veil

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Pearl Weigher by Johannes Vermeer 1665

A veil is a head covering made of light fabric with a mostly approximately rectangular basic shape and of different lengths. The veil can either leave the face free, cover the lower part of the face as well, or cover the face completely. In its length it can cover the hair and the neck, cover the upper body like a scarf or hide the entire body as a full-body veil. The hair is often only partially covered by a veil and z. B. the hairline left free. Veils have different functions and often symbolize certain meanings.

Veiling in ancient times

Relief of Ninsun in the Louvre

The veil is already for the early third millennium BC. In Mesopotamia for men and women as well as for deities , for example for Aja and Inanna , who was nicknamed "the veiled" or "the veiled". Another prominent name bearer was the mother goddess Ninsun , who was also called "veiled princess" by the Sumerians . Another variant of the veil to cover the face was the hem of the garment .

In the Gilgamesh epic , Gilgamesh's explanation refers to the early existence of the veil: He (Gilgamesh) covered his friend ( Enkidu ) like the face of a bride . For the most part, more detailed information on the conditions and reasons for wearing the veil is missing. However, the content of the texts suggests that fixed rules are likely. In Assyria at the end of the second millennium BC During the reign of Tukulti-apil-Ešarra I (1114 to 1076 BC), legal rules regarding the legality of wearing veils for certain groups of people became comprehensible for the first time. The Central Assyrian legal collection shows that the unauthorized use of a veil for slaves and prostitutes was a punishable offense.

“Wives of an a'ilu, widows or Assyrian women who go out into the street do not leave their heads unveiled… If they go out alone during the day, they definitely cover themselves up. A priestess who has married a husband is veiled in the square; one who has not married a husband leaves her head uncovered on the square ... An Ḫarimtu does not cover herself, she leaves her head open ... A slave does not cover herself. "

- Central Assyrian Law, A § 40.

The Central Assyrian ban on veiling prostitutes and slaves served the social downgrading and stigmatization of non-freeborn wives. Wives or married concubines were considered respectable, which was made externally visible by the veil in public. Prostitutes and slaves, on the other hand, were not under the protection of a husband and were therefore not considered respectable.

In ancient Egypt , the veiling of deities is also attested very early, which was also reflected in the names of the gods, for example for Amun ("The Hidden One"). The veil is mentioned in various places in the Bible, including the first meeting between Isaac and Rebekah ( Genesis 24.65 EU ) and in the meeting between Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar ( 1 Mos 38  EU ). In Orthodox Judaism, it is still common today for married women to cover their hair, often with headscarves or veils. The prophet Ezekiel describes a "magic veil" (13.18 EU , 13.21 EU )

In ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, women wore a veil over their hair as part of clothing and a symbol of decency . The elegant Roman woman wore a kind of cloak over her upper garment, the palla . She enveloped herself completely in it; the upper part of the fabric was wrapped around the neck and the right upper arm. She pulled the piece of fabric that fell over her back over her head. The Roman Gaius Sulpicius Galus divorced his wife because she had not covered her hair in public. It was only later under Augustus that the custom of covering one's hair is said to have relaxed.

Around 2000 years ago the veil penetrated the Arabian Peninsula and was also a garment of the aristocracy there . In the days of Muhammad it was not customary for women to wear veils. It was not until the 9th century that veiling became compulsory in the caliphate .

According to Richter-Dridi, the veil was not introduced in North Africa - including Tunisia - until the 15th century. During this period, many of the now persecuted Moors emigrated from Spain and introduced it "as a sign of decency and good morals".

Veiling in Christianity

Orthodox pilgrim in the Laure of Kiev-Perchesk. Women and girls must cover their hair when entering a church or monastery.

The apostle Paul writes about wearing the veil during prayer in his 1st letter to the Corinthians (11.5–6 EU ). In quite a few Christian denominations, women cover their hair in the church with a veil, a cloth or a mantilla (communion veil ), among other things in the Orthodox Church , in individual Roman Catholic countries, in individual Protestant churches such as brother communities , among the Russian Baptists , the Mennonites , the Amish and the Hutterites . In part, this scriptural passage of Paul, connected with 1st Letter to the Thessalonians (5.17 EU , “Pray without ceasing”) is interpreted in such a way that the women in these communities always wear a veil, a cloth or a bonnet.

In the Catholic Church , the Codex Iuris Canonici of 1917 provided that women must wear a communion veil or other head covering at Holy Mass and in the presence of the Holy of Holies . This Canon was abrogated by the CIC in 1983 ; the 1983 CIC does not mention this question, which means that it is no longer compulsory for women to wear a hat during Holy Mass. In private audiences with the Pope , wearing a mantilla is part of the protocol for women .

