Muslim women are not alone in their practice of covering the hair for religious purposes. Orthodox Jewish law requires that the hair of a married woman must be covered in public. This may be done through the wearing of a wig, a scarf, or a snood—a medieval-style hairdressing that resembles a fitted hood worn over the back of the head and encapsulates the hair. Christianity has a long tradition of women covering their head during public worship in church. This has been done through elaborate veils, scarves, or even with a hat. The New Testament contains a reference to head coverings: “But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head” (Corinthians 11:2-16). While this was long a customary practice, by the twentieth century many churches dropped this requirement, although a head covering much like that of the hijab is still worn today by Roman Catholic nuns.
In the United States, up until the late 1950s, most men and women wore hats anytime they were outside. This was not due to religious practices but rather as proper social etiquette. It was considered improper to have an uncovered head in public—is that really so much different from the hijab?
Marisa L. Berman
