Two Different Narratives of Hijab in Iran: Burqa and Niqab
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Two Different Narratives of Hijab in Iran: Burqa and Niqab Naima Mohammadi1 · Ali M. Hazeri2 Accepted: 15 October 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Burqa and niqab are currently the two most challenging manifestations of face veil in the West. Developed based on an interpretive method, the present research is an attempt to study and analyze semantic implications of face veil among 24 Muslim Iranian women in Baluchestan Province and Qeshm Island in Iran. Semi-structured interviews and field observations were employed. The findings indicated that the connotation of niqab for the ethnic-religious minority women in Baluchestan was different from that of burqa for the religious minority women living on Qeshm Island. The Baluch women wear niqab as a sign of their collective identity and differentiation as well as maximal religious commitment vis-à-vis Shia-Persian majority; whereas burqa more than representing religious or ethnic identity, is an expressive language for native women to differentiate their personal identity. Burqa, produced in different colors and forms, is rich enough to show the marital status, social class, economic wellbeing and the age of women wearing it in a traditional patriarchal society; whereas all-black niqab prevents the identification and differentiation of the users. Burqa and niqab trade in both regions under study has led to the women-only employment in its manufacturing market, sewing and sales, although applying gold threads on some brands of burqa has turned them into capital goods, playing a more decisive role in socio-economic empowerment of women in Qeshm. Given the findings of this study, it may be concluded that various types of face veils in the world of Islam represent certain signs and symbols within ethnic-religious structures that need further deliberation before enactment of any law. Keywords Face veil · Burqa · Niqab · Muslim women · Islamic culture
* Naima Mohammadi [email protected] 1
Department of Law, Politics and International Studies, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
2
Department of Sociology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
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Vol.:(0123456789)
N. Mohammadi, A. M. Hazeri
Introduction Although face covering is currently a factor distinguishing or differentiating Muslim women from women following other religions, it also played a significant role in many other religions, including Orthodox and Catholic Christianity as well as Judaism before the advent of Islam (Chowdhury et al. 2017). Veiling or hijab has a long history and background in majority of Islamic societies. Although based on the Quranic principles, there are many similarities among various Muslim communities regarding the culture of hijab. The diverse forms of hijab among Muslims has its roots in cultural, ethnic and tribal backgrounds. According to many Muslim scholars, although hijab is a religious phenomenon, it is also strongly influenced by geo-culture (Byng 2010). The emergence of various styles of hijab in different
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