Niqab

A niqab is a veil which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijab . Depending on the Madhab or Islamic school of jurisprudence followed the Niqab is considered either Fard (obligatory) or Sunna (good thing to do) or even something that is disliked and shouldn't be worn if the wearer might possibly face danger due to it. There are innumerable styles of Niqab or face veil worn by Muslim women around the world. The Full or gulf style Niqab is a total face cover. It has a upper band that is tied around the forehead and then had a long wide piece attached which covers the face and a opening for the eyes. Many also have a second or more sheer covers that are attached to the upper band and worn flipped down to cover the eyes. Muslim women in Qatar wearing a traditional full Niqab These are the most common forms of Niqab are are very prevalent all over the world. Other less common and more cultural or national forms of niqab are as follows: The "Afghani" style Burqah. The long pleated gown that goes from the head to the feet with a small crocheted grill over the face. contrary to popular belief, and probably against what some people would hope, the Burqah's usage is limited solely to Afghanistan and certain area of Pakistan, although there are modified forms in Kashmir and amongst Afghani refugees but the vast majority of Niqabis (Muslim women who fully cover) do not wear this item. The "Pak Chadar " This is a unique innovation from Pakistan is it similar to a triangle scarf with 2 additional pieces. a thin band on 1 edge that is tied behind the head so as to keep the chadar on, then another larger rectangular piece is attached to 1 end of the triangle and this is worn over the face. The simple hijab (head scarf) wrapped, pinned or tied in a certain way so as to also cover the wearers face. Other common styles of clothing popularly worn with Niqab in western countries is. A semi-circular flair of fabric, with a opening for the face, usually bust level or longer worn with the Niqab. Its a easy kind of head scarf to wear as there are no pins or anything it is simply pulled over the head. Many Niqabis feel that gloves are a necessity when wearing the Niqab so nothing is shown. Also most Niqabis wear an overgarment ( Jilbab , Abaya , etc) over their clothing.

A woman wearing a niqāb in Yemen A niqāb ( Arabic : means "Mask" نِقاب‎ ) is a veil which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijāb . Niqab is most common in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf such as Saudi Arabia , Yemen , Bahrain , Kuwait , Qatar , Oman , and the UAE . It is also common in Pakistan . Women who wear the niqāb are often called niqābīah ; this word is used both as a noun and as an adjective. However, some prefer the participial form munaqqabah (plural munaqqabāt ) as "niqābīah" may be used in a derogatory manner (much as with "hijābīah" versus muhajjabah ). Because of the wide variety of hijab worn in the Muslim world, it can be difficult to definitively distinguish between one type of veil and another. The terms niqāb and burqa are often used interchangeably.

A woman wearing a niqab in Syria Political Islamic leadership Caliphate Majlis-ash-Shura Imamate Wilayat al-faqih Bay'ah Dhimmi Aman Family Criminal Etiquette Adab Gender segregation ( Purdah ) Mahram Honorifics Toilet Economic Hygiene Military Jihad Ghanimah Hudna Istijarah (asylum) Prisoners of war Social Haqq al-Nas ( The right(s) of the people ) Islamic studies v t e A niqāb or niqaab ( / n ɪ ˈ k ɑː b / ; niqāb , "[face] veil"), also called a ruband , is a garment of clothing that covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of a particular interpretation of hijab (modest dress). According to the majority of Muslim scholars and Islamic schools of thought , face veiling is not a requirement of Islam ; however a minority of Muslim scholars, particularly among the Salafi movement, assert that women are required to cover their faces in public. Those Muslim women who wear the niqab do so in places where they may encounter non- mahram (non-related) men. The face veil pre-dates Islam, and had been used by certain Arabian pre-Islamic cultures . Culturally, it is "a custom imported from Najd , a region in Saudi Arabia and the power base of its Salafi fundamentalist form of Islam . Within Muslim countries it is very contested and considered fringe." Today, the niqab is most often worn in its region of origin: the Arab countries of the Arabian Peninsula – Saudi Arabia , Yemen , Oman , and the United Arab Emirates . However, even in these countries, the niqab is neither a universal cultural custom nor is it culturally compulsory. In other parts of the Muslim world outside of the Arabian Peninsula, where the niqab has slowly spread to a much smaller extent, it is regarded warily by Sunni and non-Sunni Muslims alike "as a symbol of encroaching fundamentalism." Nevertheless, the niqab is worn by a small minority of Muslims in not only Muslim-majority regions such as Somalia , Syria , Afghanistan , Pakistan , Bangladesh , the Palestinian territories , and Southern Iran , but also among a minority of Muslims in regions where Muslims are themselves a minority, like India and Europe . The terms niqab and burqa are often conflated; a niqab covers the face while leaving the eyes uncovered, while a burqa covers the entire body from the top of the head to the ground, with only a mesh screen allowing the wearer to see in front of her.

