Good job on separating the Mennonite and Amish head coverings. 

I surprises me when people argue against this as if it wasn't ~50 years ago that the Catholic Church required the same thing from it's women.

Is it really appropriate to consider Nuns along with these other groups?

I mean, if you're going to use that, you may as well include male head covering too...

And is it really different than asking women to cover up their breasts? Am I oppressed because I can't walk around topless but men can? I think I can understand an argument against covering your face, but the head or hair doesnt really affect much in your ability to do a job, socialize, etc.

I'm less familiar with some of the other religions listed here, but head covering is not a part of Buddhist tradition in any lineage I am aware of, which makes me distrust the other representations here (though I don't disagree that there is nothing inherently oppressive or uniquely Muslim in the practice of wearing a head covering). If a Buddhist nun is wearing a head covering, I can only assume it is for the purpose of some ceremony or because her head is cold. Buddhist men would be just as likely to wear head covering, and special hats would only be worn as part of a ritual, or for practical reasons (for example, the Dalai Lama wears a golf visor when he speaks somewhere with very bright light, but there's nothing religious about the golf visor--he's just shielding his eyes).

I would distinguish among women with special vows (also male monks behave different) and women without special life vows.

another distinction could be made among head covering prescribed only in sacred places or church (let's say in front of god) and head coverings prescribed for commonlife (in front of men).

I think we can say that head covering prescribed only for women is anyway a sign of discrimination. but prescription for commonlife and without voluntary special vows is clearly a sign of oppression...

I would argue that this image actually doesn't do a very good job of separating the issue of women's oppression from head covering very well.  It includes some traditions (Sikh, for example) in which both men and women would cover their heads.  And then there are others (Eastern Orthodox and Catholicism) which are not exactly renowned for their egalitarian attitudes towards women.

actually also breast covering is discrimination (so some women could want to uncover). but I agree that not all discriminatory social conventions could be oppressive. I agree that the less discriminatory social conventions we have the better it would be....

Wearing a burqa and a headscarf are two related, but totally different things.  The burqa completely conceals the body and almost entirely conceals the face.  The embodied experience of wearing a burqa is nothing like wearing a headscarf and modest clothing (which Muslim women who wear headscarves generally prefer).  We must stop conflating headscarves with burqas.

I also don't think a lot of these examples are on par with each other.  In some Eastern Orthodox cultures, women cover their heads in church, but not anywhere else.  Ditto for Catholics.  Nuns are a specific group of women.  It's very different from all women of a given culture covering their heads in all public (and perhaps also private spaces), which appears to be the case in some of these images.  

One must also ask if head covering is enforced or if it is an individual choice, in order to make a proper comparison between the cultures.  As an Eastern Orthodox woman, I've never covered my head when visiting a church.  My mom and I never covered our heads when living in Turkey.   Yet while many Muslim women may choose to wear burqas, there are place - and many living situations both within and outside of these places - where it is enforced.  I don't know enough about the other cultures displayed in the images to know if this also applies.   

I agree that covering is a sign of humility and submission and that our bodies are objectified. Sure there is a pattern in this in many religions. I've thought about this too, especially when I see older women in some villages do this. However I don't agree that this can be compared to the muslim 
covering. I'm an Eastern Orthodox girl, too. I have never done this, nor did any of the women around me even if go to church. I'm not so religious, but I haven't noticed women, even if they are more religious, to do so. Maybe the only women that do so are from small villages and very old. Going on the street with someting like this, would be very strange. And I agree with Anna- headscarf is one thing, burqa is different.
I like your site very much, but maybe sometimes there has to be more research. Living in an Eastern Orthodox country I can clearly see how absurd your comparison is, though the idea is someting not meny people notice.

I find this a rather bizarre post, for several reasons. Perhaps the most unsatisfying thing about it is that there seems to a lack of recognition of the fact that in most of the religious traditions represented above, there is also distinctive traditional headwear prescribed for men (the Jewish kippah, Sikh turban, Muslim taqiyah, Amish broad brimmed black hats, Orthodox kalimavkion, etc.). It is quite unhelpful to present these traditions as examples of possible women's oppression without at least engaging with this fact. In certain cultural contexts, the rules concerning male headgear may even be more restrictive than those concerning female headgear (for instance, the expectation that a man must remove his hat in a house, and most especially in a place of worship, remains in many contexts even when most other headgear requirements have passed).

There also seems to be the assumption that headcoverings function in these religions in the same way, when the rationale behind them can vary widely. For some, headgear is a sign of honour or as a means to ensure equality, for instance. Before encouraging tone deaf assumptions about 'religion' in general, it would be nice to see some attempt at understanding how headgear functions within each faith on its own terms.

I don't think people object to head scarves abstractly. I, like most people, don't really care whether a Muslim women, or any women, chooses to wear a hijab. The problem is many women don't really have the choice, in any meaningful way, of whether they are going to wear a hijab in the particular countries. Imagine what would happen to a women in Saudi Arabia is she just ran around the streets without an abaya and hijab? 

