6 Things You Didn’t Know About the Hijab

The Veil’s History

The Hijab originated in pre-Islamic societies, representing an upper class status. In Mediterranean societies, women with wealth wore veils, prostitutes and slave women were prohibited from wearing the veil. Greek and Persian society followed similar rules. The Apostle Paul encouraged women to wear veils and his letter to the Corinthians said "For if a woman does not have her head veiled, she may as well have her hair cut off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should wear a veil." Today, the veil also exists in other cultures and religions including Judaism and Christianity, mostly in conservative Catholic communities, and Anabaptists including the Amish and some Mennonite Christians.