Burqa
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For the traditional coat that may be worn by men of the Caucasus region, see burka.
A burqa (also burka or burqua) is a type of opaque veil sometimes worn in addition to a headscarf by Muslim women observing purdah.
Similar to a niqab, the burqa covers the wearer's entire face except for a small region about the eyes. A full burqa or Afghan burqa is a garment that conceals the entire body. The full burqa includes a "net curtain", which also hides the wearer's eyes. During the Taliban's reign in Afghanistan, women were required to wear a full burqa.
Women in some Muslim societies or subcultures wear burqa because of exegetic interpretations of the hijab. Standards for modest dress (sartorial hijab) for Muslim women and men vary greatly depending on the cultural context.
Cultural conflict
In the Netherlands, school officials once forbade students from wearing a burqa, arguing that non-verbal communication is required to teach the syllabus.In April 2006, two girls were suspended from a school in Bonn, Germany for 14 days for wearing a burqa. The schools director argued that the "peace in class" had been disturbed and that school requires communication where pupils' faces can be seen. Additional reasons were that wearing a burqa makes chemistry and sports lessons impossible.
A court in New Zealand ruled that women cannot wear a burqa while providing courtroom testimony. To compromise, the Islamic Women's Council endorsed a policy that allowed Muslim women to be hidden from public view by a screen.
In Italy, hiding one's face while in public has been forbidden since 1975. An anti-terrorism law passed in 2005 imposes increased fines and prison sentences for violators of the law. Some believe that lawmakers specifically intended this clause to prevent women from wearing burqas. [link].
In April 2006 an official in Holland's biggest city, Amsterdam, announced that he wanted to introduce legislation to ban unemployed women who wear a burqa from receiving welfare payments if it prevents them from finding a job.[link]
See also
- Islam and clothing
- Life under Taliban rule
- List of religious headgear
- Sultaana Freeman – a woman who sued for the right to wear a veil in her United States driver's license photo
- Chador
- Yashmak
External links
- [Liberation by the Veil] By Sehmina Jaffer Chopra
- [Hijab - An Expression of Freedom?]
- [NPR article "Dutch Weigh Ban on Traditional Islamic Dress," All Things Considered, January 31, 2006]
- [Burqa sewing pattern]
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