Reason number #4,673 to be an atheist: a wider variety of headwear choices, now with 50% less oppression! 

In all seriousness, though, I see where you were trying to go with this post (addressing Islamophobia vis-a-vis the head scarf issue), and it is a legit point, but I think a more in-depth article is warranted if you are looking to provide sufficient evidence. There *are* important differences between the head covering compelled by a theocratic society and the head covering which is more or less freely chosen.

Muslim headcovering is specifically designed to shield the image of woman from the male gaze.

It's inherently sexist.  Is the same true of the other religions?   If so, then they are just as bad.

There is a hugely significant difference between all of the headgear presented here, and the burqa/niqab, and it's pretty obvious.

None of these images hide the face. Hiding a woman's face serves to almost completely extinguish her identity towards, and limits her ability to interact with, the outside world.

And the comparison with nuns just doesn't make sense. A nun makes a considered decision to enter that lifestyle, and wears the head covering as a symbol of a particular role in society that is different from other women. A nun also shows her face, and can also give up being a nun if she wants. These things, in the real world, do not apply to most of the women who wear niqab/burqa, who are effectively forced to do so.

There's good evidence that head-covering in Hinduism didn't exist until Islamic influence. Even now, Hindus in South India, which was less exposed to Islam, do not cover their heads for religious reasons.

I agree that the veil is not uniquely Islamic -- it's also very much a feature of Orthodox Judaism, which is also not known for its women's lib. 

It's a sad reality how people understand hijab, burqa and niqab. People seem to be bothered by the fact that a Muslim woman is covered in a particular manner, yet these people also fight for democracy and freedom of rights. These women a large majority of the time are choosing by their OWN free will to cover in such manner. I'm not saying this to cover up for what goes on, yes there are some countries who expect the women to dress a certain way but like I said majority of the time its by choice. The media has shaped peoples minds to think all Muslim woman are oppressed, well they aren't and the ones who are, are just as much oppressed as women who aren't muslim are. So think again STOP looking inside the box and perhaps talk to some of these Muslim woman and ask them their opinion and how they feel about hijab,niqab and burqa. Why is it okay that a woman in the West walks around half naked and nobody says anything and she is considered free, yet when a woman wants to be modest she's considered oppresed.. double standard - a weird one for that matter. A woman is seen for her intellect versus her sexuality and isn't this what feminist are fighting for .. Anyways just take into consideration that NOT all these woman are oppressed and it happens to be a small minority.. Open your eyes and your minds.. Stop falling for the medias false reports.

Its a good point.  All religions are completely retarded.  I think Islam just gets singled out because it is worse than all the others combined.

I see this and give thanks I'm pagan. Never will my littke girl cover her head

"Yet, when it comes to Muslims, the discussion often goes forward as if
it is a uniquely oppressive, and uniquely Islamic, practice.  Food for
thought."

Logical fallacy?

Who believes/said that these women wearing head coverings are oppressed?  or men? or women/men who do not cover their heads/bodies to X extent? 

Tempo/ethno-centrism.

This is because religion has one starting point, and devolves into many from that. Why is covering your head seen as discriminatory when flimsy fashion trends aren't? I would argue that the first preserves your dignity before God, while the second flings it down for the objectifying eyes of men. 

How is it that some religions here get more nuance than others - for e.g Orthodox Jewish. To clump together something as Hindu smacks of a complete disregard for the customs. There's a deep division in the tradition of 'ghoonghat' - for e.g. 1) You cover your head as a mark of respect when entering a temple or presenting yourself to those who are 'older' 2) You cover about 1/3rd of your face, as a signifier of modesty, 3) You veil your face on the day you're a bride etc. 

In the south, the idea of covering your head is unheard of in many communities. It doesn't connote anything. In some communities, women used to cover their head to sign widowhood - a remnant of a horrendous practice which required women to shave their heads when widowed. As a result, the very idea of covering one's head is considered inauspicious. 

I understand the point you're trying to make, but it's misleading to assume that a certain practice represents all people of a certain religion, or that rules that apply to a certain category (e.g. nuns, monks etc.) apply to everyone.

http://rosaliegilbert.com/veils.html This page by a history reenactor shows a large number of historical and modern pictures of modest Christian women (from the Virgin Mary onwards) wearing the STANDARD head-covering for a married woman through about the Renaissance. I do a talk on this while covering/uncovering my hair, for my first-year Intro. Womens Studies students yearly.
Shelley Rabinovitch Ph.D

I grew up Mennonite & began covering my head when I was 9 years old.  The types of head coverings as well as the age girls begin to cover vary widely.  For me the practice of covering the head was oppressive.  I'll bullet point the teachings (both written & passed on unwritten as tradition) that I was taught that made me feel it was sexist & oppressive.  The "spiritual authority structure" in the Mennonite church is God, Man, Woman.  This plays into head covering beliefs.

