Monday, June 21, 2010

"Burqa" ,Arabic word which means to veil or cover.

Where is a Burqa worn?
Burqa is worn throughout Middle Eastern nations and the Muslim nations around the world. Many liberal or democratic governments are not so strict about wearing the Burqa. One such famous example is Turkey, where secular ideas prevail and give people the freedom to choose if they want to wear a Burqa. Meanwhile, in stricter nations, women are told to wear the Burqa and failure to do so can result in beatings, harassment or other worse punishments.

Who wears a Burqa?
Obviously a woman wears a Burqa but more specifically, conservative practicing Muslims wear it. Girls are not supposed to wear a burqa until she hits puberty but this notion is not practiced as girl as young as six are made to wear the Burqa to get them used to wearing it. There have also been instances where men wore the Burqa to escape from the police or to hide their identities from the authorities. One such famous incident occurred at the Red Mosque siege in Pakistan.

What are the different styles of the Burqa or names?
Burqa falls under the category of Hijab. This is a Arabic word which means to veil or cover and refers to a women’s head and body covering gear. In Saudi Arabia, women a loose robe called abaya and a face veil called niqab while in nations like Tunisia or Turkey, Muslim women tend to wear only a headscarf. In Iran, they take a step further and the “fashion police” mandate all women to wear loose clothing – preferably black or a while robe – when going out and women are also supposed to wear either a full face veil or scarf. If the dress code is not followed, it results in punishment. In order to accommodate to the modern word, Islamic teachers allow women to wear a “Burqini.” A Burqini is a swimsuit for women and it covers the entire body. The only exposed parts are the feet, fingers and the face. Chador is also a full body cover for women. One of the extremes of Burqa is the Afghan Burqa, which was enforced by Taliban. This burqa covers the entire body in a loose clothing and even the face (including eyes) are covered with only a grille for the women to look through.