The word "hijab" or "ḥijāb" (English pronunciation: /hɪˈdʒɑːb/, /hɪˈdʒæb/, /ˈhɪ.dʒæb/, or /hɛˈdʒɑːb/; Arabic: حجاب hijaab, pronounced [ħiˈdʒæːb] ~ [ħiˈɡæːb]) refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general.
According to Islamic scholarship, hijab is given the wider meaning of modesty, privacy, and morality; the words for a headscarf or veil used in the Qur'an are khimār (خمار) and jilbaab (جلباب), not hijab. Still another definition is metaphysical, where al-hijab refers to "the veil which separates man or the world from God."
Muslims differ on the necessity of the hijab. It is required on women in public in countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia, but is banned in schools in France, Turkey and formerly also in Tunisia. Wearing a hijab is left for individuals to decide in most of the world.
The word "hijab" or "ḥijāb" (English pronunciation: /hɪˈdʒɑːb/, /hɪˈdʒæb/, /ˈhɪ.dʒæb/, or /hɛˈdʒɑːb/; Arabic: حجاب hijaab, pronounced [ħiˈdʒæːb] ~ [ħiˈɡæːb]) refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general.
According to Islamic scholarship, hijab is given the wider meaning of modesty, privacy, and morality; the words for a headscarf or veil used in the Qur'an are khimār (خمار) and jilbaab (جلباب), not hijab. Still another definition is metaphysical, where al-hijab refers to "the veil which separates man or the world from God."
Muslims differ on the necessity of the hijab. It is required on women in public in countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia, but is banned in schools in France, Turkey and formerly also in Tunisia. Wearing a hijab is left for individuals to decide in most of the world.