- Woman must cover her head to pray.  If she doesn't it dishonors her head which means both her own head & her "spiritual head" (her husband).
- Since one should always be prayerful women must always cover.
- Men do not need to cover.
- Women must also wear their hair up underneath the head covering.  This is because their hair is their "crowning glory" & must be saved only for their husbands to see.  If it is worn down it will tempt men to have lustful thoughts.  The hair must also be never be cut.
-Style of head covering varied widely & one was under constant evaluation & critique because style/size was linked to spirituality.

Wearing the head covering was oppressive in the teaching & also the implementation.  Coverings the head made normal living uncomfortable.  You couldn't put your head back against a couch, or chair.  You couldn't fall asleep in the car without crushing it.  Many women had daily headaches & large bald spots due to wearing their uncut hair up every day.  Everything activity you would want to do was filtered through if & how you could do it while wearing a head covering (and a dress).  One would receive open ridicule or would have to engage in long conversations with strangers about their beliefs.  Men had none of these daily life issues.

That was my experience & because of that, it is very difficult for me to see any head covering practice as not being oppressive.

In Judaism, men cover their heads, not women.

Almost since I first heard of the word burqa, I was reminded of the old RC nun's "penguin suit".

And then there is the Tuareg society, where the men wear veils but the women don't.

All praise be to Allah!i'm a muslim women and we,the muslim women wear headscarves as our obedience to god,our creator. 

I believe that men and women are similar creatures but not the same.they are different physically,psychologically...see,they are created different to serve different purposes just like there cannot be all rich people in the universe.you need ppl at different levels of richness to get things done.Many verses of the Qur'an address both men and women like verses that start with "O you who believe...." and some other that addressses each specifically like in chapter 24,verse 30,that says

"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and protect their private parts.that is purer for them......"
the next verse address the women from the believers "and tell the believing women to lower their gaze and protect their private parts and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent ......." and Allah continues to command the manner in which they should do so.Does not God,the creator know how he created the nature of each of them?so,accordingly He gave commandments.As we ourselves can see,women are susceptible to rape an other evils while not otherwise....Inspite of all the reasoning the human mind can understand,We the muslim women wear headscarves mainly because we are believing women and we love to obey our creator.

thanks for the post :)

This was created in ancient times when there was no other explanation for the world than an all knowing GOD. If there was such a being, we would not have the wars in the name of religion instead of the real factor which is greed! Women as well as men should wear headpieces because of either warmth or fashion if they wish. Anything else is nonsense!

The wearing of the veil predates Islam.

It is all made up nonsense!!!! your sky god wants me to cut open a cow as a sacrifice, or dont eat, or do eat a specific food, or wear an item of clothing - SERIOUSLY thats the inane stupid petty commands an omnipotent being wants us to do, while his people starve, die of illness, and suffer. Can anyone seriously think this is anything other than made up fairytails, superstition, utter nonsense by people who just didn;t know better at the time. - Those old prophets would say "What you took this seriously - it was just a camp fire story to entertain you! - there really wasn't seven dwarfs and a princess! or the sky god"

You forgot Acadian bonnets.

The issue is not headcovering. It is freedom of expression and religion. Several have expressed opinions that head covering is automatically oppressive for women, that religion is superstitious nonsense.

If an individual chooses to wear a headcovering that is their choice. It is no less oppressive to forbid headcovering because YOU don't like/don't believe/oppose religion as it is for civil government to require headcovering of all, whether or not they observe such a requirement.

Always interesting to see people voice contempt for religious oppression while utterly embracing their own form of religious oppression.

Don't believe? Don't cover. But don't embrace oppression under the guise of liberalism or atheism or intellectual superiority and call it anything but what it is.

This was an interesting read and so were many of the comments since the publication. The one piece of information that is missing is why do you suppose all of these cultures believe that mostly women should cover their hair/ bodies?
As one can see it isn’t strictly a Muslim practice. I suggest one look up the ancient literature about “The Watchers” from Heaven. All of this tradition actually goes all the way back to the early beginning of mankind ( if you are religious) and refers to the watchers finding human women beautiful, but they were forbidden to interact with them. Unfortunately they did anyway and the offspring were giants as in David and Goliath It’s been suggested that Muslim women are oppressed by the hijab, but I know a few Saudi women who do not feel oppressed. However, they would like some things to be relaxed.
I would suggest that this has become more about a human control issue, whomever is in power gets to say what is modest and what isn’t.
Some people get off on being the boss and having the say and that is the same thing with religion and traditions. I don’t have anything personal against any of these practices in fact there have been times when I’ve gone to a Walmart and seeing what some people were wearing I thought to myself “Oh My God I just wish I could put on a burka and not have to worry about what my clothes look like or my hair!”