In Riverbend’s blog entry “Cousin and Veils” she talks about the headdresses most Iraqi people wear. She starts off her blog by talking about an article she finds in the New York Times. The author, Stanley Kurtz refers to the headdress as a “veil”. This doesn’t sit well with Riverbend. She argues that Kurtz should be more specific.
Riverbend goes on to explain the types of headdresses that Iraqis wear. A burqa, khimar, and pushi are the equivalent to a veil. It covers the whole face and head but not the eyes. A headscarf is known as a hijab or rabta. It covers the hair and neck and can be worn in multiple ways. Riverbend says that mostly women wear hijabs. Finally there is the abaya, which is a long cloak-like garment that is mostly worn for religious purposes. Riverbend compares an abaya to a graduation gown because they are long and flow. There are two ways to wear the abaya. One was is to wear it off the shoulder and the other way is designed to cover the head. These are worn by men and women but children; Riverbend says that she has never worn one.
Riverbend wraps up her blog entry by talking about the hijab once again. She says that the only time you would probably see women wearing them would be for religious purposes, not because anyone is making them wear it. Riverbend reiterates the fact that she doesn’t wear on but knows most women who live in Jordan, Baghdad, and Mosul do wear them. The only reason being that it makes them feel safer.
In the article “Iraqi Women Can Now Say No to Hijab or Head Scarf” by Aadel Rashid the author explains what the consequences would be if a woman was seen out in public without a hijab. But now things have significantly improved and women have more freedom when it comes to what they choose to wear.
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