What is the hijab

What is the significance of the Hijab in Muslim culture?

Many from the west do not understand why Arab women wear the hijab or shehla to cover their hair. We described the clothing specifically on our UAE National Clothing page, but we asked a number of females to describe why they wear the hijab, and this are the responses we got:

- it is traditional in my family, and country to do so
- it is unheard of for females of my nationality to go out in just western clothes, and it could cause a lot of shock if I did so
- I would feel vulnerable and may cause shame on my family
- distancing myself from the world, it enriches the spiritual life, grants freedom from material preoccupations
- it erases differences by expressing solidarity with people wearing the same clothes, my sisters of this world
- Islamic dress gives me greater freedom and mobility rather than less so
- It is a liberation, freeing me from being considered a sexual object
- Feminists in the west have reflected on the connection between feminine clothes and female oppression
- We are not victims, our culture is different to the West
- Our clothing demands respect as an equal, and based on intellect

We hope this gives a better understanding of why wearing the hijab (and indeed other clothes) is justified by those who choose to wear it.