ? Would you do anything differently if you were to do it again ?
A : I chose to film in Kabul because it was accessible — in terms of going in with a camera crew — but also in terms of access to the intellectuals , the powerful men I wanted to interview . I couldn ’ t have women telling men the burqa is not Islamic . That wouldn ’ t work . I needed men . I wanted Afghan people to see men they respect . Men they see on TV . Men they discuss in the Jirgas ( assembly of elders ). Afghan men listen to men . They are influenced by A : I was a bit of a coward because I didn ’ t try hard enough to talk to more women who wore the burqa . The men refused permission , but my instinct was to keep the camera rolling and ask the women directly . I wanted them to lift their veils and talk to me , but I was politically correct . I didn ’ t want to offend . I didn ’ t want to get them in trouble with their husbands . I wish I had been braver .

Bureen Ruffin

Bureen Ruffin was born in New York City to Haitian parents . She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in Liberal Studies from the New School and teaches writing at Pace University . She is currently working on a memoir and occasionally tweets @ lepetittoutou .
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