A Burqa is an outer garment worn by women in Islamic societies for the purpose of concealing their bodies and/or face. It is mostly worn when a woman leaves her home and she has to wear it until she is back in her home.
Where is a Burqa worn?
Burqa is worn throughout Middle Eastern nations and the Muslim nations around the world. Many liberal or democratic governments are not so strict about wearing the Burqa. One such famous example is Turkey, where secular ideas prevail and give people the freedom to choose if they want to wear a Burqa. Meanwhile, in stricter nations, women are told to wear the Burqa and failure to do so can result in beatings, harassment or other worse punishments.
Who wears a Burqa?
Obviously a woman wears a Burqa but more specifically, conservative practicing Muslims wear it. Girls are not supposed to wear a burqa until she hits puberty but this notion is not practiced as girl as young as six are made to wear the Burqa to get them used to wearing it. There have also been instances where men wore the Burqa to escape from the police or to hide their identities from the authorities. One such famous incident occurred at the Red Mosque siege in Pakistan.
What are the different styles of the Burqa or names?
Burqa falls under the category of Hijab. This is a Arabic word which means to veil or cover and refers to a women’s head and body covering gear. In Saudi Arabia, women a loose robe called abaya and a face veil called niqab while in nations like Tunisia or Turkey, Muslim women tend to wear only a headscarf. In Iran, they take a step further and the “fashion police” mandate all women to wear loose clothing – preferably black or a while robe – when going out and women are also supposed to wear either a full face veil or scarf. If the dress code is not followed, it results in punishment. In order to accommodate to the modern word, Islamic teachers allow women to wear a “Burqini.” A Burqini is a swimsuit for women and it covers the entire body. The only exposed parts are the feet, fingers and the face. Chador is also a full body cover for women. One of the extremes of Burqa is the Afghan Burqa, which was enforced by Taliban. This burqa covers the entire body in a loose clothing and even the face (including eyes) are covered with only a grille for the women to look through.
What does Quran say about the Burqa?
First of all, it depends on which Islamic scholar you ask. They are all in disagreement as to what extend Quran advocates this. However, the Quran does urge men and women to dress and behave modestly in society. The Quran does not specifically mention the Burqa or tells women to wear such extremely confining clothes. The Ulema or the Scholars do agree that the Quran says women should not wear extremely revealing clothes. Modern day muslims base their authority regarding the Burqa on the Hadith or collected traditions of life in the days of Muhammad the prophet. But a noteworthy objection is that Hadith describes 7th century Arabian life, which should not be imposed on modern day Muslims world wide. Muslim communities also argue that women are to dress modestly but should not be forced or punished to wear a Burqa. This is why many Muslim communities have different preferences regarding the application of the Burqa.
The West and Burqa
The issue of Burqa has been a source of problems for western nations. Some call it Islamophobia but the real reason is the issue of security. This is why France banned all forms of religious clothing and articles in the schools throughout the nation. Netherlands also banned the wearing of face-covering Burqa. There have been instances in USA where Muslim women wanted to get her drivers license but refused to take off her Burqa (face veil). This generates a problem because identification of a person becomes troublesome especially when the person is wearing clothing to cover their faces. As mentioned earlier, there have been instances of terrorists and criminals wearing the Burqa to hide from the police and authorities so a security issue is generated. Women’s rights groups, both Islamic and secular, have also begun to actively fight what they see as the subjugation of women. Within the Muslim community, conservatives and Islamic feminists have used Islamic doctrine as the basis for discussion of women’s rights, drawing on the Qur’an, the Hadithand the lives of prominent women in the early period of Muslim history as evidence. Muslim Bengali writer Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain criticized the hijab and the Burqa in her utopian fantasy Sultana’s Dream. Iranian-American novelist Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, Marjane Satrapi, author of the graphic novel Persepolis, and Parvin Darabi who has authored Rage Against the Veil are some of the famous opponents of compulsory veiling. So far, Turkey and Tunisia are the only Muslim countries where the law prohibits the wearing of hijab in government buildings, schools, and universities. Saudi Arabia and Iran are the only countries that enforce the dress code strictly with severe punishments through the religious police.
The Future of Burqa?
There are both the opponents and the supporters of Burqa out there but many Muslims are starting to agree that such enforced dress code is not necessary. Unlike historical times, many nations have begun to lessen their enforcement of the Burqa. Women are also no longer required to wear the Burqa (only some Muslim nations) even though they are encouraged to wear modest clothes such as a headscarf (most of Islamic states). Liberal Muslims and women’s rights groups are advocating for the compulsory enforcement of the Burqa to be stopped so a women (and girls) are given the choice to decide if they want to wear the Burqa or not. Currently, this issue or topic is hotly contested by the Islamic scholars, Muslim Communities and the Western nations. However, as Islam moves into the modern age, one can only speculate as to what the future of Burqa will truly be.
thank you so much! an indifferent view! you gave the facts and didnt call it a prison! thank you!
