Worn by Muslim women, Burqa or veil, is now becoming a fashion statement in India, with more young Indian Muslims preferring face-veils that are made fancy or ornate through embroidery, designs and decorative works.
“With times even burqa is changing its color and design. More and more girls and women are demanding colorful and fashionable veils from us,” Rizwan Khan, owner of Rizwan Burqa House, a major veil shop in central India, told OnIslam.net.
“We have to keep pace with demand; otherwise we may be out of business. We are also experimenting by designing new styles. Niqab in Focus (Folder) – Applying Shari`ah
“Earlier, we used to sell only black burqas but now we have to keep all the colors,” she added.
Burqa or niqab is a face-veil worn traditionally by Muslim women as a sign of modesty and in accordance with the teachings from the Qur’an.
In India, these garments are now coming in different colors and styles to draw the attention of others, rather than to hide them from people’s eyes.
Shimala is just 19-year-old and loves to wear veil.
“I think burqa now-a-days is a fashion statement and people no longer treat you as oppressed,” she told to media.
“My non-Muslim friends give me compliment about my veil. I enjoy wearing it.”
The numbers of women opting for the traditional black veils have come down significantly. Veils that are made fancy or ornate through embroidery, designs and decorative works are preferred and are being produced at many places in India.
Now-a-days, an ordinary black veil could cost anywhere between Rs 550 and 800 (US$9 to 13), but the price for a designer one will depend on the work done on the cloth.
Some prefer less designer work, while some others prefer to wear veil with heavy designer work for special occasions like marriage and other functions. Sometimes work is so heavy on these burqas that it could be more than a designer dress.
“We have been successful in increasing our business with these designer burqas. Even our profit margin has gone up,” another burqa maker, Izhar Khan, said.
Burqas inspired by English gowns or those with Chinese collars, are doing brisk business. So are the modern abayas from Dubai beautified by laces, pipings and pintex design.
These changes may be redefining the garment – observers say some two-piece burqas have the chutzpah of cholis and the flirty feel of frocks – but the makeover, expectedly, hasn’t gone down well with the city’s maulanas. “Women are precious in Islam and the purdah was introduced to protect them. The new style of wearing fitting burqas, and adding studs and stones to them attracts attention and emboldens rapists,” says Mufti Shamun Qasmi, vice president, All India Imaam Council.