A MUSLIM woman wears a burqa inside a camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Maguindanao province. JEOFFREY MAITEM/INQUIRER MINDANAO
A BURQA is a traditional outer garment worn by Muslim women to cover their head and body in public places.
While it covers the entire face and body, it allows a woman to see through a mesh screen.
In 2012, Malacañang said there was no policy against guests wearing a burqa during ceremonies in the Palace.
The security concern of wearing a burqa was raised when one of the guests during the oath-taking by members of the legislative assembly of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) attended the rites in that garment. This was after a woman in a burqa was removed from a venue of US President Obama’s reelection campaign. She was reportedly heckling Obama when security personnel took her away from the arena in the Virginia Commonwealth University.
In 2011, France and Belgium enforced a ban on the full-face veil in public placetags, citing security reasons. Compiled by Kathleen de Villa, Inquirer Research
Sources: Inquirer Archives, BBC