Introduction

Abstract

From memoirs, novels, lifestyle magazines, and newspapers to television channels; from religious education centers and halal markets and restaurants (where food is prepared according to Islamic rules) to holiday resorts and posh gated communities, Muslim identities are constructed through commodities and consumption practices (Abu-Lughod 1995; 2005; {Ö}nc{ü} 1995; Saktanber 1997; 2002; Bilici 1999; G{ö}le 1999; 2002; Fealy and White 2008; Fischer 2008; Pink 2009). Some recent studies have focused on the critical role of gender in the Islamic culture industry, such as the role of veiled women in film and television (al-fannanat al-islamiyya) (Abu-Lughod 1995; Malti-Douglas 2001); the current boom in Muslim women's memoirs and autobiographies (Dabashi 2006; Whitlock 2006; Booth this issue); the marketing of the veil and other religious commodities (Jones 2007; G{ö}kariksel and Secor 2009); and the appearance of shopping centers and department stores catering to Muslim women (Wynn 1997; Abaza 2001; Reynolds 2003).