What Is Veiling?

GLOSSARY: Terms Referring to Veiling

201 Glossary Terms Referring to Veiling In this glossary, which makes no claim to being exhaustive, I present an alphabetically organized set of terms used to refer to the Muslim veil and to dress worn by Muslims in different Muslim societies. I also provide some indication of the society with which they are most commonly associated. The variety of words reflects not just different linguistic cultures but also the real differences in veiling practices among Muslims. Each piece of clothing listed below can vary from cheap, plain, and mass-produced to tailored, expensive, and high-quality material. It can have no decoration or a lot of decoration (velvet or lace trims, designs in the material, etc.), lending more distinction and sophistication to each piece. The reader should keep in mind that the same word can at times refer to different styles of dress depending on the setting, the historical period, and the country in which it is used. In addition, some of the words listed here are known across all Muslimmajority nations; others are more local and may be unknown outside a particular geographic area or ethnic group. Abaya Saudi Arabia, Gulf States, Iraq (in the latter, the term is used for both male and female clothing). With globalization and labor migration, this style of dress has spread across all Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority societies. This is the traditional dark, long, and loose cloak, black being the most common color. It is at times embroidered around the edges and has tussled tie cords. Since the abaya is just the body garment, it requires separate headgear to go along with it. When it was adopted in Yemen in the early 2000s, the abaya was made from thinner material than the balto, though in double layers to ensure opaqueness. There, it is considered elegant, fashionable attire, favored by university students and young educated professionals to signal their individuality and sophistication, in contrast to its role as a state-imposed dress in Saudi Arabia. The abaya is considered convenient because it can easily be worn over regular home or street clothes, instantly transforming any woman into a modestly dressed Muslim. For this reason, it has become the hijab of choice for a wide range of women and is now frequently sold and worn throughout many countries. It is likely to be seen in geographically and culturally diverse regions such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, the suburbs of Paris, or upscale malls in Raleigh, North Carolina. 202 Glossary Balto Yemen This is the Arabic pronunciation of the originally Russian palto, or long overcoat. This one-piece, loose-fitting, full-length overcoat, at times with cuffs and a belt, became the fashionable alternative to the traditional Yemeni sitara and sharshaf in the early 1970s. It was introduced by upper-class women who had traveled abroad, and by the 1990s, it had become the most commonly worn style of outdoor dress, adopted by younger, educated, and professional Yemeni women. Because the balto defined the shoulders of the wearer and had set-in sleeves, it was initially considered inappropriate by conservative Muslims for whom it evoked a male style of dress. Traditional Yemenis quickly adopted the balto, however, when they learned that it was worn by conservative women in Egypt and Syria. Syrian women who migrated to Yemen after the 1982 Hama massacre played an important role in spreading the fashion of the balto in Sanaa. Many Yemeni women now consider the balto a better type of hijab because it conceals the woman’s body more effectively than the sharshaf, whose upper part may reveal the garments worn underneath. The traditional color of baltos was black until the 1990s. Since then, other colors have appeared, though oftentimes a woman seen wearing a more colorful balto is assumed to be a foreigner (from the Syrian, Jordanian, or Palestinian migrant communities), rather than a Yemeni. Bandana French Muslims of North African descent This colorful scarf of Hindu origins and traditionally worn by pirates, gang members, and railroad workers has recently been adopted by Muslim girls living in France in lieu of a hijab. The bandana allows these girls to circumvent the 2004 law against ostentatious religious signs in public schools. It was adopted as a substitute for the veil because of its lack of religious connotation. Bisha or Bitcha Egypt Black muslin face veil worn by aristocratic women in the nineteenth and early twentieth century in periods of mourning, in lieu of the traditional white burquʿ. Buibui East...