CCSS2 Unit 5 Origin and Significance of the Hijab

The Hijab is a veil which Muslim women wear to cover their hair and sometimes their

neck. This headscarf leaves the front of the face totally uncovered and does not stop them

from communicating in any way. Its size, colour, the way it is worn and even the reason

for wearing it depends on the customs of each community and each country. The same is

true of the clothes worn with it, which can vary from tight-jeans to a loose tunic.

What is its origin?

The word Hijab literally means “curtain”. In the era of the Rashidun Caliphate, according

to Mrs. Luz Gomez Garcia in her work “Dictionary of Islam and the Islamic World”, the

use of long curtains was imposed to separate the area where the Caliphate was located

and the space used by ordinary citizens.

The use of the Hijab is found in the Qur’an, however, it signifies a barrier, not between a

man and a woman, but rather between two men. It originated to protect the intimacy of

the Prophet from third parties.

Is it compulsory to wear it?

Interpretation of the Qur’an throughout history has tried to show that women have been

forced into obligatory use of the veil. However, many experts, particularly those from the

wave of Islamic Reformers, highlight the fact that the Qur’an does not stipulate the use of

the hijab, rather that it simply orders modesty, decency and decorum when showing the

human body in public.

What does wearing the hijab mean?

The use of the veil by Muslim women in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Century has

become a key issue in the emancipation of women and Muslim identity.

The debate on its use is not only evident in Europe, but also in Muslim communities, as

we have seen in recent events in Turkey and Egypt.

For many Muslim women, wearing the veil is a symbol of identity. It is important for those

who live in Western societies as it allows them to keep a bond with their origins, when they

are far from their homeland, and identifies them as members of the Muslim community.

On occasions, people feel that wearing the Hijab is a way of rejecting cultural globalisation,

which is imposed on Muslim countries, which explains its popularity in Morocco, Egypt

and Turkey.

On other occasions, wearing the Hijab has become fashionable, a way of being young

and trendy without going against the traditions of the past. We can see this clearly in the

so-called muhayababes in gossip magazines or the stylish Gulf princesses.

In countries like Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates or Quatar, women wear this item of

clothing, and men wear the traditional dishdasha, as a status symbol and to distinguish

themselves from others, generally, foreigners working as a cheap labour.

Is the hijab different to the burqa, chador or niqab?

Yes. The hijab does not cover the face whereas the burqa and niqab do. These other

two items of clothing have nothing to do with the Qur’an or Islam, and are linked to tribal

traditions or cultural customs, in areas outside of the Maghreb or Mashreq countries.

The burqa is a tunic which covers the women fully from head to toe, and which only allows

the woman to be seen through a thin gap at eye-level. It is mainly used in Afghanistan. It is

used in Arabic countries and Europe very little. In France, where the Government passed

a law to prohibit the use of the whole body veil, it is calculated that there are no more than

two-thousand women who wear the burqa.

The niqab is a black item of clothing which is made up of a headdress and a veil which

runs from ear to ear and covers the nose and mouth also leaving a thin strip at eye-level.

It is finished off with an abaya or tunic which covers the rest of the body. Many women

complement this with gloves to hide their hands. It is commonly used in countries of

the Arabic Gulf, especially in Saudi Arabia, though its use is becoming more and more popular in countries like Egypt.

Woman wearing a hijab, the shayla

is one of the most popular modern

styles.

Woman wearing an al-amira, a very

common type of veil in the Islamic

world, somewhere in-between a hijab

and the chador.

Woman wearing a niqab.

Woman wearing a burqa.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1) What are the differences between the four garments in the photographs above. Which

countries or regions are they worn in? 

2) What do you think about this topic? Are you in

favour or against their use? Back up your opinion with reasons.