What do you think of Catholic women wearing the Islamic headscarf?

[PatriceA]

Hello,

I’ve read some blogs by Catholic (and Orthodox, Protestant, pagan, etc) women who’ve decided to wear a headscarf in the Islamic hijab style (which covers all the hair, the ears, and the neck) for various reasons. I’ve been curious about what sort of reactions the Catholic hijabis (hijab-wearers) have gotten from the Catholic community, particularly at Mass. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to contact them.

What would you think of a lay Catholic woman who wore the hijab? What do you think your reaction would be? If you saw a woman wearing a hijab and a crucifix necklace, would you think that she was Catholic, or Orthodox, or just a Muslim wearing a crucifix?

Thanks,
Christine

Do you happen to have a photo of what you are describing? I have several friends that do veil at Mass, some of the veils are short, some are extremely long and they wrap them around their neck and shoulders but I would never say they were wearing the veil as a Muslim wears the hijab. Usually they wrap them around their shoulders and neck to keep the veil in place so it doesn’t hinder their movement.

 

[MissyB786]

Thank you for your insight. I think the point of wanting to imitate Mary in action is admirable. Few could be a better model of obedience to God, humility and love. I have four images of the Blessed Mother in my bedroom and after posting to this thread I really looked at her manner of dress. In all of them, her head was covered with a loose cloth. Her hair was partly uncovered and you could see her neck in all four images.

I have absolutely no negative reaction to a Catholic woman wearing a head covering in the tradition of Mary as she is portrayed in artistic renditions (since we have no photos). However based on what the OP said, the kind of head covering she mentioned is not what I think of as Catholic. The hair is completely covered and the neck is completely covered as are the collarbones and of course shoulders. THAT said “Muslim” to me and I would not want to see our Catholic women taking on that sort of headcovering.

Again, my opinion. I didn’t think the Muslim women in Egypt and Turkey were particularly “modest” other than the hijaab. They were quite decked out with make-up and jewelry and wow the shoes…!

I agree, what I’ve seen in Muslim dress both here in America and also overseas is a lot more related to the culture and what is acceptable. The Somali women are VERY covered although the fabrics are beautiful. Some of the other Muslim women wear very form fitting clothing, dark colors, no prints but also the hijaab. I wonder at the message sometimes.

Lisa

Yes the make up is very OTT, and actually the more modest Islamic practice is not to wear make up aswell and if u do, just at home to beautify urself for ur husband. That saying I’m not perfect and i do happen to like my make up lolz but don’t go as overboard as some of the arabs do.

 

[MissyB786]

User Dronald, they have closed the threads I cannot respond to ur post, so I am posting here incase u happen to read this. If u wish to continue the conversation, please open up a thread for discussion was lovely talking to everyone here.

 

[F_Ferdous]

User Dronald, they have closed the threads I cannot respond to ur post, so I am posting here incase u happen to read this. If u wish to continue the conversation, please open up a thread for discussion was lovely talking to everyone here.

I concur.

 

[Aran_Houlihan]

The veil is a beautiful symbol of the natural order affirmed by Scripture: “Man was not created for woman, but the woman for the man” (1 Cor. 11:9). The man was not to cover his head “because he is the image and glory of God.” But “the woman is the glory of the man because she came from the man… Thus, the woman is under the power of her husband.” That women should remain veiled in church while men do not is one symbol of this harmonious natural order establishing the husband’s authority over the wife.

The veil: the sign of purity of the bride

The veil represents the natural hierarchy established by God in which the woman is subject to the male: “Let wives be subject to their husbands as to the Lord; because a husband is head of the wife, just as Christ is head of the Church (Eph. 5:22:23). This sublime comparison of husband and wife to the union between Christ and His Church suggests a benevolence in command unimagined before the rise of Christianity. It establishes the loving respect along with protection that a man should provide for his wife. The woman is not only the companion of a man’s life, but also of his spirit – destined to be the other half of his existence.

