Burka

Two different items of traditional Islamic women's clothing are known as a burka, burqa or burqua.

One is a kind of veil which is tied on the head, over a headscarf, and covers the face except for a slit at the eyes for the woman to see through.

The other, which is also called a full burka or an Afghan burka and occasionally called a chador (چادر), is a garment which covers the entire body and face. The eyes are covered with a 'net curtain' allowing the woman to see but preventing other people from seeing her eyes.

Both kinds of burka are used by some Muslim women (as an interpretation of the hijab dress code) and the full burka was compulsory under Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

An attempt by students in The Netherlands to wear the burka in schools was forbidden because the school educates for professions where non-verbal communication (sometimes through facial expression) is required.

Equally as important, the burka is utilized by the staff of the Howard Stern radio show to cover the alarming appearance of Gary Dell'Abate (AKA: boba burka booee). Based on popular belief in the United States, it is critical to keep Gary's face covered by a burka in order for viewers to reach maximum pleasure when viewing the televised broadcast.

One Name, Two Distinct Garments

Careful use of the word burka starts with recognising that it names two different items, and that confusing them leads to inaccurate description of clothing. The first is a veil. It is tied on the head, over a headscarf, and covers the face except for a slit at the eyes for the woman to see through. It is therefore one component within a larger outfit, worn together with a headscarf and other clothing, and its coverage is of the face. The second is a complete garment in itself. Also called a full burka or an Afghan burka, and occasionally called a chador, it covers the entire body and face. Describing a garment accurately means stating which of these two forms is meant, veil or full covering, rather than using burka as a general word for any head or face covering.

Spelling varies as well, and the variants burka, burqa and burqua all appear for the same garments. In catalogues, museum records and clothing references, recording the spelling used by the source alongside the form of the garment, veil or full burka, prevents the common error of treating different spellings as different garments, or the same spelling as proof that two garments are the same.

How the Eye Covering Works

The two forms solve the question of vision in two different ways, and the difference is a useful identifying detail. The veil form leaves a slit at the eyes, an opening through which the woman sees, with the rest of the face covered. The full burka covers the eyes as well, with a net curtain, a mesh panel that allows the woman to see out but prevents other people from seeing her eyes. A description that notes whether the eyes are open through a slit or covered by a mesh panel therefore identifies the garment's construction far more precisely than a general statement about coverage.

In terminology, both kinds of burka are used by some Muslim women as an interpretation of the hijab dress code. Hijab in this use is the wider dress code, and the burka is a specific form of dress adopted within it, which is why the two words are related but not interchangeable, and why accurate clothing writing keeps them separate. Context also varies by place and period: the full burka was compulsory under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, which is one specific historical and regional requirement and the source of the name Afghan burka for the full form. A separate clothing-policy example concerns education, where an attempt by students in the Netherlands to wear the burka in schools was forbidden because the school educates for professions where non-verbal communication, sometimes through facial expression, is required. Presented plainly, these points cover what the garment is, what its forms are called, how it is constructed around the eyes, and how the term sits alongside hijab, chador and headscarf, without reducing a varied item of traditional dress to any single setting in which it has been worn.