# A question about Islam **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-islam/169727 "2003-04-20T00:02:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-islam/169727/21 "2003-04-21T07:12:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by medstar \* > \*\*I have a question about the hijab, niqad or burqa that modest Muslim women wear. What about the color? Does it have to be black? Could a Saudi woman wear a purple burqa as long as the cloth covers everything the black burqa covers? What about a sheer burqa? What degree of sheerness would be forbidden? \*\* First on the vocab: Niqab: the veil that covers the face. Hijab: in general simply the head covering, some people use it to refer to a total covering. Abaya: long flowing dress, typical of the Gulf, e.g. Chador/Burqa: the head to toe get up tht covers the face as well, not a hijab. The color is a cultural item, the Gulf prefers black for traditional reasons, outside people wear purple or green or whatnot. Black is also prefered by the Bedouine. It has, I am led to understand, contra what you migth expect, heat disappating properties. Obviously sheerness that is really sheer defeats the ostensible purpose, on the other hand I have seen some … really interesting ‘Abaya’ in upper class areas. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2003, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-islam/169727/22 "2003-04-21T10:59:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tamerlane \* > **As to the burkha - The Qur’an enjoins modesty ( in both women and men ) and gives a little bit of ( arguable ) detail, but the burkha per se is cultural.** Oh, really? If the burkha is not considered modest, I’d like to know what is. Wearing a paper bag over one’s head, perhaps? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-islam/169727/23 "2003-06-01T15:35:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Collounsbury \* > **Black is also prefered by the Bedouine. It has, I am led to understand, contra what you migth expect, heat disappating properties.** We expats hear this “heat dissipating” thing a lot. I took it for read, until I actually spoke to a Jordanian woman, who wears coloured hijabs. She said friends of hers in black found them nightmarishly hot. Also - if black is a better dissipater of heat than white, wouldn’t men wear it too? Especially as they are likely to be more outdoors more often than women? Here in the UAE at least, the only time one seems men wearing darker colours - including black - is in winter time. Interesting anyway. I certainly find wearing fabric of ANY colour better in the extreme midday sun than having bare arms or shoulders. ---
**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-islam/169727/24 "2003-06-03T16:05:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by istara \* > \*\*We expats hear this “heat dissipating” thing a lot. I took it for read, until I actually spoke to a Jordanian woman, who wears coloured hijabs. She said friends of hers in black found them nightmarishly hot. > > Also - if black is a better dissipater of heat than white, wouldn’t men wear it too? Especially as they are likely to be more outdoors more often than women? Here in the UAE at least, the only time one seems men wearing darker colours - including black - is in winter time.\*\* This is just a guess as to why they wear it, but black is good at radiating heat and absorbing radiant heat (e.g. heat from the sun). Therefore, if you were indoors out of sunlight (and most heat was coming from inside you, or from warm air), black might be effective at keeping you cool. If women spent more time indoors than men, black might make sense for woman but not men. (I don’t know how significant the difference in colour would be, however.) ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-islam/169727/25 "2003-06-03T17:18:43Z")
\ Light coloured clothing over darker robes would minimize incident energy absorption while allowing the body to cool at a maximum rate. Assuming a breeze or course, else you’re toast. \ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-islam/169727.md?page=1)