The veil is also a sign of espousal for both the bride of man and the bride of Christ. It is very significant that traditionally the great moments of a woman’s life show her concealed. This hidden role of women makes up part of the secret of Mary, the Morning Star — which rises in advance of the sun in order to lose itself therein. Mary does not come into prominence for her own sake, but for that of her Son. This spirit of self-sacrifice and surrender, which forms the very core of a woman’s nature, is what the feminists simply cannot abide. They would change all that. They would have women in the forefront, independent wage-earners and bold decision-makers. They perhaps understand the great symbolism of the veil better than the conservative, and thus have taken great care to throw it off it with a contemptuous laugh. But the ironic smile that lingers on their lips reveals a great unhappiness and discontent. For when a woman revolts against this divine order, it is easy to predict the beginning of the woman who has lost her self-identity and self-respect, or who has become the slave of man and his passions.

 

[ComeHome2Rome]

The veil is a beautiful symbol of the natural order affirmed by Scripture: “Man was not created for woman, but the woman for the man” (1 Cor. 11:9). The man was not to cover his head “because he is the image and glory of God.” But “the woman is the glory of the man because she came from the man… Thus, the woman is under the power of her husband.” That women should remain veiled in church while men do not is one symbol of this harmonious natural order establishing the husband’s authority over the wife.

The veil: the sign of purity of the bride

The veil represents the natural hierarchy established by God in which the woman is subject to the male: “Let wives be subject to their husbands as to the Lord; because a husband is head of the wife, just as Christ is head of the Church (Eph. 5:22:23). This sublime comparison of husband and wife to the union between Christ and His Church suggests a benevolence in command unimagined before the rise of Christianity. It establishes the loving respect along with protection that a man should provide for his wife. The woman is not only the companion of a man’s life, but also of his spirit – destined to be the other half of his existence.

The veil is also a sign of espousal for both the bride of man and the bride of Christ. It is very significant that traditionally the great moments of a woman’s life show her concealed. This hidden role of women makes up part of the secret of Mary, the Morning Star — which rises in advance of the sun in order to lose itself therein. Mary does not come into prominence for her own sake, but for that of her Son. This spirit of self-sacrifice and surrender, which forms the very core of a woman’s nature, is what the feminists simply cannot abide. They would change all that. They would have women in the forefront, independent wage-earners and bold decision-makers. They perhaps understand the great symbolism of the veil better than the conservative, and thus have taken great care to throw it off it with a contemptuous laugh. But the ironic smile that lingers on their lips reveals a great unhappiness and discontent. For when a woman revolts against this divine order, it is easy to predict the beginning of the woman who has lost her self-identity and self-respect, or who has become the slave of man and his passions.

Amen! Beautifully put It’s a shame we have so much secular pressure & even worse tremendous pressure from those within Christianity to remain with out heads uncovered.

 

[ComeHome2Rome]

Hi Lisa,

I have practical question for you. If you don’t know the answer, no problem but I really hope you or someone on here does know

How do we keep on an opaque headcovering on as Mary is dipicted as having - wear some of her hair shows and her neck is unveiled?

I honestly have tried to figure it out, but especially with holding a squiggly toddler at Mass I’ve not been successful thus far.

So far, it’s only when I wear it hijab-style does it stay in place during Mass & doesn’t become a distraction for the baby, for me & for others.

I notice in the Icons some early Christian women did show some hair & neck, others showed no hair & others showed no neck or hair.

I do see the value in wearing a headcovering in a way related soley with Christianity & not the hijab-style which is associated with both Christianity (ancient) & Islam (modern). I would really like to know how to keep it ON my head while showing some hair & my neck as I do find that more Christiany so to speak.

Thanks,
ComeHome2Rome

Thank you for your insight. I think the point of wanting to imitate Mary in action is admirable. Few could be a better model of obedience to God, humility and love. I have four images of the Blessed Mother in my bedroom and after posting to this thread I really looked at her manner of dress. In all of them, her head was covered with a loose cloth. Her hair was partly uncovered and you could see her neck in all four images.

