Burka eating today

[clibbyjo]

My husband and I went to our fav. Indian restaurant for dinner. We went early as we were out all day so it was only 4:30. I was the LEAST modestly dressed woman in the restaurant which is so funny because I am always the most covered.(I had on a beret, scarf which I left on,long sleeved "cuddle duds" undershirt with a shirt over so only my neck was sticking out and wide leg jeans. Other than the Indian owners and workers, the 2 other women customers had a hijibi and one was in a full out burka. Of course when they came in my husband had the good seat and I told him he would have to tell me everything so I could report back to the board. :dance: I have never seen a burka outside of the city and never in a restaurant.

They sat at the very back table.The woman faced the back wall and sat at an angle so no one could see her anyway.They had 3 small kids and the dad helped carry the kids plates while the mom carried a huge heaping plate I think was for all of them to share.(It was buffet) I kept asking DH for details, and he said she basically just lifted the veil out so she could put the spoon under without having to push it to the side or pull it up.(even though no one could have seen her face regardless). I don't know how you guys eat Indian food, but I basically need 2 hands for it. You need to break off pieces of naan and dip it in the yummy sauces . She also had the orange chicken which you would normally pick up and bite off of bone, that would be hard to do and messy under a veil.

That was my first time in a restaurant with a woman in a burka .I don't know if it was the early dinner time or what, but were were the only English speakers in the place. IT was funny because its in a suburban area you don't usually assoicate with burka wearers.

[emmiedahl]

We have a few Middle Eastern families in my apartment building and one family wears Iranian style covering, with several layers under a heavy black coat and all of the head covered except for mouth/nose/eyes. I always hope that she strips it all over when she cooks because it seems like a real fire hazard. omg I cannot imagine trying to eat with a burqa! What type of burqa was it? I'm thinking it can't be the big Afghani ones because there is no way to get your hands out without baring everything below your waist.

[clibbyjo]

Here is a pic I found on google images http://www.sott.net/articles/show/14820 ... raqi-Women of what it looked like. The front she had to lift came down pretty far, at least to her chest/waist from what I could see the short time we were both at the buffet without trying to stare.

[emmiedahl]

That's a lot of material to eat around! I bet the inside gets a lot of miscellaneous food stains.

[FakePigtails]

Ah, that's a niqab, not a burqa. Still all-covering but much better for being able to see. Here's a good comparison between different styles:

And a more detailed one from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/europe_muslim_veils/html/1.stm

ETA: From what I understand the coverings are just put on when leaving the house or in the home if non-family are visiting.

[emmiedahl]

Okay. My neighbor ladies wear a chador. And a big old coat. A niqab looks difficult to eat with, like why bother going out? I think I would prefer takeout if I wore that in public!

[clibbyjo]

Seriously, I could not eat in the niqab.

[NurseNell]

My neighbor wears a hijab. She is from Saudi Arabia. I needed her to sign something once and she was wearing a one piece underwear outfit, like a union suit only short sleeves and only went to the knees. She had me come into the apt, which really surprised me but I guess since I was a woman it was OK. Her husband was home and he was fully dressed. She was about 7 months pregnant.

Every once in awhile at the Mall of America I see women in all black niqabs, they scare the hell out of me. I have no problems with the hijab, which are very common here but anything else freaks me out. I don't trust anyone dressed like that here, there's no reason for it. And they could be men, no way to tell.

Nell

[NurseNell]

Seriously, I could not eat in the niqab.

Me either.

I also saw some women wearing niqabs at Universal in Orlando. Give me a break.

Nell

[debrand]

I've always thought Hijab's were very pretty. The burqa/chador/niqab seem less about holding a modesty code and more about erasing a woman's identity.

question: Why do burqas/chadors/niqab have to be certain colors-often black?

[Maul the Koala]

There was a girl with a Chemistry major at my university who wore a niqab. I imagine the lab coat would've restricted the looseness of the outfit (if she wore one that is, I didn't know). After doing inorganic and organic chem, the less material you have flowing around your body the better. And the niqab would've been pretty stinky after the organic labs especially since it covers your nose. The other women who wear hijabs seem to wear more form fitting clothes. There are a few who have the free flowing dresses and hijabs but they're not enrolled in Sciences.

My friends and I use to keep worn out t-shirts and grubby pants we wouldn't wear otherwise to Chem labs because otherwise our clothes smelled disgusting afterward.

[snarkykitty]

I've always thought Hijab's were very pretty. The burqa/chador/niqab seem less about holding a modesty code and more about erasing a woman's identity.

question: Why do burqas/chadors/niqab have to be certain colors-often black?

