Dust (comics) - Observing Islamic Hijab

Observing Islamic Hijab

In line with Sooraya's character as a traditional Muslim, she chooses to observe Islamic hijab by donning traditional dress. Sooraya explains to her mother that she always observes hijab because of the modesty it affords her from men, and never did it because of the Taliban's enforcement of hijab on women. Her mother is happy that she lives somewhere where she is able to make those choices, unlike in Afghanistan. Characters in the comics often refer to Dust's traditional Muslim outfit as a burqa. However, the outfit Dust wears is an abaya with a niqāb for her face, an ensemble originating in and worn mostly by Muslim women in the Persian Gulf states of the Middle East. In New X-Men vol. 2 #42, Gentle is the first to get it right while correcting fellow student Pixie.

Some artists depict Sooraya's abaya incorrectly, having it tightly cinched around her body, which questionably disregards the purpose of wearing an abaya. However it must be noted this inaccuracy is not limited, Dust speaks Arabic in the comics while the official languages of Afghanistan are Pashtun and Dari Persian.