I have absolutely no negative reaction to a Catholic woman wearing a head covering in the tradition of Mary as she is portrayed in artistic renditions (since we have no photos). However based on what the OP said, the kind of head covering she mentioned is not what I think of as Catholic. The hair is completely covered and the neck is completely covered as are the collarbones and of course shoulders. THAT said “Muslim” to me and I would not want to see our Catholic women taking on that sort of headcovering.

Again, my opinion. I didn’t think the Muslim women in Egypt and Turkey were particularly “modest” other than the hijaab. They were quite decked out with make-up and jewelry and wow the shoes…!

I agree, what I’ve seen in Muslim dress both here in America and also overseas is a lot more related to the culture and what is acceptable. The Somali women are VERY covered although the fabrics are beautiful. Some of the other Muslim women wear very form fitting clothing, dark colors, no prints but also the hijaab. I wonder at the message sometimes.

Lisa

 

[ComeHome2Rome]

The veil is a beautiful symbol of the natural order affirmed by Scripture: “Man was not created for woman, but the woman for the man” (1 Cor. 11:9). The man was not to cover his head “because he is the image and glory of God.” But “the woman is the glory of the man because she came from the man… Thus, the woman is under the power of her husband.” That women should remain veiled in church while men do not is one symbol of this harmonious natural order establishing the husband’s authority over the wife.

The veil: the sign of purity of the bride

The veil represents the natural hierarchy established by God in which the woman is subject to the male: “Let wives be subject to their husbands as to the Lord; because a husband is head of the wife, just as Christ is head of the Church (Eph. 5:22:23). This sublime comparison of husband and wife to the union between Christ and His Church suggests a benevolence in command unimagined before the rise of Christianity. It establishes the loving respect along with protection that a man should provide for his wife. The woman is not only the companion of a man’s life, but also of his spirit – destined to be the other half of his existence.

The veil is also a sign of espousal for both the bride of man and the bride of Christ. It is very significant that traditionally the great moments of a woman’s life show her concealed. This hidden role of women makes up part of the secret of Mary, the Morning Star — which rises in advance of the sun in order to lose itself therein. Mary does not come into prominence for her own sake, but for that of her Son. This spirit of self-sacrifice and surrender, which forms the very core of a woman’s nature, is what the feminists simply cannot abide. They would change all that. They would have women in the forefront, independent wage-earners and bold decision-makers. They perhaps understand the great symbolism of the veil better than the conservative, and thus have taken great care to throw it off it with a contemptuous laugh. But the ironic smile that lingers on their lips reveals a great unhappiness and discontent. For when a woman revolts against this divine order, it is easy to predict the beginning of the woman who has lost her self-identity and self-respect, or who has become the slave of man and his passions.

Amen! Beautifully put It’s a shame we have so much secular pressure & even worse tremendous pressure from those within Christianity to remain with out heads uncovered.

 

[zaffiroborant]

Amen! Beautifully put It’s a shame we have so much secular pressure & even worse tremendous pressure from those within Christianity to remain with out heads uncovered.

Again you go with how it is you who has the proper authority to tell women what to do, it certainly does not seem in keeping with a woman’s role as described above, placing yourself above those in authority in the church. You believe you and not the priests and bishops called by God are the one to lead the church in this area, why?

 

[ComeHome2Rome]

Again you go with how it is you who has the proper authority to tell women what to do, it certainly does not seem in keeping with a woman’s role as described above, placing yourself above those in authority in the church. You believe you and not the priests and bishops called by God are the one to lead the church in this area, why?

Zaffiroborant, I am very confused am baffled. You continuously to seem to read so much more into any post I make than is actually in my posts. I do apologize that I offend you so! Please forgive me. Humbly, ComeHome2Rome

 

[dzheremi]

I think the problem is that she or some might think that it is okay to take this from Islam, there are established Christian traditions of women wearing headscarfs to cover the hair I think its best to take from them. If that is the case great but no one needs to take anything from islam.

