Learn about the public debate on banning the burka in Australia in 2014 and peoples perception on religious headgears that Islamic women wear

HOST: Recently the things Islamic women wear on their heads became the center of a big debate. There are many different types of them, all with different names, but the one most people were talking about was the burka. Some politicians were asking for them to be banned, and at Parliament House in Canberra, rules were announced to restrict women who wear them from sitting in an open public gallery. A lot of people have criticized both moves, so we sent Emma to find out more.

EMMA: It's dinner time in the el-Helou household, and Eman, her parents, and her friend Manal are just sitting down to eat. This family is Muslim, meaning that they follow the religion of Islam, and for a Eman and Manal, that includes wearing a hijab.

EMAN: Our religion tells us to be modest and for a lot of different people, modesty is interpreted differently. So I might choose modesty as covering my hair and wearing long sleeves and long pants, but someone else might interpret as wearing skirts and dresses.

EMMA: But recently, a debate around another type of Islamic headwear has got a Eman and Manal concerned.

NEWSCASTER 1: The Prime Minister has weighed into the debate about burkas.

NEWSCASTER 2: In piece, calling for parliamentary ban on the burka.

NEWSCASTER 3: New rules have been imposed on women who wear a burka in Federal Parliament.

NEWSCASTER 4: The Prime Minister has stopped short of supporting calls for burkas to be banned at Parliament House in Canberra. Tony Abbott--

TONY ABBOTT: Now I've said before that I find that a fairly confronting form of attire. Frankly, I wish it was not worn.

NEWSCASTER 1: A ban on face coverings in Federal Parliament's public--

NEWSCASTER 5: The headdress has been condemned by government backbenches.

EMMA: Some politicians and commentators have spoken recently about wanting the burqa banned in Australia, but first, what exactly is a burka? Well, there are three main types of Islamic headwear. First there's the hijab. It's the one you see most often in Australia. It's made up of a scarf that covers the head and neck but not the face. Then there's the niqab, which covers part of the face but not the eyes. And finally, the burka, which covers the entire body and face, while the eyes are covered with mesh. Only a very, very small number of women wear the burqa in Australia. So why are people calling for it to be banned?

Well the main argument is security. Right now in Australia, a lot of people are worried about their safety, especially inside important places like Parliament House. Burqa-only cap wearers can't be easily identified. So some people think that could make it easier for those wearing one to commit a crime or hurt people. Some critics also say women might be forced to wear Islamic headdress by men. But a Eman and Manal disagree. Manal says Muslim women can choose which type of covering they want to wear.

MANAL: I think it's also important to know that a hijab is a choice. So however much or however little you want to cover up, that's a choice in Islam.

EMMA: She says a Eman's mom even chooses not to wear anything covering her head, and that's her choice. Eman says banning some types of Islamic headdress will just force those that wear them to stay at home.

EMAN: I think it would be very, very hard. I think, for a lady that wears that all the time, when she doesn't wear that, I can imagine that it feels like being naked. So she probably wouldn't want to leave the house.

EMMA: Although she says women in burkas or niqabs should still have to identify themselves in high-security places, if asked to.

EMAN: So it shows that we're open minded, and we're Australian, and we follow the same rules as everyone else. We don't get special rules.

EMMA: But even without a ban, Eman says life can be pretty hard for those that choose to wear Islamic headdress.

EMAN: When I go to school, I go by train, and a couple of times when I was on the train, I'd not only just get looks, I got a lady attacked me once. She was very vocal about her distaste for what I was wearing, and that upset me. But I have to say that experience upset me less than the looks that I always get and the judgment that I feel that I'm getting all the time, and it's not a nice feeling.

EMMA: So she wants people to realize that what people wear on their head is nothing to be afraid of.

EMAN: It's just the way they decide to express themselves. It's an item of clothing just like any other, and they shouldn't feel like weird is threatening, or weird is scary. Weird is different, and different is good.