In the Preface, Fadwa El Guindi states that her book is a study “born out of fieldworkon the contemporary Islamic movement” and represents “an original synthesis ofethnography, history, Qur[ham]anic text, Hadith, and Tafsir.”But the book is also exhortatory. In a preliminary sentence that takes the place of a dedication, ElGuindi expresses the hope her book will reach those who have made the decision to veil, thosewho have refused, those who have always veiled, and those who have never veiled. It is clear thatEl Guindi's main audience is Muslim women and men, whom she invites to understand thereligious, political, and sociological origins of their current stances for or against veiling. Yet thenon-Muslim reader, who feels graciously invited into the audience to observe and learn, easilyunderstands her arguments.