Niqab

A niqab is a long piece of cloth.

Some Muslim women wear it in public. It covers the face but leaves the eyes open.

There are different ways to wear it. Some styles use a simple band. Others use many layers of thin cloth.

The thin cloth lets the woman see out.

Some women also wear gloves. They do this to cover their skin. This is done when they meet men they do not know.

Some lands have laws about this cloth. Many countries have banned it in public. This can make it hard for some women.

People have worn face veils for a long time. It is a part of many cultures.

A niqab is a long garment worn by some Muslim women. It covers the body and the face. It leaves only the eyes visible. This is one way to follow the idea of the hijab. Many women wear it in public. They wear it when they meet men they do not know well.

There are many ways to wear a niqab. A half niqab is a simple piece of cloth. It uses ties or elastic to stay on. A full niqab covers the whole face. It often has a band for the forehead. Some have thin layers of cloth over the eyes. These layers let the woman see out clearly.

Some women also wear gloves. They do this to cover their skin. This helps them when they meet men who are not family. A burqa is different from a niqab. A burqa covers the whole body and face. It uses a mesh screen over the eyes. The burqa is common in places like Afghanistan.

Some countries have laws about these veils. Many places have banned them in public. This can make life hard for some women. In France, laws stop religious signs in some schools. In other lands, women may face fines for wearing them.

A niqab is a long garment worn by some Muslim women. It is a way to follow the idea of the hijab, which is a concept of modesty. The niqab covers the entire body and the face. However, it leaves the eyes visible so the woman can see. Many women wear this in public places. They often wear it when they meet men who are not close family members. It is a deeply personal choice for many people.

There are different ways to wear this clothing. A half niqab is a simple piece of fabric. It uses ties or elastic to stay on the face. It usually leaves the eyes and part of the forehead visible. A full niqab covers more of the face. It often has a band that ties around the forehead. Some full niqabs have thin, sheer layers over the eyes. These layers let the woman see out through the fabric.

Face veils have a very long history. In ancient Arabia, women from many different religions covered their faces. A Roman writer named Tertullian wrote about this long ago. He noticed that some women covered their whole faces. Islamic scholars like Al-Ghazali also wrote about women wearing the niqab. They noted it was a long-standing custom for women to cover their faces from strangers. This practice has roots in many cultures across the Middle East and Central Asia.

In recent years, the niqab has become more common in some areas. This happened during a religious revival in the late 1970s. Much of this change was linked to the influence of Saudi Arabia. The country shared its specific religious views with many other nations. This led to more people wearing the niqab in North Africa and the Middle East. However, the niqab is different from a burqa. A burqa is a long gown that covers the whole body. It uses a mesh screen to hide the eyes. The burqa is most common in Afghanistan.

Today, the niqab is a subject of much debate. Some countries have passed laws to ban face veils in public. For example, France has laws about religious symbols in schools. In some places, wearing a veil can lead to fines. In Algeria, the government banned it for public workers in 2018. In Cameroon and Chad, bans happened after specific violent events. These laws can make it hard for women to go to school or work. People have different views on how to balance religion and public rules.

A niqab is a long garment worn by some Muslim women. It covers the entire body and the face, but leaves the eyes visible. This practice is an interpretation of the concept of hijab, which focuses on modesty. Women often wear it in public or when encountering non-mahram men, who are men outside of their immediate family. While it is a personal religious choice, it is also a subject of significant global debate.

There are several distinct ways to wear a niqab. One common version is the half niqab. This is a simple length of fabric with elastic or ties. It is worn around the face and usually leaves the eyes and part of the forehead visible. Another common version is the gulf-style, or full niqab. This consists of an upper band tied around the forehead. A long, wide piece of fabric then covers the face, leaving an opening for the eyes. Some full niqabs include sheer layers attached to the band. These layers can be flipped down to cover the eyes, allowing the woman to see out through the thin fabric.

Other styles exist in different regions. The Afghan-style burqa is a long, pleated gown that covers the body and face. It uses a small crocheted grille to hide the eyes. In Pakistan, some wear the Pak chador. This is a large triangular scarf with extra pieces. One piece is tied behind the head, and another rectangular piece is worn over the face. Some women also wear a khimar. This is a semi-circular piece of fabric with an opening for the face. It is often worn over a small triangular underscarf.

Face veiling has ancient roots in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Central Asia. In pre-Islamic Arabia, women of various religions practiced face veiling. The Roman author Tertullian wrote about pagan Arabian women covering their whole faces. Islamic scholars have also noted this tradition. Al-Ghazali wrote that women have always gone out in niqab. The scholar Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar stated it was a long-standing custom to cover faces from strangers. However, most Muslim scholars do not consider the niqab to be a compulsory requirement for all women. Many Islamic legal schools, such as the Hanafi, Maliki, and Shafi'i, do not require it.

The modern prevalence of the niqab changed significantly in the late 1970s. This was part of an Islamic revival. The rise of "Petro-Islam" under the House of Saud played a major role. Following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, Saudi Arabia spread hardline Sunni doctrines globally. This was partly a response to the religious influence of the Iranian Revolution. Through the sponsorship of mosques, Saudi-supported views like Wahhabism and Salafism became more widespread. This helped the niqab become a more noticeable symbol of this religious movement throughout the late 20th century.

Today, the niqab is a subject of legal and social controversy. As of 2025, 18 states have banned the niqab or burqa. These include countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

In France, laws prohibit religious symbols in state schools. A 2010 law also banned face coverings in all public spaces. Violators can face fines of 150 euros and must take citizenship classes. In Algeria, the government banned the veil for public servants in 2018. In Cameroon and Chad, bans were implemented following specific violent attacks involving individuals in religious garments.

These laws often create complex social challenges. In Azerbaijan, women wearing the niqab cannot work as public servants or attend certain schools. In the United States, Sultaana Freeman fought a legal battle in 2003 regarding her driver's license photo. The court ruled she could wear the niqab if the photo was taken in a private room with a female employee. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has also expressed concern about such bans. They stated that French laws could disproportionately harm women's rights by making it harder to access public services or stay in their homes.