Niqab Fashion
Niqab is a word taken from the Arabic language and it is translated in English as Veil. It is made of a piece of cloth in such a way which can cover the entire face and body of a woman and the piece which covers the face is called the Hijab. Muslim women prefer to wear Niqab or Hijab as they feel more secure and protected in this and it is very common in the Muslim countries like, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman and also in United Arab Emirates. Except of these Arab countries, it is also common in the Muslim women of some other countries like Pakistan, India, Egypt, and Afghanistan. It is also worn by the women of Israel in some of its areas. There are various ways of stitching a veil or Hijab. Some women like it to be simple while some of the women like it to be according to the latest fashion all with fashionable lasses and designs.
Some people think that Niqab and Burqa are the two names of the same covering cloth but there is a big difference between these two. Niqab is used to cover the face while the Burqa use to cover the body. Some of the women use both of the pieces, one for covering their body, and other for covering their face. Because of the wide variety of hijab worn in the Muslim world, it can be difficult to definitively distinguish between one type of veil and another
Hijab
Courtesy of Flickr
A hijab is an especial scarf that is worn by women to cover their head and neck, but it leaves their face uncovered as it is not the Niqab. Hijab is also taken from Arabic which means “to Cover.” It is said in Quran to the women to keep their head cover so that a stranger or an unknown man could not be able to see her hair. It is a sign a modesty and the woman who use to wear Hijab, is seen with the eyes of respect in their community. Muslims believe that the Islamic holy book, the Qur’an, and the collected traditions of the life of Muhammed (PBUH), or Hadith, require both men and women to dress and behave modestly in public. But the requirement of covering one’s body is not same in the eyes of each Islamic Scholar. Some of them call Hijab a best Pardah but some of them call it incomplete if they, women, are not wearing proper Niqab.
Where they are worn
In some of the Muslim countries, like Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, it has been made a law to women that they should wear the proper covering cloths like Burqa and Niqab. But in some other Muslim countries, the rules are not that strict and their women are allowed to wear the Hijab in order to cover their head not their face. These countries who expect their Muslim women to cover their heads include Pakistan and India. In these countries women are allowed to cover their body, head or face according to their will and they do not have strict requirements on how this is achieved. Muslim women in some secular countries, such as Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina, may choose not to cover their heads at all.
If we talk about another Muslim country Iran, we will come to know that in Iran many women, especially younger ones, have taken on wearing transparent Hijabs instead of Chadors to protest but keep within the law of the state. While in Turkey, Tunisia, and Tajikistan, the countries with the Muslim-majority, has their own laws and in these countries the law prohibits the wearing of Hijab in government buildings, schools, and universities. In turkey, government tried to put a restriction on the women and they are not allowed to wear any Head cover or Scarf at the universities but this law was rejected by the Constitutional Court of Turkey. In Tunisia, women were banned from wearing Hijab in state offices in 1981 and in the 1980s and 1990s more restrictions were put in place.
On March 15, 2004, France passed a law banning “symbols or clothes through which students conspicuously display their religious affiliation” in all the public schools including primary schools, middle schools, and secondary schools.
