Misconception of Islamic Apparel, Niqab: A Phenomenological Approach

Abstract

Communication is a social process in which individuals use symbols to establish and interpret meaning in their environment. Artifact is a valuable source of communication in our historical and everyday life. The Islamic artifacts use in daily life constantly support or contradict our beliefs, values and self identities. Muslim communities have traced the authenticity and legitimacy their customary practices of Islamic attire by the guidance of the Quran and Hadith. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine and explore the meanings, structures and the essence of the perceived experience of Muslim niqab wearing women within a phenomenological manner. Niqab wearing is women's individual choice and empowerment, and its expression is Islamic identity. Now a days niqab wearing is controversial issue due to misunderstanding among Muslim and non-Muslim community. The goal of this study is to investigate a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the Islamic concept of niqab wearing women. The expected result of this research will contribute to a critical discussion on the rationale of controversy of niqab wearing, especially in the perspective of abuse, and justify women's right in context of Islamic culture based on Quranic obligation that will not create political and cultural discrimination in the society.

“The new modern”: The subjective motivation for wearing a veil in a Muslim-majority city, Langsa, Aceh

“…From the interview, it can be inferred that they understood the significance of the suggestion rather than feeling pressured to accept it. Chowdhury et al (2017) stated that familial encouragement to adhere to tradition is one reason women wear niqabs.…”

Exploring the Interplay between Facial Expression Recognition and Emotional Intelligence in Adults: Implications for Novel Learning Methods

“…Each model displays seven emotions through facial expressions (disgust, contempt, happiness, fear, anger, surprise, sadness). On the faces of the selected photos, a surgical mask, a pair of sunglasses, and a niqab ("a religious garment and visible symbol worn by Muslim women" [23] covering the entire face except for the eye area) were digitally added using computer software. This procedure resulted in seven conditions:…”

Da'wa Activities of Veiled Women (Niqab) on Instagram

“…The veil (niqab) and social media Instagram are two things that collide or contradict each other. As the concept of the veil (niqab), seen from its attributes, reflects a closed person's personality, while the opposite of the concept of the veil, namely social media is a form of space for various information, news, free to give and consume whatever is displayed and of course every individual is free to express, especially about his own existence (Chowdhury et al, 2017). In a long time, women who wear the veil are still not fully accepted by some people in Indonesia.…”

“…In addition, the hijab is also seen as a frightening form, so it is not surprising that there are restrictions and prohibitions on women from wearing the hijab until the prohibition rules exist in the legislation in state order (Ratri, 2011). It was also said by an official member of the Dutch parliament, namely Geert, that regulations were prohibiting wearing the hijab and niqab nationally in the Dutch region, which had spread to Germany (Chowdhury, Bakar, & Elmetwally, 2017). The Muslim-majority Tunisian country also has a record of prohibiting the wearing of the hijab (Ratri, 2011).…”