Essay on Islam A debated issue in contemporary society, which has evolved over time, is the growing issue of women's freedom in Islam, with specific reference to the veil. Having said that, the controversial issue of head covering will be discussed with close reference to the Quran, authentic hadith, academic consensus (ijma^) and academic articles, especially talking about the evolution of the issue as well as political, cultural issues. , social and religious perceptions that are associated with the Islamic veil. The veil is generally classified into two types; the hijab and the niqab/burqa. To distinguish between the two, the hijab is the veil that covers the head, while the niqab/burqa is the veil that covers the face excluding the eyes, or covers the entire face. Some argue that covering the entire face is an obligation within the Islamic faith, except for those in the state of Hajj, or Prayer. In a hadith stated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan, on Islamically accepted dress “^A'ishah, Ummul Mu'minin, (the most knowledgeable woman in the Muslim nation), narrated that when her sister Asma', the daughter of Abu Bakr , entered the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), wearing light clothes, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), turned his attention away from her and said that means: "O Asma', when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, she is not allowed to show herself except this and this", and pointed to her face and hands." (Hassan, 2004) In this authentic hadith, it is evident that the Muslim woman is not obliged to cover one's face, since this judgment was not specified by the Prophet only for the state of prayer and hajj. Abu Hayyan Al-Ghamati stated in his book Al Ba......middle sheet...... U. 1994. Ecological Models of Human Development. International Cyclopedia of Australia, Vol. 2010. The Constitution of Australia. Australia: Canberra Retrieved from: http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/~/media/AC79BBA0B87A4906A6D71ACCEEF10535.ashxHassan, A. 2004. Partial translation by Sunan Abu Dawood. California: University of Southern California Retrieved from: http://www.usc.edu/org/cmje/religious-texts/hadith/abudawud/Hoodfar, H. (1997). The veil in their minds and on our heads: veiling practices and Muslim women. In L. Lowe & D. LLoyd (Eds.), The politics of culture in the shadow of capital (pp. 248-279). Durham, NC: Duke University PressUN. 1948. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. United Nations. Retrieved from: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/