While many people today think of veiling as a religious practice, it was actually adopted by different faiths from local customs of the time and then endowed with spiritual meaning.

Judaism While there are a few biblical passages that mention women veiling, it was arguably a traditional custom that gained religious meaning later on. Across centuries, Jewish laws on modesty have called for the covering of women's hair. Covering the head could be seen as a way to reflect a woman’s inner soul by drawing attention away from her body.

Today some Orthodox Jewish women, in particular some from a Hasidic denomination of Judaism, practice various forms of veiling, from the use of scarves, wigs, snoods or hats.

Christianity Early Christians adopted veiling from Romans and Greeks. St Paul called on women to cover their heads in church to reflect male authority and avoid distracting men from worship.

It was common for married Christian European women to wear veils until the 17th Century. Some Orthodox Christian women and members of sects like the Amish still wear head coverings. Many Western women will wear a veil on their wedding day if marrying in a church. Some nuns still wear them as ‘brides of Christ’.

Islam Mentions of the veil or hijab in the Koran are ambiguous and open to interpretation. In the Verses of the Curtain the wives of the Prophet Muhammed are spoken to from behind a veil or curtain. Some scholars have interpreted this more broadly to include all Muslim women.