CHORAQUE KL

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PASHMINA, SCARF AND HIJAB

PASHMINA

Pashmina refers to a type of fine cashmere wool and the textiles made from it.[1][2] The name comes from Pashmineh (پشمینه), made from Persian pashm ("wool").[2] The wool comes from changthangi or pashmina goat, which is a special breed of goat indigenous to high altitudes of the Himalayas in Nepal, Pakistan and northern India. Pashmina shawls are hand spun, woven and embroidered in Kashmir, and made from fine cashmere fibre.[1][3]
(taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashmina)


SHAWL

A shawl (Arabic\Persian شال, Shāl, from Sanskrit: साडी śāṭī[1]) is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, that is often folded to make a triangle but can also be triangular in shape. Other shapes include oblong shawls.

Shawls are used in order to keep warm, to complement a costume, and for symbolic reasons. One famous type of shawl is the tallit, worn by Jewish men during prayers and ceremonies. Today, shawls are worn for added warmth (and fashion) at outdoor or indoor evening affairs where the temperature is warm enough for men in suits but not for women in dresses and where a jacket might be inappropriate.
(taken from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawl)


HIJAB

The word "hijab" or "ḥijāb" (Arabic: حجاب hijaab, pronounced [ħiˈdʒæːb] ~ [ħiˈɡæːb]) refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general.
The Arabic word literally means curtain or cover (noun). Most Islamic legal systems define this type of modest dressing as covering everything except the face and hands in public.[1][2] According to Islamic scholarship, hijab is given the wider meaning of modesty, privacy, and morality;[3] the words for a headscarf or veil used in the Qur'an are khimār (خمار) and Jilbaab(جلباب), not hijab. Still another definition is metaphysical, where al-hijab refers to "the veil which separates man or the world from God."[2]
Muslims differ as to whether the hijab should be required on women in public, as it is in countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia; whether it should be banned in schools, as it is in France and Turkey; or whether it should be left for the women to decide.
(taken from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijab)

So, what we would like to stress here is that, Pashmina is not a hijab nor a shawl. Don't get your facts wrong. We've been asked about our hijab, and many called it pashmina. Material used and also the uses are different for pashmina and hijab.

Hope all of you are clear about the differences between Pashmina, shawl and hijab :)