^ This. In my church, all the women cover themselves with headscarves. Back home in Northern California, there are a lot of Ethiopians and Eritreans, and they cover, too. If you go to the local Ethiopian restaurant (filled with Ethiopian crosses and big framed pictures of St. George Church in Lalibela, one of the famous rock-hewn churches of the town), you can even see them (particularly the older women, but often younger, too) dressed in their long, white netela coverings. They look like this:



This is Christianity, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Islam.

(There is a male version of the netela, by the way, called the kuta, though I’ve never seen Ethiopian men wearing it outside of church like the women do with their netela.)

 

[ComeHome2Rome]

^ This. In my church, all the women cover themselves with headscarves. Back home in Northern California, there are a lot of Ethiopians and Eritreans, and they cover, too. If you go to the local Ethiopian restaurant (filled with Ethiopian crosses and big framed pictures of St. George Church in Lalibela, one of the famous rock-hewn churches of the town), you can even see them (particularly the older women, but often younger, too) dressed in their long, white netela coverings. They look like this:

http://www.orthodoxethiopia.com/wp-...andles-orthodox-ethiopia-religion-300x214.jpg

This is Christianity, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Islam.

(There is a male version of the netela, by the way, called the kuta, though I’ve never seen Ethiopian men wearing it outside of church like the women do with their netela.)

Thank you for the photo, one of my women neighbors dresses like the women in this photo with her hair fully covered I thought she was Muslim, but she wished me a Happy Easter which had me perplexed until now

 

[dzheremi]

Yes, Tewahedo tend to confuse non-Orthodox people. Even though some of them even have the cross tattooed on their foreheads (this is another custom brought over from the old country), it is not uncommon to hear white people whispering to themselves about all the “Muslims” at the Ethiopian restaurant…surrounded by crosses on the walls, drinking “St. George” beer, etc.! Some Muslims they would make…

 

[Aran_Houlihan]

Amen! Beautifully put It’s a shame we have so much secular pressure & even worse tremendous pressure from those within Christianity to remain with out heads uncovered.

Thank you god bless you

 

[Christine1024]

True that!

I just learned that Muslims believe, based on our Bible, that it was Judas Iscariot the betrayer who was crucified, not our Lord Jesus Who they believe is one of their holy Prophets. They don’t believe a cross or crucifix has anything to do with our Lord Jesus.

That’s an excellent point. I’d heard one person who’d been concerned that a Christian woman wearing a hijab and a cross might be mistaken for a Muslim woman wearing a cross as an accessory for the sake of fashion. That’s probably not an issue, though.

 

[Christine1024]

Do you happen to have a photo of what you are describing? I have several friends that do veil at Mass, some of the veils are short, some are extremely long and they wrap them around their neck and shoulders but I would never say they were wearing the veil as a Muslim wears the hijab. Usually they wrap them around their shoulders and neck to keep the veil in place so it doesn’t hinder their movement.

Dear Patrice,

There are some pictures in the link that I left in the initial post. There are a ton of different hijab styles (sorry, I’ve been looking for an infographic but haven’t been able to find one), but they’re generally pretty distinct from mantillas because they’re opaque and cover** all** of the hair, ears, and neck. Some Orthodox Christian women wear a veil in a “Muslim hijab style,” which can be seen here. That’s not the only style out there – if you do a Google search for “hijab”, you’re see a lot of different ways that Muslim women tie their scarves.

-Christine

 

[mayogirl25]

Hello,

I’ve read some blogs by Catholic (and Orthodox, Protestant, pagan, etc) women who’ve decided to wear a headscarf in the Islamic hijab style (which covers all the hair, the ears, and the neck) for various reasons. I’ve been curious about what sort of reactions the Catholic hijabis (hijab-wearers) have gotten from the Catholic community, particularly at Mass. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to contact them.

What would you think of a lay Catholic woman who wore the hijab? What do you think your reaction would be? If you saw a woman wearing a hijab and a crucifix necklace, would you think that she was Catholic, or Orthodox, or just a Muslim wearing a crucifix?

