Is the veil an Islamic requirement?

Muslim religious writings are not entirely clear on the question of veiling.

Various passages in the Quran, the Muslim holy book, and the Hadiths, statements attributed to the Prophet Mohammad, make reference to veiling by the prophet’s wives. But scholars disagree about whether these statements apply only to the prophet’s wives or to all Muslim women.

According to some, the veil has been used as a way of curbing male sexual desire. Yet covering the HIJAB FASHION head and body predated Islam. Jewish, Christian and Hindu women have also covered their head at various times in history and in different parts of the world.

Certainly, the headscarf is tied to religion. Many women who cover talk about it as a way demonstrating their submission to God and a constant reminder to hold fast to Islamic beliefs such as being honest and generous to those in need.

Asserting identity

However, there are other reasons for adopting the hijab.

French and British colonizers encouraged Muslim women to remove the veil and emulate European women. Consequently, in North African and Middle Eastern countries, the veil became a symbol of national identity and opposition to the West during independence and nationalist movements.

Today, some women wear the hijab to signal pride in their ethnic identity. This is more so for immigrants in Europe and the United States, where there has been an increase in Islamophobia.

In a Facebook post for World Hijab Day 2018 that went viral, Columbia College student Toqa Badran wrote,