: a loose enveloping garment that covers the face and body and is worn in public by certain Muslim women
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThose who were brave enough to venture out spoke in hushed voices, for fear of provoking a Taliban beating for anything as simple as not having a long-enough beard (for a man) or a long-enough burka (for a woman), or sometimes for nothing at all. Lynsey Addario, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2021 For the past 20 years, Kabul has become a place where women can walk freely, where they're not forced to wear the burka or be accompanied by a male relative — those basic freedoms may soon be under threat once the U.S. withdraws. Charlie D'agata, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2021 Yes, the burka is oppressive and ridiculous—but that’s still no reason to ban it. Ariel Levy, The New Yorker, 25 May 2020 Once the Americans leave, women under Taliban rule would be obliged to wear a hair-covering hijab, rather than the body-covering burka, Shaheen said. Matt Bradley, NBC News, 20 July 2019 In 2001, Carolyn Maloney, then Congresswoman from New York, made a show of putting on a burka on the floor of the House of Representatives. Rafia Zakaria, The New Republic, 12 June 2018 The Afghan man with the long beard, white turban, and worn farmer’s hands led his wife, draped all in a flowing dark blue burka, into a small office booth in Kabul. Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar. 2018 Once the Americans leave, women under Taliban rule would be obliged to wear a hair-covering hijab, rather than the body-covering burka, Shaheen said. Matt Bradley, NBC News, 20 July 2019 In 2001, Carolyn Maloney, then Congresswoman from New York, made a show of putting on a burka on the floor of the House of Representatives. Rafia Zakaria, The New Republic, 12 June 2018 See More
Word History
Etymology
Urdu, Persian & Arabic; Urdu burqaʽ, from Persian burqaʽ, burquʽ, from Arabic burquʽ