What Is an Amira Hijab?

An amira hjiab, sometimes also known as an al-amira hijab, is a type of head covering worn by women in adherence to Islamic modesty standards. The amira hijab is a two-piece head covering that consists of two tube-like garments: an underscarf that fits tightly over the head and a loose tube that is worn over this first layer. Depending on the construction of the amira hijab, the outer scarf can be secured through the use of hijab pins. The design of these hijabs can vary, with some providing minimal coverage, which can be useful for women who are concerned about safety around machinery.

For many women who wear a head covering, an amira hijab offers a great deal of convenience and flexibility. Unlike some hijabs that require careful wrapping of a scarf around the head, an amira hijab quickly slips on and off, yet provides complete coverage of the head and hair. The wearer needs only to be concerned about the security of the outer scarf, which can typically be addressed by pinning it securely under the chin or onto the underscarf. For women and girls who are new to wearing a hijab, the ability to work with cloth tubes instead of folds of fabric can be helpful in adjusting to wearing a head covering on a daily basis.

As the amira hijab is made up of two pieces, women who own this type of hijab have the option of mixing and matching scarf designs. This can help a woman on a limited budget make the most of a limited hijab wardrobe. While the amira hijab is typically worn as a set, women may choose to buy several different hijabs in complementary or contrasting colors to be able to develop different scarf and underscarf pairings.

Many types of amira hijabs make use of a relatively short overscarf, although some do include longer overscarves. Depending on a woman's situation and culture, this may be an advantage or a disadvantage. If a woman's community has very strict modesty standards, the failure of the hijab to provide coverage of her shoulders and chest may be problematic unless she chooses to wear a jilbab or abaya over her clothing. On the other hand, the short scarf can easily be tucked into the collar of a shirt or sweater, offering coverage while minimizing the risk of the scarf getting caught on other objects or flying in its wearer's face on a windy day.