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Burqa was invented during the reign of Habibullah of Afghanistan. It diminishes women abilities and confidence to drive, work along side men and be modest.
YES! I agree with Bri. Thank you!
These women will always stand apart from modern society. They move to the US and bring 12th century mores with them. This is not being disrespectful to others’ culture; merely being sensible.
It’s good to get a more impartially written view to read, thanks!
We see a lot of fear mongering, and read about how this or that supposedly affects our rights, which I personally think is silly considering my experience attempting to understand prejudice.
I meet a lot of people who have various degrees of prejudice, as a woman who’s worked as a Laborer and now getting into MMA, I hear many “opinions”. I think it depends more on whether or not the individual is willing to realize there’s more out there than neat little boxes everyone fits into or not, Other women wearing burkas doesn’t affect how I’m treated because it’s up to every individual to treat other individuals as a new and different person than they’ve met before. People who see everyone as individuals don’t usually tromp on the freedom and self worth of others and those who want the easy answers tend to step on others, push people to act in accordance with how they’re comfortable with their world being, and generally think they know what everyone else is all about based on a few little details they can quickly collect.
I’m not a rule, or an exception. Just me.
i agree whith that
When a person’s face is completely covered he/she loses the ability to communicate effectively with others. We use our whole face to communicate. I have trouble believing that anyone would choose to be disguised in a Burqa. If they do choose it, that’s fine, but if their religion or their male partner are enforcing this extreme covering, then as a woman, I feel compelled to condemn the Burqa.
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I was brought up in a muslim family from Pakistan during the 80’s. We never saw anyone wearing a burkha or niqab (or Hijab) outside of the TV… nowadays, on pretty much any street in London or city with a large muslim population, you see them all over the place.
I support people’s right to dress as they chose – but at the same time, I can’t help but feel that the people who dress this way in the UK are either chosing to turn away from the society they are a part of, or being forced to wear it by others… both concern me for very different reasons.
The third group (the smallest) have the argument, (i.e. from the women who wear them), that it helps them to be closer to Allah… but anyone who needs a symbol to get them closer to Allah is really not getting the point of Islam itself, – and instead the views, beliefs and perceptions of another person who has promoted the idea that Islam dictates the wearing of it.
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The Burqa debate needs to focus on national security and not on the human rights issue.
In a world that is less safe than at any time since the second world war,it is simply unacceptable that people are moving around in our society that we are unable to establish their identity.
I believe that people should not be told what to wear, but it is important to be identified (especially for security reasons). I am also concerned by the reasons behind why the women wear the Burqa. Not so much the human rights side of things but the fact that some women just feel weird when they don’t wear it. It has become a routine, and some people just aren’t willing to break it.
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But what is the actual real reason behind WHY they have to wear it? Is it just like a jealousy thing or is it a staple part of their faith?
I HAVE SOME MUSLIM FRIENDS AND THEY WEAR IT. I OFTEN FORGET WHO IS WHO..NO JOKE BUT THEY USE TO THAT. FAIR ENOGH IF YOU WANT TO WEAR IT HOWEVEVA MAKE SURE IT IS AFOR A VALUABLE REASON AND YOUR NOT BEING PUSHED. ALSO FORCE YOUR BELIEVES UNTO OTHERS AND FORCE OTHGER TO BE LIKE YOU BECAUSE YOU THINK YOUR FAITH IS CORRECT. PLEASE RESPECT EACTH OTHERS FAITH BECAUSE BRITAIN IS NOT A MUSLIM, COUNTRY HOWEEVER THEY HAVE TAKIN MUSLIM PEOPLE IN PROMOTING MULTICUTRALISM, NONETHELESS IFG YOU GO TO SOME MUSLIM COUNTRIES YOU WILL NOT SEE ONE CHURCH. ANYWAYS THE MORAL IS RESPECT
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heey guys, i’m a school student studying about women’s rights in afghanistan. I think that it’s their choice if they want to wear the burq. But if they don’t want too they shouldnt be forced too.
Burqa is plain stupid im a muslim and i wear just the hijab and that is allowed no where in the quran mentions about wearing burqa only dressing properly and appropiatly that is islam so anyone think burqa is islam guess what its not its just trouble in humantiy ther are many stupid muslims out ther that talk nonsense and make up nonsense go straight to the source and find out like the hadeeth and quran not from what people say.
I belive that the Burqa should be banned souly for the secruity reasons what is the piont of having drivers licencse if you can not even idetify you the person is on the card or even the person holding it i mean men could escape so eaisly from the police
that exact point was made by pollitcle cartoonist Mark Knight the other day were it depicts Julia Gilard sneaking away from some journalists under the cover of a burqa identifing the saftey issue
Thanks to Ebey Soman for a very informative article. I also appreciate Raymon’s comments about his experiences and opinions.
Thanks guys for all your comments and feedback – I appreciate it. Keep sharing this article and I hope to write more informative articles you guys enjoy!