Cloth that covers the face as a part of sartorial hijab For other uses, see Naqaab (disambiguation) . A Muslim woman wearing a niqab in Saudi Arabia A Muslim woman with a pink niqab in Sylhet , Bangladesh . A niqāb or niqaab ( / n ɪ ˈ k ɑː b / ; niqāb , "[face] veil"), also called a ruband , ( ) is a garment , usually black, that covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of an interpretation of hijab . Muslim women who wear the niqab do so in places where they may encounter non- mahram (un-related) men. Somewhat controversial in some parts of the world, the niqab is most often worn in its region of origin: the Arab countries of the Arabian Peninsula – Saudi Arabia , Yemen , and the United Arab Emirates , where it is common and considered as culturally belonging to the region, though not compulsory. Historically only found amongst Muslim women in Najd , a region of Saudi Arabia, as well as elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula, since the late 1970s the Niqab has spread to more religious Muslim women, usually Sunni , throughout the Middle East and worldwide as a result of the Iranian Revolution and the Islamic Revival brought on by the success of the revolution. This phenomenon was encouraged by the rise of " Petro-Islam " by the monarchy of Saudi Arabia in response to the consolidation of the revolution , which funded many mosques to adopt neo-Wahhabi , Salafist ideologies worldwide, resulting in the rise of the Niqab becoming a noticeable consequence of the Islamic Revival in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, and of Saudi Arabia's newfound cultural dominance over the Arab world. Since the 2000s the niqab has attracted significant controversy in the Western world , being perceived as a visible sign of growing Salafist extremism and a rejection of Western society. Culturally, in the modern world, the face veil has been considered by some to be "a custom imported from Najd , the Saudi region and the power base of its Salafi fundamentalist form of Islam ." The Sydney Morning Herald added, "Within Muslim countries it is very contested and considered fringe." In parts of the Muslim world outside of the Arabian Peninsula, where the niqab is less extensively worn, it is regarded warily by Sunni and non-Sunni Muslims "as a symbol of encroaching fundamentalism." For instance in Algeria , the niqab made its presence felt starting in the 1990s and it becoming associated in the Algerian public consciousness with Islamist groups fighting in the 1991-2002 Algerian Civil War as well as being a product of Saudi-funded fundamentalism and as lacking cultural authenticitity. It has also caused a societal clash in Egypt in the 1990s when the niqab was increasingly worn by Egyptian women who imported the custom having returned from work in the Arabian Peninsula. There are currently 16 states that have banned the niqab and burqa, both Muslim-majority countries and non-Muslim countries, including Tunisia , Austria , Denmark , France , Belgium , Tajikistan , Uzbekistan , Bulgaria , Cameroon , Chad , the Republic of the Congo , Gabon , the Netherlands , China , Morocco , Sri Lanka and Switzerland . Most Islamic scholars consider the niqab to not be compulsory for practising women. The terms niqab and burqa are often confused; a niqab covers the face while leaving the eyes uncovered and today can be found amongst Muslim women in many different countries, while a burqa covers the entire body from the top of the head to the ground, with only a mesh screen allowing the wearer to see, and is usually only found in Afghanistan and sometimes traditionally in Central Asia .

Face-covering women's garment in Muslim societies For other uses, see Naqaab (disambiguation) . A woman in Bangladesh wearing a niqab A woman in Saudi Arabia wearing a plain-cloth black niqab A niqāb , niqab , or niqaab ( / n ɪ ˈ k ɑː b / ; Arabic : نقاب ), also known as a ruband ( Persian : روبند ) or rubandah ( روبنده ), is a long garment worn by some Muslim women in order to cover their entire body and face, excluding their eyes. It is an interpretation in Islam of the concept of hijab , and is worn in public and in all other places where a woman may encounter non- mahram men. Most prevalent in the Arabian Peninsula , the niqab is a controversial clothing item in many parts of the world, including in some Muslim-majority countries . The use of face veils has been documented in various ancient cultures, including the Byzantine Empire , Persia , and Arabia. Historical sources mention women’s practices of face veiling . Additionally, Biblical references in Genesis highlight the use of veils, indicating their significance in the cultural traditions of these regions. Coptic Orthodox Christian women traditionally wore dark garments with veils, white for the unmarried and black for the married. While face veiling practices have ancient roots across various cultures in the Mediterranean , Middle East , and Central Asia , the modern form of niqab became more widespread particularly since the late 1970s Islamic revival , especially among Sunni Muslims throughout the Middle East and North Africa . This phenomenon was encouraged by the rise of " Petro-Islam " under the House of Saud ; the propagation of hardline Sunni Islamic doctrines from the oil-producing Arab countries , beginning in earnest after the 1973 Arab–Israeli War , would quickly come to mold the Saudis' ideological response to the religious zeal that the Iranian Revolution had stirred among Shia Muslims . Sponsorship by Saudi Arabia of mosques throughout many Muslim-majority countries led to the increased adoption of Wahhabism and Salafism globally, resulting in the rise of the niqab as one of the more noticeable consequences of the Saudi strain of Islamic revivalism , which flourished greatly throughout the late 20th century. It also consolidated the newfound religious and cultural dominance of Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia over the Arab countries as a whole, effectively serving as a social countermeasure to the religious and cultural influence of Shia-majority Iran . Since the 2000s, and particularly after the September 11 attacks in the United States , the niqab has increasingly become the subject of negative attention in the Western world , as it is commonly perceived by detractors as a visible sign of growing Islamic extremism and a rejection of Western values . To varying degrees, wearing the niqab or the burqa has been banned by legislation in several countries, including a number of Muslim-majority countries. A significant amount of Muslim scholars consider the niqab as not compulsory for practicing Muslim women. Though similar, the niqab is distinct from the burqa by way of the eyes: a niqab does not cover the eyes, varies in the thickness of the material used, and has visible sleeves; but a burqa is elaborately designed with thicker material that covers the woman's entire body figure and face, lacking sleeves (i.e., keeping the entire body under the uniform cloth) and having a mesh screen to obfuscate the eyes. While the niqab is more widespread, the burqa is largely limited to Central Asia and South Asia , and is most prominent in Afghanistan . See for instance F. The Age of the Caliphs , 1995, X; for a different view T. Dawson, "Propriety, practicality and pleasure : the parameters of women's dress in Byzantium, A.D. 1000-1200", in L. Garland (ed.), Byzantine women: varieties of experience 800-1200 , 2006, 41-76. The Nile: Notes for Travellers in Egypt .