Thanks,
Christine

I’ve never heard of a Catholic woman covering up unless she were a nun. Otherwise I’d have to think she was a little bit nutty.

 

[LisaA]

Hi Lisa,

I have practical question for you. If you don’t know the answer, no problem but I really hope you or someone on here does know

How do we keep on an opaque headcovering on as Mary is dipicted as having - wear some of her hair shows and her neck is unveiled?

I honestly have tried to figure it out, but especially with holding a squiggly toddler at Mass I’ve not been successful thus far.

So far, it’s only when I wear it hijab-style does it stay in place during Mass & doesn’t become a distraction for the baby, for me & for others.

I notice in the Icons some early Christian women did show some hair & neck, others showed no hair & others showed no neck or hair.

I do see the value in wearing a headcovering in a way related soley with Christianity & not the hijab-style which is associated with both Christianity (ancient) & Islam (modern). I would really like to know how to keep it ON my head while showing some hair & my neck as I do find that more Christiany so to speak.

Thanks,
ComeHome2Rome

Sorry did not see activity on this thread and I see some others have pictured a less “hijaab” and more Christian style of covering the head. We have a very traditional Parish in our city and I attended a special Mass there. Many of the women had a veil or mantilla covering the head and draping onto the back and shoulders. But there they were a bit back on the head so the neck, forehead and temples were not covered. Hair was only covered top and back. The veils did not move or fall off although of course the girls and women were kneeling, heads bowed in prayer, also walking up to the altar rail, kneeling for the Eucharist, then rising and returning to the pew. So I suspect perhaps they were pinned. Young girls as well as adult women were wearing them. I realize that if you have a squiggly baby grabbing at everything, it might not be easy.

I also think there that even if you were to wear a scarf or mantilla with a bit of a wrap around the neck, it would not look so Islamic if it were not tightly covering the face and wrapped tightly around the neck (the objective is to avoid even a single hair escaping according to my Muslim gym buddy who RUNS in her hijaab!).

I found a couple of websites that offer veils, mantillas and head covering in a Catholic tradition. If you are interested maybe they would provide some options for wearing a head covering in a Catholic tradition. I think it’s lovely to see a woman with a veil or head covering at Mass. We’re to draw eyes toward God, not someone’s hairstyle and I also think the wearer can look inward rather than feeling so on display.

Lisa

 

[rinnie]

Hello,

I’ve read some blogs by Catholic (and Orthodox, Protestant, pagan, etc) women who’ve decided to wear a headscarf in the Islamic hijab style (which covers all the hair, the ears, and the neck) for various reasons. I’ve been curious about what sort of reactions the Catholic hijabis (hijab-wearers) have gotten from the Catholic community, particularly at Mass. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to contact them.

What would you think of a lay Catholic woman who wore the hijab? What do you think your reaction would be? If you saw a woman wearing a hijab and a crucifix necklace, would you think that she was Catholic, or Orthodox, or just a Muslim wearing a crucifix?

Thanks,
Christine

As long as it is respectful to our Lord anyone can wear whatever they want.

I don’t go to mass to see what people are wearing. I am much to busy praying, asking for forgiveness, and receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion.

 

[PatriceA]

Dear Patrice,

There are some pictures in the link that I left in the initial post. There are a ton of different hijab styles (sorry, I’ve been looking for an infographic but haven’t been able to find one), but they’re generally pretty distinct from mantillas because they’re opaque and cover** all** of the hair, ears, and neck. Some Orthodox Christian women wear a veil in a “Muslim hijab style,” which can be seen here. That’s not the only style out there – if you do a Google search for “hijab”, you’re see a lot of different ways that Muslim women tie their scarves.

-Christine

I’m well aware of the hijab, my husband has worked in muslim countries worldwide.

There aren’t any links in your initial post so I’m not sure where you posted them.

I’d take down the link you provided in the comment I’ve quoted. That is highly offensive.