Could you please use this information and rewrite it in a summarized way, incorporating the major points to answer the question. I obtained it directly from the source I need to rewrite it to avoid plagiarism to answer that question. Does Hoodfar consider veiling to be oppressive or liberating for Muslim women? Hoodfar argues that veiling has previously taken many customs and been used by many women, including those who are not Muslim. She points out that the practice of veiling predates Islam and was a cultural practice to indicate high-class status by women in many contexts, including non-Arab Middle Eastern societies. Rendering to the Muslim Feminist Position although the practice of veiling today is almost exclusively identified with Muslim women. Muslim Feminists challenge the orthodox argument that the Quranic verses require the covering of womens heads and that they are meant for all women rather than the wives of the Prophet Muhammed. She draws attention to the work of Muslim feminist Fatima Mernissi, who interpreted these Quranic verses and concluded that it was not clear who is to observe veiling and whether there was a recommended form or practice of veiling in the Quran. (Mernissi, 1991, as cited in Hoodfar 1994, p. 6). The political space and debate devoted in the Middle East to the issue of clothing, and in particular the veil, indicate that the latter is far more than just a headcover. In many ways, the veil remains the most potent political and social tool. If it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, the image of veiled women can account for literally hundreds of political speeches, whether as a symbol of opposition to the state, an expression of particular religious currents, a symbol of patriarchy and misogynist tradition, a declaration of Muslim identity in primarily non-Muslim society(Hoodfar, 1994, p. 10) Hoodfar draws on her research study among Muslim women in Montreal as well as her own experiences as a Muslim woman to make the argument that veiling is a complex practice that can mean many different things to different groups of people and individuals at different times and in different circumstances. She warns that it is a mistake to think, as some Westerners might, that the veiling is an unchanging and timeless practice Veiling is a lived experience full of contradictions and multiple meanings. While it has clearly been a mechanism in the service of patriarchy, a means of regulating and controlling womens lives, women have used the same social institution to free themselves from the bonds of patriarchy. (Hoodfar, 1994, p. 5) In conclusion There are multiple meanings of the Veil according to Hoodfar as she discusses through her arguments and examples that the veiling or hijab can be used as a part of religious observance, as related to class differences, as a symbol of ideological differences and contestations among Muslims, or a powerful symbol in Western representations of Islam and Muslims. Muslim women themselves may use the veil to signify their rejection of Eurocentric norms of femininity and sexuality or to express their opposition to Western consumerism and imperialism. Hoodfar states that it is important that we recognize Muslim womens own agency in responding to the different conditions of their lives, and the veil may be one of these responses. References Hoodfar, H. (Fall 1992/Winter 1993). The veil in their minds and on our heads: The persistence of colonial images of Muslim women. Resources for feminist research, 22(3/4), pp. 518.