The headscarf is much more than a religious symbol. For over 4,000 years, the veil has shaped the history of a wide variety of cultures – as a sign of status, modesty, belonging and, later, as a projection screen for political and social conflicts. The documentary in the ORF programme kreuz & quer addresses this complex topic from both a personal and historical perspective.

The film focuses on two Muslim women who live in the same society but have made different choices: Menerva Hammad, who wears her headscarf as an expression of identity and self-determination, and Fariza Bisaeva, who has consciously chosen not to wear one. Their experiences, doubts and attitudes form the emotional starting point of the documentary and reveal how individual and at the same time socially charged the topic of the headscarf is.

Experts such as Islamic scholar Zekirijia Sejdini, cultural anthropologist Tobias Möricke and Iran specialist Ariane Sadjed classify the diverse meanings and show how closely clothing, power and social norms are interwoven.

The film ultimately draws parallels to today’s debates: while the headscarf is often seen as a sign of oppression in Western societies, Western permissiveness is viewed critically in many Muslim contexts. The protagonists navigate between these two perceptions – each on her own path to freedom, dignity and identity.

‘Glaubensfrage Kopftuch’ (Faith and the headscarf) thus paints a nuanced picture of a symbol that goes far beyond questions of clothing: it reflects religious beliefs, cultural traditions, political power relations and social contradictions – and shows how crucial respectful dialogue on such issues is for living together in harmony.

Director & Script
Biljana Petrović

Cinematography
Daniel Zanetti

Editor
Lukas Priller

Sound Recordists
Lisa Puchner
Dominik Stachl

Narrator
Sophia Roma Weyringer

Sound Mix
Emanoel Bruckmüller

Postproduction & Mastering
Christof Halasz

Production Manager
Saskya Rudigier

Line Producer
Eva Hödlmoser

Producer
Michael Cencig

Production ORF
Gabriele Wistawel
Carmen Carl

Editorial Team ORF
Kerstin Tretina

Head ORF
Barbara Krenn

© ORF/Metafilm 2025