Defining One's Terms: Hijab

OK, so we are clear...I wrote this on the fly, so if there are errors and you can correct me, please do so :). Mostly, I'd like to just give factual information, but where I've inserted opinion, I can only speak for myself, and am no spokesperson for anything.

See that thing on my head in my icon?

This is not a burka. This is more commonly known as a hijab. That of course, is kind of a misnomer as well, as hijab covers all Islamic modest dress, but it's a commonly accepted word. What I am wearing -- a scarf over an underscarf -- is more properly known as a shayla hijab. The one in this icon is actually pretty sloppy-looking; i'm usually a bit better on that.

In south Asia, a similar scarf is known as a dupatta. They are not exclusively Muslim, but are considered a modesty covering.

Then there is the al-amira hijab, which I have two of and need more, as the element of convenience is amazing. An al-amira is a kind of pullover hijab. You can get them as one-piece garments; more commonly, they consist of an underscarf and a pullover. These are what I have.

There is also something called a khimar, which covers and drapes more.

Then there is niqab: niqab is what many people seem to want to misname a "burka" even when they know to use the word hijab for your garden-variety headscarf. Niqab is veiling that covers everything, basically, but the eyes. It is often worn with a garment called an abaya. Niqab is not common among any but the most conservative groups; it is niqab you see on Saudi women. Fun fact: apparently, in at least some other Islamic countries, where niqab is NOT common, women in niqab are sometimes jokingly referred to as "ninjas." Now that I know this, I can't get it out of my head when I think of niqab.

Then there is the burka. First of all, the correct name for it is chadri, but no one seems to want to call it that so we're stuck with burka. Second, it is not commonly worn in the Islamic world outside of Afghanistan. It covers the eyes in a kind of fabric screen. THAT is what is most commonly understood when you use the word burka.

There is also a kind of face-mask, a half-mask like a domino, that is *properly* called a burka as well, but it is somewhat more obscure. That is all it covers, though it is commonly worn with a shayla hijab, or similar.

Just a note, and I had to add this after a clarification by a reader: the word "burka" actually literally translates to "face cover with eye openings." So it applies to the *veil* of niqab, but not the whole thing, and as we've commonly started using "burka" to denote the Afghan garment, I'd avoid its use unless being very specific. Calling everything "hijab" as the generic, I maintain, is your best bet.

There is more, of course, and regional variation. Also, how you wear your hijab -- of whatever kind you wear -- may be different, based on things like practicality, regional or sect practice, fashion (ahem) or whatever. I do not usually cover my ears. This is partly because it's vaguely uncomfortable, partly because I'm a bit hard of hearing anyway, and yes, partly because I like to wear earrings. I also don't stress too much if a little of my hairline shows. That's just me. The mileage of other Muslimahs may and will in fact vary. Everyone has their own definitions or comfort level.

And not all Muslimahs cover, either. It is, as has been made clear in many different fora, not a monolithic thing, and there is room for valid argument that it is not required. I choose to cover for personal -- and very thought-out -- reasons. Some see it as more political or identifying rather than religious.

There has even been the claim that the wearing of hijab is modern. Any perusal of Islamic art through the centuries gives the lie to this; it shows up in imagery in various regional permutations from the advent of Islam onwards.

And then of course comes the argument that not all women CHOOSE to wear it. The Saudis and the Afghans feature most prominently in this discussion. Please be aware that Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan are not really politically or culturally representative of any place outside of Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. They do not represent the Ummah at large in any kind of policy.

Inchallah if you have any confusion or misconceptions, this defining of terms has been kind of helpful.

And:

The subject of the nature of whether or not hijab/niqab/burka (chadri -- but it's a lost cause, so let's say burka) is oppressive, anti-feminist, whathaveyou...has been discussed ad nauseam. The subject of France's ban on such -- and whether this is a well-meaning but wrongheaded attempt at supporting the rights of women or whether (I expect) it's got a lot more to do with fear and xenophobia...this also has been debated.

Everyone, and I do mean everyone, has an opinion on the subject. Usually a very fervent opinion. Not always a well-informed opinion.

I'd like to point out that very few people seem to listen much to voices of the women who actually wear some form of hijab in all of this, and there's something to be cautioned against in exoticizing (or outright fetishizing: there IS such a thing as a "veil fetish" and it's kind of grotesque and distasteful, in part because of the implications of Westerners ogling the "exotic and submissive other"), speaking for people who have their own voices, knee-jerk reacting, whatever. Discussions of the nature -- oppressive or otherwise -- of hijab happen in the Muslimah community, and they are intelligent discussions, conducted by the people who are affected by this issue, and tied in with LARGER issues.

Also, it should be pointed out that there are many, many issues facing women in the Islamic world, and in particular places like Afghanistan. However, these women themselves have stated in various places that they wish the rest of the world would be less concerned about what they wear, and more concerned with their actual lives, if the effort of well-meaning people is to help improve the lives of Afghan women. In other words, their problems are not encompassed by the burka.

In short, stop staring and telling other people that you know what they should do, and start listening.