Hijab

The hijab is a traditional garment commonly worn by Muslim women. Its use is rooted in Islamic ideals of modesty—both physical modesty and spiritual modesty. While the hijab acts to conceal the physical features of the wearer, it also represents a spiritual barrier between the wearer’s religious faith and the external world.

The term “hijab” refers to any piece of cloth that covers a woman’s head and chest. Although in some Muslim cultures, women wear the hijab only after puberty, in others it is worn by girls and women of all ages. A hijab is different from a chador, which is a full-length piece of cloth that covers the entire body. It is also different from a burka (or burqa), a full-length body cover that includes a face veil. The hijab covers only the head, neck, and chest area of the wearer, leaving the face exposed. Although the term “hijab” does not appear in the Qur’an, the central religious text of Islam, it is a central component of Islamic culture.

Overview

The practice of veiling among Muslim women dates to ancient times. Historians suspect that the hijab evolved from the use of veils by Greeks and other ancient cultures and was assimilated as a tenet of Islamic faith over time. The hijab is prevalent throughout North Africa and the Middle East. It is also seen in some West African countries, such as Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Kenya, and Tanzania.

Laws requiring women to wear the hijab in public vary by country and change over time. Failure to wear the headscarf in these countries can result in fines or imprisonment. Iran's regulations concerning modesty, including the hijab, became the subject of global controversy in the 2020s after the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, while in government detention for allegedly violating hijab rules. The government reported she died of a heart attack, but her autopsy confirmed eyewitness accounts of her being beaten for not wearing a hijab. Public outrage led to debates on women's rights and protests, which prompted the government to increase modesty law fines and prison time for violations, which could be up to fifteen years with the possibility of receiving the death sentence. These rules were signed into law in 2024 with the Hijab and Chastity Bill, but the enforcement proved inconsistent. This was converse to attitudes in many parts of the country where women began adopting a more liberal dress in the early twenty-first century. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has a long history of imposing extreme hijab and modesty laws with intense punishments for violations. After the Taliban fell from power in Afganastan in 2001, women regained some freedoms, including whether they would wear a hijab in public. However, when the Taliban regained control in 2021, modesty laws were once again enforced. The Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice began requiring women to wear full-body coverings in public. These morality laws tightened in 2024, mandating full-face veils for women in addition to head and body coverings. Women were also banned from speaking in public places or interacting with men other than their immediate family.

While the hijab is not mandatory in Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, and other Muslim majority countries, it is ubiquitous. Saudi Arabia has a long history of legally enforcing a strict dress code for women. Before 2018, laws were very strict, requiring a hijab and an abaya (a loose-fitting black cloak), enforced by the religious police called the mutawwa. The Saudi government officially lifted these laws in 2019, though they still required women to dress modestly.

In some countries, there are legal restrictions in place that bar women from wearing the hijab in public settings. For example, Muslim women in Turkey and Tunisia are prohibited by law from wearing the hijab in government buildings. Tajikistan banned the hijab in public spaces in June 2024, along with all other "foreign clothing."

The government of France caused controversy in 2004 when it banned the conspicuous use of religious symbols in public schools, citing the need to maintain a secular culture that assimilates minorities. The law banned women and girls from wearing the hijab in all public schools. The country implemented several similar laws in the following years, including banning full-face coverings in public spaces in 2014. Their rugby team banned wearing religious symbols during matches in 2024, including the hijab.

While some view the hijab as a symbol of gender oppression, others believe that it is a religious right. Throughout Europe and much of the Middle East, the hijab remains contentious. Religious conservatives view it as a necessary, if not mandatory, component of religious identity, while many who adhere to more progressive political philosophies consider it offensive.

Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab do so for a variety of reasons. While many wear it as a symbol of piety and devotion to their faith, many others view it as a fashion item or an expression of cultural identity rather than a religious symbol. Still others, particularly Muslims living in Western cultures, choose to wear the hijab as a conscious rejection of societal norms that value women primarily based on their physical appearance.

Bibliography

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