Islamic clothing is the style of dress interpreted and presented as conforming to (or required by) Islamic teachings. While it's assumed that there are rules for men, the most common and compelling forms of dress are found in women's clothing. Another aspect of this clothing is its role in segregation between men and women which manifests itself in certain situations and usage patterns.
Muslims wear a wide variety of clothing, which is influenced not only by religious considerations, but also by practical, cultural, social, and political factors. In modern times, some Muslims have adopted clothing based on Western traditions, while others wear modern forms of traditional Muslim dress, which over the centuries has typically included long, flowing garments. Besides the practical advantages provided in the climate of the Middle East, loose-fitting clothing is also generally regarded as conforming to Islamic teachings, which stipulate that body areas which are considered sexual in nature must be hidden from public view. Traditional dress for Muslim men has typically covered at least the head and the area between the waist and the knees, while women's islamic dress typically conceals the hair and the body from the ankles to the neck. Some Muslim women also cover their face, while others believe that the Quran strictly mandate that women need to wear a hijab or a burqa.
The veil re-emerged as a topic of conversation in the 1990s amid growing concern regarding potential Western influence on Muslim practices in Islamic countries. There are also many different forms of hijab. For example, the Iranian chador consists of fabric made into a half-circle and worn around the head, leaving only the face exposed while covering the rest of the body. There is also the niqab, a long garment which covers everything except the eyes, while a burqa covers the entire face and body. The jilbab is a type of loose-fitting coat. In addition, the principles of veiling are not universal, with differing conventions based on different interpretations of the Quran. Because of this, what is acceptable as properly modest in one region may not be considered so in another.
The branch of the fashion industry influenced by Islamic principles or incorporating elements of traditional Islamic dress is known as Islamic fashion.
Rationale and definitions
Islamic precepts related to modesty (haya) are at the base of Islamic clothing. Adherents of Islam believe that it is the religious duty of adult Muslim men and women to dress modestly, as an obligatory ruling agreed upon by community consensus.
Veiling is a custom that is traditionally practiced to sustain piety. Veiling may act as a deterrent from others’ influencing Muslims in a way that makes them compromise their faith and religious observance. It also may support Muslims’ adherence to their faith via being a physical symbol of religiosity. Some women choose to veil in order to protect themselves from unwanted male attention. In addition, wearing hijab is also a chosen practice amongst many American Muslim women.
Modesty is not unilateral. Some believe that a robe with long sleeves, the jilbab ought to be worn by men as well as women. In addition, some believe men should cover up to their wrists and neck whether or not in Western dress, and that not doing so is immodest. In addition, the moral reputation of men and women can be negatively impacted by excessive displays of one's body. According to the traditional view in Sunni Islam, men must cover from their belly buttons to their knees, though they differ on whether this includes covering the navel and knees or only what is between them. Women have traditionally been encouraged to cover most of their body except for their hands and faces.
Modesty is usually a theme of islamic clothing. Modesty is known as hijab in Arabic. Veiling is commonly seen as a religious practice and is supported by passages in the Quran that detail the importance of covering the head and body in order to be modest. An Arabic word strongly associated with Islamic clothing and haya is khimar (خمار), which translates into English as "veil".
Muslim women's views on hijab
Islamic clothing has roots not only in religion but also in older cultural traditions. For example "what today is labeled as "Islamic" conservative dress actually has cultural roots dating back before the time of the Prophet." This emphasizes that Islamic clothing also reflects historical and cultural practices that go beyond religion. For example, "in Assyria and other Eastern Mediterranean and Asian territories, such dress indicated a woman's societal rank, as wearing clothing that comports with modern definitions of hijab reflected that a woman was married or a member of elite." Today's Islamic clothing concept is inspired by two sources, the Quran and hadith. The Quran provides guiding principles believed to have come from God, while the body of hadith describes a human role model attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Pro-hijab Muslim women do not necessarily view the hijab as an oppressive garment that is forced upon them. Iran is a country with strict rules on the hijab, and many women feel pressured from the government to dress in a certain style.
Anti-hijab
There are many Muslim women who believe that the hijab indeed hinders their personal freedom as a woman. Another belief of some women that wear the hijab is that it could potentially "strip them of their individuality" and turn them into a figurehead for their religion. Some women do not want to have to deal with this on a daily basis, and it is another reason that some Muslim women have decided to un-veil themselves.
