hijab

hijab, garment worn by some Muslim women to cover their hair. By the 21st century this meaning had become more familiar in Muslim-minority societies than the broader concept of hijab as a practice observed by both Muslim men and women of wearing conservative clothing.

Wearing hijab and other garments—such as the niqab, chador, or burka—is often mistaken as required Islamic convention. Yet the practice of so-called veiling is not one of the five pillars of Islam, and both the Qurʾān (the holy book of Islam) and Hadith (the traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) are somewhat ambiguous on proper attire. There is consensus among Muslim scholars that both women and men should dress modestly, but they continue to debate the extent of women’s covering and whether it includes the head, face, or entire body. Some advocate the practice of so-called veiling, while others argue that the Sharīʿah—Islamic law—requires nothing more than conservative clothing. Indeed, whether a woman wears hijab depends on interpretations of Islamic law, geographic location, civil law, and personal choice.

The practice of veiling long preceded the rise of Islam in the 7th century, and it continues to be observed by some Christians and Jews in the 21st century. Islam thus did not invent the convention of veiling but probably incorporated local customs as it spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula and to southeastern Asia, northern Africa, and southern Europe over the centuries. As a result, many women wear hijab and other forms of veiling because of tradition. Some women are required by law to wear hijab, as is the case in Iran since the Islamic Revolution (1978–79). Moreover, a woman may veil depending on the circumstances. She may or may not wear hijab if she is at home, at work, running errands, or attending a social event. The practice of veiling thus is not simply a religious custom but is sometimes a civil requirement or a personal and cultural choice.

Perhaps because veiling as a practice can be so fluid, hijab as a garment and other forms of veiling have acquired often competing meanings throughout time and place. In the 21st century Muslim women who choose to veil have been seen by some as unlearned, oppressed, or politically radical. Yet veiling could also be perceived as a symbol of piety, freedom of religious expression, privacy, or cultural tradition.