It is cultural, not religious. Though the covering of women's hair is supported by most interpretations of the Koran/Hadith, covering the face is not. It arises from a very imprecise passage with reference to the women of the prophet Mohammed's family being 'screened'.
Islam does not directly mandate the covering of women's faces. The cultural nature of this practice is shown by the Tuareg, whose women are never veiled, but whose men often are. The Tuareg are Moslem.
For some, a hijab may be religious as it is adopted as a tradition within Islam as a religious belief. Others may wear a hijab for cultural reasons.
There are variations in how the Qur’an has been interpreted, just as Biblical interpretations have varied, but that does not make one type of practice necessarily less religious than others. Islamic scholars have differing views on the wearing of the hijab, as do the women who wear them.
In Christianity, priests may wear religious dress, and religious sisters may be veiled. These garments aren’t specifically mentioned in the Bible or anywhere else for that matter as necessary for religious belief, but they are still known as ‘religious dress.
Some may make the argument that all religious practice is cultural not religious, but I don’t think that’s what you are doing here as you are arguing for a literal interpretation of the Qur’an.
For some, a hijab may be religious as it is adopted as a tradition within Islam as a religious belief. Others may wear a hijab for cultural reasons.
There are variations in how the Qur’an has been interpreted, just as Biblical interpretations have varied, but that does not make one type of practice necessarily less religious than others. Islamic scholars have differing views on the wearing of the hijab, as do the women who wear them.
In Christianity, priests may wear religious dress, and religious sisters may be veiled. These garments aren’t specifically mentioned in the Bible or anywhere else for that matter as necessary for religious belief, but they are still known as ‘religious dress.
Some may make the argument that all religious practice is cultural not religious, but I don’t think that’s what you are doing here as you are arguing for a literal interpretation of the Qur’an.
Islam is a very legalistic religion. Everything has to be based on the Koran or Hadith to be fully supported. The Koran is regarded as the literal word of God, while the Hadith is more interpretative. Anything not based on either is a cultural accretion that may be thought of as religious by some Moslems, but challenged by other Moslems. Facial covering is something more like the underwear prescribed by Mormonism, or insisting on visibly wearing a cross on a chain when your employer/government proscribe the wearing of religious symbols, than the turban in Sikhism. Veiling of women is not mandated by anything in the core religious writings of Islam, as such it is not fundamentally religious.
