What’s the difference between a Hijab, Niqab and Burka?

Hijab, Niqab and Burka: Two years back a news aired about 6 pre University College girls who wore hijab and were not allowed to enter and therefore it striked protests as the BJP ruling government banned hijab in India. And after 2 years in Dec 2023 the Newly elected Congress government in Karnataka has announced that they will lift the ban on Hijab. So this issue of Hijab has become an issue in state politics. Hijab in itself is a very confusing concept and is misinterpreted with other terms like Niqab, Burqa, chador etc.

The meaning of Hijab is interpreted depending on different sects and groups within the Muslim communities. It is basically a term which is associated with the Islam rule. And with time it has been used by different religions like Judaism and Christianity also. And these religions have interpreted and used them in their own ways. But this concept of Hijab is connected to Islam and its practices. And it has been criticized many times as it is thought to be suppression of women by men in the Islamic communities. Although many Muslim women deny it and give the explanation of wearing it to show their obedience to Islamic law and Prophet Mohammed.

HIJAB – Its history and importance

Hijab is a term which is derived from the concept of modesty in Islam. It is a version of an Arabic word hajaba which means ‘to conceal’. It is basically a Cloth that is worn to cover the head and the neck of Muslim women to cover their hair.

The concept of modesty in the case of Islam is mainly focused on lowering their gaze and covering themselves to protect them from evil eyes. It seeks protection from the gaze of unrelated men. But the concept of modesty was applied to both men and women.

It is believed that the Prophet Mohammed the founder of Islam religion initiated the practice of Hijab by making his wives toward Hijab when they go out to protect them in public and also to showcase them as being wives which belong to the high class. And with this the women of the upper class started wearing it to show their class. And also to showcase that they did not need to work as their husbands were rich. As it can be practically a bit difficult to work when one is wearing a Hijab or other covering.

After this the concept of Hijab has been divided and the concept behind it also got changed depending on different sects of Islam as after the death of Prophet Mohammed, the Islam religion divided into two sects : Shia and Sunni.

The Shia sect allowed the women to wear the commonly used Hijab which covered their head and neck. But the Sunni sect is a bit strict in its practices and therefore applied a much stricter version of Hijab by making their women wear Niqab which covered their whole body except the eyes.

And with time the conception of Hijab has changed but has always been a major part of Islam. Many consider it to be discriminatory but many Muslim women relate it to their obedience towards their God and this covering is also applied to man to showcase modesty in the society.

But the concept of Hijab is misinterpreted with other types of Coverings like Burqa, Niqab etc. So now let’s understand the difference between them.

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Difference between Hijab, Burqa Niqab and Chador

From the above explanations we got an idea about what Hijab is. And now let’s understand the other three concepts so that we can find the differences between them.

BURQA

Burqa is basically the full covering of the women’s body, even the eyes are covered but through a grill or net cloth to allow eyesight for the women. It was traditionally worn by Pashtuns in Afghanistan. And was enforced by Talibans while fighting against the US in Afghanistan.

NIQAB

It is a type of covering in which the women has to cover their whole body including the forehead and nose but in this the eyes are not covered and are totally open. It was widely influenced by Wahhabi Islam and is prevalent in today’s time in urban localities.

CHADOR

It is the traditional garment worn by women in Iran and Afghanistan. In this the whole body is covered but the face is open like in Hijab. It is not obligatory in the Islamic countries, unlike the veil. It is more like a hijab but in hijab, one has to just cover their head and neck but in this the whole body except face. And is usually accompanied by a tube-like scarf underneath.

So by knowing about these different terms related to covering in Islam religion we can clearly understand the difference between Hijab ,Niqab, burqa and Chador. And therefore we can say that even though they have different meanings, their goal is to showcase modesty as mentioned in Islam but has different ways of applying their lives. After knowing about Burqa we can say that it is a very strict way for Muslim women to show their compliance to Islamic law where Hijab is a bit liberal and not that strict.

Types of Hijab

Hijab is basically differentiated into two types

• Democratic Hijab
• Tyrannical Hijab

Democratic Hijab

In this the woman is allowed to freely cover her head and in this the woman herself chooses to wear so and is completely free in deciding. In this there is an agency where she sets terms of her Hijab. women mainly wear Hijab in these cases to showcase their allegiance towards their God I.e Prophet Mohammed who initiated this process through his wives.

Tyrannical Hijab

In this the woman is forced to wear a Hijab by the particular government and there is no agency in this case.
Most prevalent example of it is in Iran where women have to follow a certain dress code and need to abide by the rules applied by the Iranian government. They are not even allowed to wear make up. And do not have any choice in choosing if they want to wear Hijab or not. And the same applies in Afghanistan after the departure of US Troops , and the coming of Taliban in power which again imposed strict rules regarding the dress code of women in the country. Even the women mannequins were covered with Hijab in Afghanistan by the Talibans.

And a lot of protests have surfaced in Iran due to some restrictions on the choices of women. Women aren’t allowed to travel freely , get divorce and are considered lower in position than men. Hijab is also a major issue as women protest against it not because they completely reject it but because they want to have the right to choose what to wear. Here the question is about the freedom of women and not of wearing Hijab or respecting or disrespecting the Islamic law. They need to have the right of raising their voice against the unjust practices that they have to face and follow just because of the interpretation of the law according to the requirements of men so that they could maintain their high status and to maintain the patriarchal structure in the society.

Conclusion

Hijab which is basically a way of covering the head and the neck of a Muslim woman according to the Islamic law. It has been mentioned in the Qur’an 33:59 which says that women need to wear outer garments when they go out to protect them from getting harassed. And also to show their respect towards the law of Muslims and the concept of modesty too plays its part in this whole situation.

But there are also other types of Coverings which have developed according to different interpretations and the situation of the society in which one lives. Like Burqa which is the most strict version of covering in which the whole body is covered even the eyes but by a net fabric. Then comes Niqab which is a bit liberal than burqa but stricter than Hijab. So different places have different outlook and their impact on the whole socio-cultural structure.

We also analyzed the two different styles of Hijab among which one is Democratic in outlook whereas the other one is tyrannical in outlook which forces the women to wear a Hijab just to abide by the rules of the man according to their convenience. And women activists are fighting for the rights of these women. And at times they could be misinterpreted but to clear the air we should understand the women do not have any problem in wearing a Hijab but about the intentions that underlay that idea which is to suppress the women and to regulate the standards.

People want to restrict women rather than rectifying the outlook of men towards women. So we need to understand this question rather than coming to a conclusion which is totally irrational. We need to put women forward and their voices need to be heard rather than just getting suppressed and this example is an apt one.

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