The Bible expressly requires Christian women to wear a hijab!

There are debates about the wearing of the Hijab by women in Western countries. Interestingly enough, the New Testament, explicitly says that all Christian women should wear the hijab

There has been a good deal of debate in Britain about whether the wearing of head coverings by Muslim women, the hijab, is commanded by Islam, or if it is instead no more than a Middle Eastern custom which is ultimately cultural, rather than religious. This is a subject which causes a good deal of anger in certain circles, among both supporters and opponents of the practice. Some European countries have passed laws forbidding the wearing by Muslim women of some types of head-coverings. What few people seem to realise is that the Bibles, specifically the New Testament, requires that Christian women should cover their hair in precisely the same fashion as the hijab, and that ideally, they should do so at all times.

Until a few years ago, it was the custom in Britain for women to wear hats in church, and a woman who failed to cover her head when worshipping was looked at a little askance. For most people, this was regarded as merely a quaint tradition and although most women abided by the convention, few were aware that there was Scriptural backing for the practice. Even fewer had any idea that women really ought to keep their heads covered at all times and not just when they attended church on Sundays. The mandate for this is very clear and unambiguous. It is to be found in One of St Paul’s epistles, namely that to the Corinthians. For those who wish to check this for themselves, it is in first Corinthians, chapter 11 verse 2; ‘every woman that prayeth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head’. And there you have it. Any Christian woman who is praying must cover her hair while doing so. This applies even if she if merely saying grace before a meal, it is an absolute requirement for those Christians who wish to follow Biblical teaching. But wait, that’s not all. In first Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 16, Pauls says the following; ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances’. This is tricky, because if women are meant to be praying and thanking the Lord at all times, then of course they should also keep their head covered all the time as well. This was indeed the practice for centuries.

The early Church Fathers were very explicit about hijabs, describing them in considerable detail and explaining that women should wear them all the time. Hippolytus of Rome, for example, writing in the Second Century AD said; ‘let all the women have their heads covered with an opaque cloth not with a veil of thin linen for this is not a true covering’. The wearing of what we now call the hijab was as much a feature of Christianity as it is now in Islam. It is unlikely that we shall see this custom return, although there are Christian sects which adhere to the practice. The next time that we feel inclined to make slighting comments about Muslim customs, we might bear this in mind!