Wearing the bridal veil at the wedding is now understood as a custom . The veil has been largely preserved in its ancient symbolism of the bond of a woman through marriage or vows in some forms of Vita Consecrata : in religious life and with consecrated virgins , where the veil is given for the consecration of a virgin or as part of the habit for clothing . For centuries, the phrase "taking the veil" has been synonymous with a woman choosing a form of life consecrated to God; later it became synonymous with a woman entering the monastery . In the Eastern Churches , some monks also wear a veil.

In Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries, elegant women always wore their hair under a hood or covered it with a veil. (A veil can often be seen on paintings from this period, for example on the Mona Lisa and the Sistine Madonna .) This custom has been preserved in southern Europe to this day for festive and church affairs. A veil covers “the most beautiful jewelry” of women: her hair. Therefore, when the veil is put on, vanity is put aside to some extent , at least symbolically.

In the southern Spanish province of Cádiz, it was common to almost completely veil women until Franco came to power in the Spanish Civil War . The monument La Cobijada in Vejer de la Frontera still reminds of this costume, which only left one eye exposed .

Veiling in Islam

The articles Veil # Veiling in Islam and Hijab overlap thematically. Help me to better differentiate or merge the articles (→  instructions ) . To do this, take part in the relevant redundancy discussion . Please remove this module only after the redundancy has been completely processed and do not forget to include the relevant entry on the redundancy discussion page{{ Done | 1 = ~~~~}}to mark. Zulu55 ( discussion ) ignorance 09:40, Aug 18, 2015 (CEST)


In Islam there are clothing regulations in the Koran, but they are interpreted differently. It should be noted above all that the term “veil” or “veiling” does not have a clearly defined content. In some cases, this only means covering the hair, in some cases a complete covering of the body ( chador , burka ). The terms used for this, originating from the Arabic language, often have no German equivalent.

The Koran contains only a few places that include instructions on clothing for women. There is no mention in the verses that the woman should cover her hair or cover her face:

In the following two, sometimes quoted passages, a reference to a dress code for women is highly doubtful:

  • Sura 7 al-Aʿraf / The Heights, 27. Āya (Nudity as a result of the expulsion from Paradise)
  • Sura 33 al-Ahzab / The groupings, 53rd Āya (only refers to the wives of Muhammad)

There are also some hadiths (traditions of the Prophet Muhammad) that say something about women's clothing. In general, there are few references to female veiling in the canonical hadith works of Muhammad al-Bukhârî and Abû Dâwûd . In the 15th century commentary on the hadith collection Sahih al-Bukhari (Fathu-l-Bâri) there is a story of Â'ishah, the wife of Muhammad, who tells of the virtues of the women of the Ansār . When their husbands reported the revelation of Surat an-Nūr , the women immediately obeyed the instruction in verse 31 that they "wrap their shawls around their clippings":

“Everyone quoted the verse in front of their wife, daughter, sister, and relatives. There was no woman who did not get up on the spot, tore her skirt and covered herself from head to toe (i'tajarât) with it. The next day they prayed the Fajr prayer covered from head to toe (mu'tajirât) . "

While the authenticity of the hadith is widely questioned, they are still believed and followed by many Muslims. However, their interpretation and meaning depends heavily on the individual believer.

The vast majority of legal scholars in fundamentalist Sharia Islam (expression after Bassam Tibi ) advocate covering the hair on the head. It is also derived from the fact that women should cover themselves with a full-body veil called a hijab . According to a common interpretation, women and girls should wear the hijab from the onset of puberty.

A distinction must be made between the face, head and whole body veils. The half or mouth veil ( litham or milfa ) covers the lower half of the face, and the niqab is a full veil covering the entire face with the exception of the eyes. There are (rarely) other forms for men, particularly noticeable among the Tuareg .

According to McGuinty , studies have shown that wearing a veil plays an important role in converting women to Islam. The veiling marks the development of a new Muslim identity in the conversion process and the adoption of specifically Islamic ideas about gender relations and morality.

Concealment in Germany

A representative survey published in 2016 by the opinion research institute TNS Emnid on behalf of the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster among 1200 immigrants from Turkey and their descendants aged 16 and over showed that 31% of all Muslim women of Turkish origin in Germany wear a headscarf. The value fell from 41% in the first generation to 21% in the second and third generation.

Veiling in Islamic countries

Schoolgirls with veils on a beach in Tanzania

In some Islamic countries, wearing the veil is a legal requirement, for example in Saudi Arabia or Iran ; The legal situation in the Indonesian province of Aceh is comparable . The religious police are used for enforcement and surveillance . In Afghanistan at the time of the Taliban was burqa duty.

In Turkey the wearing of was headscarf by Ataturk banned on pain of death. Although this ban met with great opposition from the female population, especially in rural areas, for many women it was synonymous with nudity, many opposed this order only after Ataturk's death. In Turkish public institutions such as schools and universities, the headscarf ban has been lifted for some time. In parliament and on television, however, headscarves are still not allowed to be worn and official documents, such as B. on ID cards, only photos without any headgear may be used.