I do, too. One of my pharmacists wears a Hijab and they are always very pretty. I have noticed that most of the women I see wearing them (at least in my area) often have on modern stylish outfits like jeans, cute tops and boots.

One day, I was walking in NYC on my way to do some audio work for a film I had worked on, and it had started to rain. I had no umbrella and was wearing a shirt that left my neck bare, but did have a scarf on (that I had purchased for $8 in the fashion district, natch!). So I pulled it over my head and wrapped it around my neck (because I hate water dripping down my back). I caught a reflection of myself in a store window and wondered if people thought it was a Hijab. I did arrive at the studio with my hair and top dry, so it did serve a purpose!

[Guest Anonymous]

We have them all here, university town with a small mosque and an international community. Most are in the hajib, infrequent burqua sitings are almost always near the mosque. Niquibs are often seen on campus. The chador gets confusig: on campus, you can assume these are middle eastern women. In town there are some headcovering fundys who have adopted the chador as a modest fashion statement.

[QuoVadis]

Having live in the ME for awhile, I saw a lot of women eating with niqab! Basically, it looks like an elephant trunk.....the piece of cloth wraps behind the head and goes down over the mouth. The woman puts the food up under the face veil - the best way I can describe it really is like an elephant trunk.

And - why are they always black? A few reasons, I think. One, it promotes "seriousness." Two, as a matter of modesty - sometimes they are made out of thin material and it is harder to see through them if they are black.

Experienced - are you talking about headcovering Christian fundies adopting the chador? That seems really strange.....I could see them adopting "hijab."

As a side note, when traveling alone through the ME, I regularly wore hijab with jelbaab or abeya. They were the most comfortable traveling clothes ever! Serious.

[keeperrox]

I don't trust anyone dressed like that here, there's no reason for it. And they could be men, no way to tell.

Did you seriously just say that or am I hallucinating?

[Guest Anonymous]

Nope chadors, I was fundy focused one day while shopping and couldn't figure out these two anglo women with chadors and about 12 kids between the two of them. When they started handing the kids bible quotations on cards I knew I had a new local fundy tribe to stalk. I later talked a mutual friend who is fascinated by all things fundy and she told me that there is a 'compound' of them living semi rurally on about 45 acres. The men actually have real world jobs with Hewlett Packard in town.

I went out by their place this summer, on a crawdad hunting expedition. Electric gates, cameras, don't tread on me flag, and beside the usual no trespassing sign one that said all visitors must submit to searches.

[ricky_ticky]

Did you seriously just say that or am I hallucinating?

Yeah, there's no reason for it other than that annoying principle of freedom of religion.

sheesh

[The Archivist]

Every once in awhile at the Mall of America I see women in all black niqabs, they scare the hell out of me. I have no problems with the hijab, which are very common here but anything else freaks me out. I don't trust anyone dressed like that here, there's no reason for it. And they could be men, no way to tell.

You know what scares the hell out of me? People who say shit like this.

[QuoVadis]

Nope chadors, I was fundy focused one day while shopping and couldn't figure out these two anglo women with chadors and about 12 kids between the two of them. When they started handing the kids bible quotations on cards I knew I had a new local fundy tribe to stalk. I later talked a mutual friend who is fascinated by all things fundy and she told me that there is a 'compound' of them living semi rurally on about 45 acres. The men actually have real world jobs with Hewlett Packard in town.

I went out by their place this summer, on a crawdad hunting expedition. Electric gates, cameras, don't tread on me flag, and beside the usual no trespassing sign one that said all visitors must submit to searches.

Wow. I am intrigued. All the fundies I know would never adopt a chador because it is distinctively Islamic clothing. They must have some seriously esoteric beliefs!

[Sunnichick31]

As a niqabi, I have to weigh in! it does take a bit of getting used to when you try to eat with a niqab, but once you get used to it it's not that hard. I still have a bit of trouble eating pasta and soup, for some reason, but everything else is pretty easy alhumdulilah.

Not all niqabs are black, I have several from this site al-mujalbaba.com/12faceniqaab.html and a few colored ones from here too islamiccollection.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?search=yes&bc=no but black is more traditional than colorful ones.

Every once in awhile at the Mall of America I see women in all black niqabs, they scare the hell out of me. I have no problems with the hijab, which are very common here but anything else freaks me out. I don't trust anyone dressed like that here, there's no reason for it. And they could be men, no way to tell.

