Egyptian secularists oppose the veil while still endorsing modesty as a feminine virtue

Evidence

In contrast to this under.. standing is a position ( associated with prominent secularist writers) that ar.. gues that the virtue of modesty is no different than any other human attrib.. ute-such as moderation or humility: it is a facet of character but does not commit one to any particular expressive repertoire such as donning the veil. Notably, these authors oppose the veil but not the virtue of modesty, which they continue to regard as appropriate to feminine conduct. The veil, in their view, has been invested with an importance that is unwarranted when it comes to judgments about female modesty (see chapter 5). — Saba Mahmood, Politics of Piety, 179

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing: this complicates the common framing that secularists simply reject modesty norms — they share the gendered assumption, differing only on how it should be enacted.