hijab

Wearing some form of head covering in public is an important sign of Islamic identity in many Muslim-majority countries, but there is considerable variation in the extent to which women are expected (and sometimes mandated) to cover up. A recent Pew report, based on a survey conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research from 2011 to 2013 in seven majority-Muslim nations, reveals just how widely opinions about female attire differ in the region.

Yuna is a Malaysian pop star whose most recent LP, Nocturnal, has quickly become one of the most notable releases of the year. Nocturnal, put out by Verve Records, is a potpourri of danceable landscapes overlaid with buttery-smooth vocals, buoyant lyricism, and a tasty sprinkling of Eastern sensibility. Yuna's not only unique for her music, though. She is also one of the few women in global pop to wear a hijab.

“Get out! Get out!” shouted dozens of standing lawmakers at a woman ahead of a swearing-in ceremony in a newly elected Turkish Parliament on May 2, 1999. “This is not the place to challenge the state. Show this woman of her limits!” Bülent Ecevit, then prime minister of Turkey, told the assembly, encouraging deputies of his ruling party to increase the pressure on the woman to leave the assembly.

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