Other functions of the veil

Mourning veil in a painting by William Adolphe Bouguereau

A mourning veil can be worn by widows to express grief over the loss of a person.

The half-veil connected to the hat (which only covered the eyes) was a fashionable attribute of upscale women's clothing until the first half of the 20th century. A veil can be worn to protect against insects , e.g. B. mosquitoes . Beekeepers often wear a veil to protect against bee stings .

Different shapes of the veil

  • Rembrandt van Rijn , Portrait of Saskia with a hair veil, 1633

  • John Everett Millais ,
    The Valley of Silence, 1858

  • mantilla

  • Wedding of the Prince von und zu Stolberg, 1933

  • young girl with a veil, 1988

  • Clara Schumann with a widow's bonnet

  • Hutterite women at work

  • Monument to a traditionally veiled Christian woman in Vejer de la Frontera

  • Bronze statue of a dancer with a niqab approx. 2nd century BC Chr.

literature

  • Leila Ahmed : A Quiet Revolution. The Veil's Resurgence from the Middle East to America , Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, USA 2013, ISBN 978-0-300-17095-5 .
  • Claudia Knieps: History of the veiling of women in Islam , Ergon, Würzburg, 1993.
  • Sabine Kebir : Dialectic of the Veil. The example of Algeria. In: Edith Laudowicz (ed.): Fatimas Töchter. Women in islam. PapyRossa, Cologne 1992 (= New Small Library. Volume 29), ISBN 3-89438-051-9 , pp. 162-180.

See also

Web links

Commons : veil  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: veil  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Remarks

  1. ^ Christian F. Feest , Alfred Janata: Technology and Ergology in the Ethnology. Volume 2, Dietrich Reimer Verlag, Berlin 1989, p. 171.
  2. ↑ a b H. Waetzoldt: head covering, § 10: veil, covering the face. In: Dietz-Otto Edzard u. a .: Real Lexicon of Assyriology and Near Eastern Archeology . Volume 6, de Gruyter, Berlin 1983, ISBN 3-11-010051-7 , p. 202.
  3. ↑ Gilgamesh Epic, Plate 8, verse 59.
  4. ^ A b Eckhart Otto: The Deuteronomy: Political Theology and Legal Form in Judah and Assyria . de Gruyter, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-11-016621-6 , pp. 178 and 181.
  5. ^ Richard Hase (Ed.): The cuneiform collection of law in the German version. 2nd Edition. Harrassowitz. Wiesbaden 1979, ISBN 3-447-02034-2 . Quoted from: Rahel Gugel: The tension between the Prostitution Act and Article 3 II of the Basic Law - a legal political investigation. Dissertation in the field of law at the University of Bremen. May 17, 2010, pp. 19-20.
  6. ↑ Frederik Ramm: The woman in Roman antiquity. 1998.
  7. ↑ Irmhild Richter-Dridi : Women's Liberation in an Islamic Country - A Contradiction? Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1981, ISBN 3-596-23717-3 .
  8. ↑ Phillis Cunnington, Catherine Lucas: Costume for Births, Marriages and Deaths . Adam and Charles Black, London 1972, ISBN 0-7136-1192-8 (English).
  9. ↑ Interpreting veils: Meanings have changed with politics, history Seattle Times, October 5, 2001, with illustration of various veils .
  10. ↑ after viewing the German translation of the Koran according to Paret
  11. ↑ Claudia Knieps: Does the Koran prescribe the headscarf? | bpb. Federal Agency for Civic Education, accessed on February 20, 2019 .
  12. ↑ after viewing the German translation of the Koran according to Paret
  13. ↑ Sura 33 verse 59 - The veiling of the woman. In: Deutschlandfunk.de. July 28, 2017, accessed on February 20, 2019 (German).
  14. ↑ Ralph Ghadban: The headscarf in the Koran and Sunna | bpb. Federal Agency for Civic Education, accessed on February 20, 2019 .
  15. ↑ Christoph Zotter: What is the religious background of the veil? | NZZ . May 18, 2017, ISSN  0376-6829 ( nzz.ch [accessed February 20, 2019]).
  16. ↑ cf. Anna Mansson McGuinty: Becoming Muslim. Western Women's Conversions to Islam. Palgrave Macmillan: New York, NY 2009. p. 115.
  17. ↑ Detlef Pollack, Olaf Müller, Gergely Rosta, Anna Dieler: Integration and religion from the perspective of people of Turkish origin in Germany. Retrieved January 10, 2018 .
  18. ↑ Halil Gülbeyaz : Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. From state founder to myth. Parthas-Verlag, Berlin 2004, p. 187.
  19. ^ Duden online: Mourning veil
  20. ↑ To illustrate: Hat with half veil , presented by Désirée Nick .
  21. ^ Cultural Fabric. The Long History and Complex Significance of the Muslim Veil. In: Time . July 11, 2011, p. 47