The niqab is a head covering worn by Muslim women in some Arab countries, Southeast Asia, North Africa, and India. It can be worn with a burqa or other clothing as part of a modest dress. Some Muslim women see it as Hijab, while others find it oppressive. In some countries, it is mandatory, while in others, it is prohibited. It provides anonymity and can be useful when trading in local markets.
The niqab is a combination of a head covering and a scarf, or a one-piece scarf that covers everything but the eyes. It usually flows to the middle of the back to cover a woman’s hair, and it can flow to the middle of the chest in the front. This head covering can be worn with a burqa or with other clothing as part of a modest dress for Muslim women. It is used most often in the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, some parts of Southeast Asia, the Islamic countries of North Africa, and in India.
Many Muslim women feel that wearing the niqab is Hijab. Hijab is clothing worn as per the instructions in the Qur’an which tells women to cover their beauties. The cover may be mandatory clothing in some countries, and other women wear it by choice. Efforts in some countries, such as Turkey, to ban the niqab have been met with protest. In fact, Turkey tends not to enforce this law because some women feel protected by using it.
There are two types of niqab. In some styles, both the forehead and eyes are shown and the scarf is attached with stitching or elastic. The other type is more closely associated with the burqa style. Only the eyes are shown, and even the eyebrows may be darkened.
For some Muslim women, the laws mandating the use of this head covering are oppressive. Others see it as standard clothing and like the freedom of anonymity it provides when the woman is running errands. Also, wearing the niqab can be of great religious satisfaction for some.
There have been some interesting results when immigrants wear the niqab in a traditionally dressed western country. Some Muslim women in the United States feel that coverage makes them more visible and more prone to discrimination. In the Netherlands, it is prohibited, which has been met with considerable protest.
In 2006, a UK Member of Parliament, Jack Straw, asked women not to cover their heads in private gatherings. This triggered a flurry of debate, but it’s still voluntary and not prohibited. In Florida, a woman who insisted on wearing the niqab for a driver’s license photo was not allowed to do so. Officials offered the woman a private place to have her photo taken and a guarantee that only a female employee would take the photo as a concession to the woman’s privacy and religious sentiments.
It would be quite difficult to look at the image of the driver’s license and identify someone in the image who is wearing a niqab. It tends to make the woman quite anonymous, especially in countries where it is common. This can be really useful when trading is allowed in the local markets of the Middle East and other Islamic countries. The obscuring of facial expressions, many claim, allows women to make better deals on food and purchased goods.
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