Hijab in History and Nowadays

Definition: Hijab is the general term for Muslim women covering up according to Islamic law, and varies from culture to country with the headscarf to the all-encompassing burqa. Most Muslim scholars set puberty as the general age for Muslim girls to start wearing the hijab. The purpose of the hijab is to meet Islamic standards of modesty. According to Quran ‘O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils all over their bodies (i. e. creen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way)… SURAH AL-AHZAAB – VERSE 59 The hijab refers to both the head-covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Islamic styles of dress in general. The garment has different legal and cultural statuses in various countries. There are currently four countries, including France (since 2004), which have banned the wearing of all overt religious symbols, including the hijab (a Muslim headscarf, literally Arabic “to cover”), in public schools and universities or government buildings. 1] Currently Tunisia since 1981,[2] and Turkey since 1997,[3] are the only Muslim-majority countries which have banned the hijab in public schools and universities or government buildings, whilst Syria banned face veils in universities from July 2010. [4] This ban was lifted during the 2011 Syrian uprising. In other Muslim states such as Morocco,[5] there has been some restriction or discrimination against women who wear the hijab. The hijab in these cases is seen as a sign of political Islam or fundamentalism against secular government.

HIJAB in different parts of the world Afghanistan Under the Taliban, the burqa was obligatory. [15] While this is officially no longer the case, there remains intense social pressure to wear the burqa, and President Hamid Karzai has been accused by critics of compromising on women’s rights in order to appease insurgents. [16][17] Bangladesh There are no laws that require women to cover their heads. It is mostly worn by women in rural areas, and a few in urban areas, however in recent times there has been an increase in the number of women wearing the hijab. 18] Since the secular party Awami League was elected to power since 2008, there has been an increase in repression against women who wear the hijab, reports of women being harrased, detained or dismissed from student dorms happen very often. Hijab is seen as a symbol of Islam, and the repression against it by the government is due to its vision of creating a secular Bangladesh. Iran The headscarf (maghna’eh) was traditionally worn as a praying cloth by religious women in their prayer room.

After the revolution, the maghna’eh has been transformed from a private sign of piety into a compulsory Islamic dress that must be worn by women and girls in nurseries, schools, universities, workplaces, government buildings, cinemas and other public places. It is recognized by many Islamic jurists and educational authorities as an acceptable form of veiling and a suitable Islamic symbol. The maghna’eh should ideally cover the hair on a woman’s head. Only an opening the size of the face should remain. Another common type of veiling is the chador.

Some women wear the headscarf loosely and punishment may be done for the women that do not wear it correctly. Pakistan Pakistan has no laws banning or enforcing the hijab. Surveys conducted in Pakistan show that most women wearing the hijab do so of their own choice. [38][39] Westerners are also expected to dress modestly too. Pakistani society observes traditional dress customs and it is advisable for women to wear long skirts, baggy trousers and long sleeved tops or wear the traditional shalwar kameez in public.

In the big cities, some women wear jeans and khakis, especially in casual settings, shopping malls and around picnic spots. Dress codes for men are more lax, though shorts are uncommon. Vest tops, bikinis and mini skirts in public are considered immodest and are thus a social taboo. Saudi Arabia According to most Saudi Salafi scholars, a woman’s awrah in front of unrelated men is her entire body including her face and hands. Hence, the vast majority of traditional Saudi women are expected to cover their faces n public. Many Saudi women use a headscarf along with the niqab or another simple veil to cover all or most of the face when in public, as do most foreign Muslim women (i. e. , those from other Arab states, South Asia, Indonesia, or European converts to Islam). But there are many Muslim women, including Saudis, who only wear a headscarf without the niqab, similarly to most non-Muslim women who use only a headscarf or no face covering at all. Syria

Ghiyath Barakat, Syria’s minister of higher education, announced that Syria would ban women from wearing full face veils (such as the niqab, but not other forms of hijab that do not cover the entire face), at universities stating that the veils ran counter to secular and academic principles of Syria. Turkey Turkey is officially a secular state, and the hijab is banned in universities and public buildings – this includes libraries or government buildings. The ban was first in place during the 1980 military coup, but the law was strengthened more in 1997. 52] Over the years thousands of women have been arrested or prosecuted for refusing to take off the hijab or protesting against the ban, by the secular institution. [53] There has been some unofficial relaxation of the ban under governments led by the conservative party AKP in recent years Israel In July 2010, some Israeli lawmakers and women’s rights activists proposed a bill to the Knesset banning face-covering veils. According to the Jerusalem Post, the measure is generally “regarded as highly unlikely to become law. Hanna Kehat, founder of the Jewish women’s rights group Kolech, criticized a ban and also commented “[f]ashion also often oppresses women with norms which lead to anorexia. ” Eilat Maoz, general coordinator for the Coalition of Women for Peace, referred to a ban as “a joke” that would constitute “racism”. [72] Canada On December 12, 2011, Canada banned face coverings for people swearing their oath of citizenship. [80] Supporters of restrictions such as the Muslim Canadian Congress identify them as oppressive to women as well as interfering with communication and presenting a safety issue. 81] There have been many debates about this issue in Canada, particularly in Quebec. In February 2007, soccer player Asmahan Mansour, part of the team Nepean U12 Hotspurs, was expelled from a Quebec tournament for wearing her headscarf. Quebec soccer referees also ejected an 11-year-old Ottawa girl while she was watching a match, which generated a public controversy. [82] In 2010, the province of Quebec tabled Bill 94 to introduce a veil ban to deny government services to those covering their faces with a niqab. [84] Mexico There is no ban on any of the Muslim clothing items.

The first article of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States protects people against discrimination based on several matters including religion, ethnic origin and national origin. [85] Article 6 of the Constitution grants Libertad de Expresion (freedom of expression) to all Mexicans which includes the way people choose to dress. [85] United States The people of the United States have a firm 1st Amendment protection of freedom of speech from government interference that explicitly includes clothing items, as described by Supreme Court cases such as Tinker v. Des Moines