In a world full of different religions and ideologies, Hijab and Burka are two out of many aspects of the Islamic faith, that is only meant for women. Some women wear hijab as a scarf over their head and hair while some women wear a burka that covers their face as well.
Hijab vs Burka
The main difference between Hijab and Burka is that Hijab is a headscarf worn around the face covering their head, hair, neck and sometimes the shoulders and chest. Burka, on the other hand, is a garment that covers the body entirely from top to bottom along with the face.
Hijabs come in different styles and colours, are the headscarves that women of Islamic faith wear to conceal their head, hair and neck. They mainly wear it around the male members of the family, or in front of strangers or guests. It is a religious code that the women of the Islamic faith follow.
Burka is another piece of clothing that women of Islamic religion wear in public. It covers the head, hair, and the whole body along with the face, leaving the area of eyes open, which are often covered by mesh. Burka is also worn in front of male members of the family, strangers or guests.
Comparison Table Between Hijab and Burka
| Parameters of Comparison | Hijab | Burka |
| Definition | Hijab is a headscarf that is worn by Muslim women in order to cover their head, hair and neck. | Burka is a garment that is worn by women in the Islamic religion that cover the whole body along with the face by a veil. |
| Etymology | The word Hijab is derived from an Arabic word that means “to cover”. | The word Burka has its origin in Urdu and Persian languages. |
| Style | It is a garment that covers the head, hair and neck and sometimes the shoulders and chests of women wearing it for religious purposes. | It is a complete attire that covers the whole body from head to toe, even covering the face entirely with a veil. |
| Popularity | It is worn mostly in the West and also worn by women in Arab. | It is popularly worn in Afghanistan and Pakistan. |
| Purpose | Hijab is worn as an adherence to the Islamic faith and modesty. | Burka is worn mostly due to the subjugation of strict religious policies followed by certain countries. |
What Is Hijab?
Arabic for “cover”, “screen” or “partition”, a Hijab is a headscarf worn by Muslim women as an act of covering as a religious practice. A hijab covers the head, hair and neck and sometimes a women’s shoulders and chest too. It is a garment that leaves the face uncovered. Hijab comes in various styles and colours as per personal preferences.
Hijab is worn by Muslim women to conceal their heads and hair as a religious practice. While many women of the religion can choose not to cover their faces, some either choose or are abided by the societal norms to cover up their faces too. Similarly, while some women choose to cover their neck entirely, others might wear it loosely around the neck.
Muslim women wear Hijab as an act of covering for religious purposes. The Hijab, whose literal meaning in Arabic is “to cover” or “partition”, is said to be worn as a symbol that adheres to Islamic faith and modesty. Hijab is worn by women around strangers or in public, especially around men.
What is Burka?
A Burka is a traditional garment of the Islam religion that is worn by the Pashtun women of Afghanistan and West Pakistan since the pre-Islamic period as a symbol of respect and stature in the society. Usually black in colour, the garment covers the entire body from the top of the head to the ground including the face. A mesh veil is sewn into a burka which only allows the wearer the sight for their eyes.
Burka is worn by Muslim women having the same objective of an act of covering up. This garment is the most concealing of all Islamic veils. As face veiling has not been regarded as a religious requirement in many Islamic cultures, veiling can be considered to be a minority practice within Islam in many countries. As a result, it is even banned in some countries of the West. It is only worn by women in countries with strict modesty codes and is usually seen in countries like Afghanistan and West Pakistan.
Burka comes in different designs and colours too. Some styles of burka simply drape over a women’s body while others have face veils attached to the garment which can be lifted on a woman’s choice.
Main Differences Between Hijab and Burka
- Hijab and Burka are two different religious garments for women in Islam. Hijab is a headscarf worn by the Muslim women that covers their head, hair, neck and sometimes their shoulders and chest. On the other hand, Burka is an attire worn by Muslim women that covers the body entirely from head to toe with a veil attached to cover the face.
- The word Hijab is derived from an Arabic word meaning “to cover” or “partition”. On the other hand, Burka is a word derived from Persian and Urdu languages, also known as “Chadari” in Hindi.
- While Hijab covers the head, hair, neck of a women, leaving the face uncovered, Burka entirely covers the body from head to toe.
- Hijab can be seen worn mostly in the West and women of Arab. on the other hand, Burka is worn by Pashtun women of West Pakistan and Afghanistan.
- Women wear Hijab to adhere to Islamic faith and modesty while Burka is usually worn as a subjugation by certain strict policies.
Conclusion
Although the traditional head coverings are worn by Muslim women to pay respect to their religious faith and culture and protect their modesty outside their home, the differences between a Hijab and a Burka should be recognised respectively. The covering of a women’s face and eyes is an important distinction between Hijab and Burka.
References
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0896920509347143
- https://www.iasj.net/iasj/article/196810