Seriously? There is a reason for it. It's called religion! Not every Muslim thinks that the niqab is a requirement, but a small minority does believe that (myself included). In the Quran, it tells says "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And God is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty...." Men are required to dress and act modestly as well, but they don't have to cover as much as women have to cover. Since the Quran tells us to cover our beauty, many women, includuing myself, have made the decision to cover our faces in addition to covering our hair and bodies. I do want to make it clear that most Muslims are of the opinion that the face does not have to be covered.

We live in a country that allows freedom of religion and freedom of expression. I am uncomfortable when I see girls walking around in short-shorts and tank tops, but do I think that they should not be allowed to dress like that? No. It's their choice if they want to dress like that whether I like it or not, just like I have the right to choose the niqab whether I like it or not.

The burqa/chador/niqab seem less about holding a modesty code and more about erasing a woman's identity.

As I explained in the above paragraph, it IS about modesty and not about erasing women. In some cultures, it may be about erasing the identity, but that is NOT supposed to be the purpose!

[JesusFightClub]

I see a fair few women in niqab, to me it seems that I can't see the expression on a person's face so a bit unsettling. But they could well have an opinion on the way I dress too, live and let live. As I would not want to ban frumper, I don't agree with niqab bans either. I also began to understand why women wear niqab after interesting posts by sunnichick and reading a book written by niqabi women.

(Complaining about woman in niqab would make me a bit of a hypocrite, as I have been hooded and masked before on demos. It's OK for me to hide my face in that way but not for them? )

Full burqa, I have seen precisely once in my life and I was very taken aback. That style I think raises safety issues.

The women around here wear niqab and hijab in different colours. The preferred for both seems to be a jaunty multicoloured thing. I am informed that the all black niqab is a bit of a political statement...sunnichick, is that right or am I misinformed?

[NurseNell]

Seriously? There is a reason for it. It's called religion! Not every Muslim thinks that the niqab is a requirement, but a small minority does believe that (myself included).

We live in a country that allows freedom of religion and freedom of expression. I am uncomfortable when I see girls walking around in short-shorts and tank tops, but do I think that they should not be allowed to dress like that? No. It's their choice if they want to dress like that whether I like it or not, just like I have the right to choose the niqab whether I like it or not.

It's freedom of religion, and yes, we in this country enjoy that, and that is as it should be. Unlike Saudia Arabia where there is no freedom of religion. I am free to feel uncomfortable when I see women dressed that way. I don't necessarily like that I feel that way, and I would never confront such a woman as she has the right to dress that way.

Nell

[demgirl]

Hijabs and Chadors are one thing -- they show the wearer's allegiance to and belief in a religious principle. The niqab and burka are different -- they completely take away the reality that the person wearing them is human. They deny that person the ability to show emotion, to communicate through body language, and to be seen as an individual. Taken to the extreme, they are also dangerous. Women are often killed because of their restricted vision in these garments in places like Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.

To me, a chador or hijab is basically like wearing a Star of David necklace, or choosing to only wear skirts, whereas the niqab and burka are a means of denying women their basic personhood. I have trouble having conversations with women in niqabs - I can't pick up on their non-verbal cues, I can't assess their reactions to what I'm saying and I feel very cutoff from them. I also think that if you're committed to dressing in that manner, you are also cut off from many future career options.

Women in niqabs and burkas don't scare me. I just feel sorry for them, because either they are forced to do it by their husbands or their country leaders, or because they feel that's what the Quran says is required, and I don't believe the Quran says that at all. If a woman chooses to wear one of these garments, that is their choice. I wouldn't take that away from them, but I don't understand it.

[NurseNell]

[

Yeah, there's no reason for it other than that annoying principle of freedom of religion.

sheesh

Yep, freedom of religion, unknown in many Muslim countries. Try practicing Christianity or Judaism in Saudia Arabia, you'll end up in prison and possibly killed. I'm glad we have freedom of religion, it doesn't mean I'm not free to feel uncomfortable by those in niqab. Were I in a place where wearing niqabs is commonplace I doubt I'd feel uncomfortable. But in a place where 99.999 % of people aren't wearing them, and you don't expect to see them, and suddenly you are surrounded by several, which is what happened to me, I was uncomfortable.

Nell

[Sunnichick31]

I also think that if you're committed to dressing in that manner, you are also cut off from many future career options.

That's not always true. I work in a department store and when I went to the job interview, I was wearing a niqab, and I still am wearing the niqab while working and interacting with customers on a daily basis and I actually have been told that I am one of the best employees there. Niqab does not cut you off from careers.