Religious Moral
Philosophical Studies
Niqab or Hijab
Women wearing a veil has become a fairly common place throughout the Middle East, however in recent years the practice has now become common place in the West.
​
Many countries have welcomed the veil as an expression of a multicultural society. a symbol of a persons faith and religion. Others have viewed the hijab as the mark of a male dominated culture and a violation of women's freedom. Some countries have recently gone as far as to ban the wearing of veil altogether.
​
But why do women choose to cover their heads and faces?
​
Is it a choice or is it imposed unfairly by others?
​
Is wearing a veil a cultural expectation or a religious one?
​
Should you have to wear a hijab when visiting a Muslim country if you are not a believer?
​
The veil continues to raise a lot of questions and debate. It is our responsibility to explore the reasons of why people chose to wear a veil, but also importantly that there are many different veils worn.
The following interview was filmed for #worldhijabday.
Many women from across the globe and different cultures give their reason for wearing a veil today.
Key reasons for wearing a hijab include:-
-
"I want people to judge me by who I am and not what I look like'
-
"I wear a hijab to follow God's laws"
-
"I wear my hijab as a form of repsect."
-
"It is a choice... it was not forced upon me and i really like it.
​
"One of the biggest misconceptions is that often people think men in the family make us wear it, in a way like a form of oppression. In reality it is not at all that way... unfortunately our society is not educated enough, it is our responsibiliy to erase these misconceptions.
​
 Hijab |  Niqab |  Burka |  Chador |
|---|
Erasing Misconception
​
Hijab, Burka and Hijab are each a different form of traditional head gear worn by different countries and cultures. When we refer to all of these as a veil we are not respecting those who wear them.
So what is the difference? Click the above pictures to find out.
​
The Religious View
Islam strongly teaches about the concept of decency and modesty when talking tothe opposite sex. Dress code is part of that teaching. There are two verses in the Qur’an in which Allah talks about the issue of decency and hijab.
​
​
IN THE NEWS
In 2010 France made the controversial decision of banning the wearing of a Burka, balaclavas and hoods in the country.
Women are now officially banned from wearing full-face veils in public, after a controversial law came into effect. While the government says the move is aimed at helping Muslims adapt to the local community, critics accuse President Sarkozee of persecuting Islam, to win back votes. France currently has Europe's biggest Muslim population.
​
In July 2014 the Human rights court upheld the ban after a young women claimed the law was a breach of her human rights. She argued it was "inhumane and degrading, against the right of respect for family and private life, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of speech and discriminatory".
​
The French government asked the court to throw out the case, claiming that the law was not aimed at the burqa or veil but any covering of the face in a public place, and also applied to hoods and helmets when not worn on a motor vehicle.
In 2011 Belgium introduced a smiliar ban. Isabelle Niedlispacher represented the Beligian government gave her reasons for the ban. She writes "aside from questions of security and equality, its about social communication, the right to interact with someone by looking them in the face and about not disappearing under a piece of clothing." The French and Belgian laws were aimed at "helping everyone to integrate", Niedlispacher added.
​
TASK - Click the article button below. Read the interviews from Glamour. For each person write a summary why they choose to wear or not wear a hijab.