Sputnik- Debenhams is to become the first UK-based department store to launch a range of Muslim modest clothing, including the hijab, the store's trading director international, Jeanette Whithear, said on Saturday.





MOSCOW (Sputnik)�� Aab, an international brand selling modest clothing for�women, will reportedly launch sales in�London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leicester starting May.
"We are delighted to�introduce the Aab range to�our international and select UK stores� Adding the high quality fashion range to�our product mix enables us to�offer collections that are highly relevant in�both international markets and to�our domestic customers and is a step closer to�creating a product offer that caters for�broader customer needs," Whithear said, as�quoted by�the Birmingham Mail newspaper.


Aab will offer hijab headscarves, kurti tops, abaya dresses, jumpsuits, kimono wraps and hijab pins and caps.

The products will also be sold in�Debenhams stores in�Dubai, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iran, Indonesia and Malaysia.

A hijab headscarf, worn by�some Muslim women as�a symbol of�modesty, covers the head and neck but, unlike�the burqa or niqab, does not cover the face.

Since 2011, there has been rise in�countries, outlawing Islamic face and body coverings, including the burka, niqab and hijab. France, Belgium and the Netherlands have introduced complete bans on�the burka face coverings and Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Denmark have bans in�some places, with�Estonia and Albania also debating full bans. The hijab has been banned from�being worn in�state institutions and state schools in�France. Countries cite the difficulty of�integration and assimilation, as�well as�security risks, as�the main reasons for�the bans.