The big cover-up (the Niqab)

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http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,1646389,00.html

Rahmanara Chowdhury is a bright, affable woman with a charming laugh and an approachable manner. She is a part-time teacher in Loughborough and, given her friendly disposition, it's not surprising that her subject is communication. What is unexpected is that she teaches teenagers 'interpersonal skills, teamwork, personal development' while dressed in an outfit that conceals her whole body and face, except for the eyes.

Chowdhury is one of a growing number of Muslim women in Britain who choose to wear the niqab, the veil that leaves only the eyes on public view. Where once the sight of a fully hidden woman was restricted to a few traditionalist communities, nowadays it is not unusual to see the niqab on high streets throughout the major cities of England and in a number of smaller towns. Just a decade ago, this form of enshrouding was seen as an unambiguous sign of female oppression and feudal custom, but now it is frequently referred to as an expression of religious identity, individual rights and even, in some cases, female emancipation.

Certainly, it is in such terms that Chowdhury discusses her decision to adopt the niqab. 'It serves as a reminder that I'm Muslim and it helps me get close to God. Since wearing the niqab, I've become a lot more confident. Once you're covered up, people are forced to judge you not as you look as a woman but on your character.'

Neither her parents nor her peers encouraged Chowdhury to remove her face from public view. She was brought up to wear the hijab, the headscarf that covers the hair, neck and chest, but there was never an expectation that she would, as it were, graduate to the niqab. Her mother had not worn one. Whatever lies behind the growing popularity of fundamentalist dress code, women like Chowdhury are proof that it is not necessarily familial or communal coercion.

[leveymg]

1. Sunglasses or talking on the phone does the same for me.

"I've become a lot more confident. Once you're covered up, people are forced to judge you not as you look as a woman but on your character."

Having some sort of barrier or distance from strangers can be a confidence-building tool. I also feel uncomfortable when people I don't know well look closely at me. It's not a sexual thing, at all. I can understand why some people prefer shrouding in public.