Hijab and policies by country
Islamic clothing is represented differently in Western and non-Western countries, with varying styles and significance depending on cultural, social, and religious background. In non-Western countries, Islamic clothing is seen as a symbol of modesty, respect, and faith. It significantly connects to religious identity and traditional values. Over the years, Islamic clothing has evolved to represent not only religious values and modesty but also modern fashion. Garments commonly associated with Islamic dress include the hijab, a headscarf covering the hair and neck. A face veil called niqab covers the lower part of the face, leaving only the eyes visible. There is also a long flowing loose fitting black robe which is called abaya that is sometimes worn over regular clothes covers from shoulders to ankles. A Burqa is similar to the abaya; it's loose fitting and covers the full body; however, it also includes a mesh piece of cloth that covers the face.
Over time Islamic clothing has evolved in meaning, style and purpose in western countries like Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. In the 1970s Islamic clothing in Egypt was used against westernized lifestyles. During this time, wearing Islamic clothing expressed cultural pride, resisting against western influence and a connection to religion. The perception about Islamic clothing has shifted significantly, balancing modesty with western fashion norms while still expressing their religious identity.
Eurasia Turkey
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was the founding father of modern-day Turkey and the start of secularism within the Turkish Republic. His one of the steps towards secularism and Westernization was to ban an item called the fez, a red cap that mandated for Westernization by Mahmud II (1827) in his era, as a modern headdress for his new army, the Asakir-i Mansure-i Muhammediye. He followed that by banning all forms of religious dress outside of places of worship. While Türkiye's modernization project, led by Atatürk, introduced a law requiring hats in men's clothing and encouraged a modern understanding of women's attire, no laws were enacted that mandated or prohibited women's clothing. A 1935 circular from the Ministry of the Interior is the only decree that placed restrictions on women's clothing, including a ban on clothing that covered women's faces. However, the regulations governing the general dress code of civil servants did not specifically recognize the veil, and this was perceived as a headscarf ban, occasionally leading to problems between women who wanted to wear headscarves and their administrators. A law passed in the 1980s that allowed civil servants working in public institutions to wear headscarves in their workplaces became a visible ban and gained legal status with the court decision of the Council of State, which ruled that the regulation was constitutional on the grounds that "wearing the headscarf is not only an innocent practice but is also in the process of becoming a symbol of an understanding that is contrary to women's freedoms and the fundamental principles of the Republic." This restricted women from wearing the hijab and veil while working in public places despite a majority population by 76%. The ban was officially lifted again in 2013 by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) with new regulations that still banned the hijab for women in military, judiciary and police systems. The restriction on policewomen was lifted in 2016 allowing them to wear the hijab while following uniform regulations (plain and same color as uniform).
South Asia Pakistan In Pakistan, the topic of the hijab is extraordinarily controversial. The veil is constantly a topic of debate and has been for decades now. The Pew Research Center gathered information on several countries, including Pakistan, and came back with results on how people's perceptions of the veil differ across the world. Participants were given pictures of six women wearing different styles of veil along with the question: "What Style of Dress is Appropriate for Women in Public?". The results found that: "In Pakistan, there is an even split (31% vs. 32%) between woman #3 and woman #2, who is wearing a niqab that exposes only her eyes, while nearly a quarter (24%) choose woman #4." The results show that there is still a lot of debate about what type of dress women perceive to be most appropriate, and it seems that the debate will continue to go on for many years to come.
Middle East Egypt
On 8 January 2014, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey of Muslim women in various countries. An overwhelming eighty-nine percent of Egyptian women who responded to the survey believed that women should show their face in public. Ten percent of the survey participants believed that women should be fully veiled when in public. Compared to other countries, Egypt is not as conservative as others, but only fourteen percent of the women surveyed believed that Egyptian women should be able to choose their own clothing. Compared to six other countries, Egypt was last in this category; the statistic (eighty-four percent) suggests that Egyptian women (according to that single survey), do not believe that women should have freedom to choose their clothing. Meanwhile, in Egyptian media, women have always spoken about their freedom and right to wear whatever they want and that no one should be judged based on their outfits.
Saudi Arabia
Niqab is most often used in Saudi Arabia, along with Hijab. While some perceive Niqab to be mandatory, Hijab is seen as a more modern style of clothing. Niqab is also revered as a conservative and modest clothing due to the deeply religious and cultural values. While opinion surveys in Saudi Arabia suggests a strong belief that women should be covered, paradoxically there is also a strong belief that women should have the right to choose what they wear.